High-profile names among casualties as CFL teams trim rosters

The Montreal Alouettes bid adieu to running back Brandon Whitaker and cornerback Geoff Tisdale late Saturday night.

Those were two of the more high profile releases as CFL teams had to trim their training camp rosters to 46 players by 7 p.m.

Whitaker wasn’t out of work long, as the Toronto Argonauts scooped him up Sunday morning and added him to their practice roster.

He has battled injury woes over the last couple seasons, and the Alouettes have Tyrell Sutton to replace him along with Brandon Rutley on the practice roster.

Tisdale was a bit of a surprise cut, as he tied for third in the CFL last season with five interceptions. The Als also cut veteran defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell. The defending Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders parted ways with a few veterans in defensive back Lin-J Shell, and defensive tackles Demonte Bolden and Eric Taylor.

The Edmonton Eskimos released veteran wide receiver Paris Jackson and Canadian offensive lineman Brian Ramsay, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders let cornerback Paul Woldu and kicker Hugh O’Neill go. The only notable name the Winnipeg Blue Bombers released was import offensive lineman Marc Dile, whom they signed in the off-season to play right tackle.

Dile, however, was hurt most of training camp.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats said goodbye to a few players with CFL experience, including defensive end Sam Scott, Canadian receiver S.J. Haidara and offensive lineman Carson Rockhill. The Argonauts, meanwhile, gave pink slips to defensive end Aston Whiteside and linebacker-defensive back Matt Ware, who were both on last year’s squad.

Toronto also added veteran Canadian receiver Dave Stala and 2012 Grey Cup MVP Chad Kackert, a running back, to their practice roster Sunday morning.