The Ottawa Redblacks have signed former NFL running back Jaylen Samuels.
The six-foot, 225-pound Samuels most recently suited up for the Houston Texans in 2021, but spent over three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2018 through 2020. He appeared in 42 games for the team, rushing 131 times for 459 yards and one touchdown, while catching 82 passes for 550 yards and four touchdowns.
The 28-year-old earned over $2.4 million USD while in the NFL.
During four seasons with NC State University, Samuels rushed for 1,081 yards and 28 touchdowns, recorded 194 catches for 1,827 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also returning 12 kicks for 230 yards. The Charlotte, NC native earned First Team All-Atlantic Coast Conference honours as an all-purpose player in 2017.
Ottawa also signed Americans in quarterback Mile Hastings, defensive linemen Deandre Johnson and John Morgan III along with defensive backs Derrek Pitts Jr. and Shakur Brown.
The six-foot-one, 205-pound Hastings capped his five-season tenure at UC Davis with a career year in 2024. The San Marcos, CA native completed 66.9 percent of his passes for 4,493 yards with 38 touchdowns versus 13 interceptions, setting program records, helping the Aggies finish second in the Big Sky with a 7-1 record.
The 24-year-old’s prolific season saw him finish as a finalist for the 2024 Walter Payton Award while posting the UC Davis record for career passing yards with 11,168.
The six-foot-three, 260-pound Johnson spent training camp with the Miami Dolphins in 2022. He moved to the Houston Roughnecks for the 2023 campaign. The 25-year-old played his final NCAA season for his hometown University of Miami in 2021, posting 26 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, four-and-a-half sacks, and one forced fumble in nine games.
Prior to his season with the Hurricanes, Johnson spent four years at the University of Tennessee, where he appeared in 41 games, recording 58 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and five forced fumbles.
Prior to a training camp stint with the New England Patriots last season, the six-foot-two, 270-pound Morgan finished his collegiate career with the University of Arkansas in 2023. He appeared in 11 games that season, recording 15 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup.
The Upper Marlboro, MD native spent the prior five seasons at the University of Pittsburgh, where he recorded 73 total tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, three forced fumbles and two pass breakups.
The six-foot, 177-pound Pitts was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2023 season, seeing game action against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3.
In college, he transferred to NC State University for the 2021 season, starting 11 of 12 games, recording three interceptions to go with 43 total tackles, following up with 51 tackles in 2022.
The 26-year-old Pitts began his college career at West Virginia in 2017, racking up 36 total tackles, five tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception across two seasons. He moved to Marshall from 2019 through 2020, making 13 total appearances, with 46 tackles and three for loss.
Before a stint with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during last year’s training camp, the five-foot-11, 190-pound Brown suited up for the Arlington Renegades in 2023, making nine starts and nabbing one interception.
The Stockbridge, GA native split 2022 with the Tennessee Titans and the Pittsburgh Maulers in the United States Football League, after stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions in 2021.
The 26-year-old Brown played his NCAA football at Michigan State University, where he was a three-year letter winner. In 26 games over three seasons, he recorded 54 tackles, nine pass breakups, seven interceptions and two sacks finishing his career eighth in program history with 186 interception return yards.
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