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CFL.ca Staff OTTAWA – The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced on Thursday that running back Devonte Williams has retired. Williams suffered an Achilles injury in the 2024 off-season and missed the entire season for the REDBLACKS. The running back had a breakout season in his second CFL campaign in 2023, more than doubling his rookie output from the previous year, running the ball 182 times for 1,002 yards and three touchdowns in 15 games. Williams eclipsed the 100-yard mark in three games in 2023, including a season-high 146-yard performance in Week 14 against Hamilton. Williams broke into the CFL with Ottawa in 2022 and finished the year with 454 yards on 90 carries while suiting up for eight games. RELATED » Get ready for the 2025 season with insights, analysis and more » Top of the Depth Chart: Ottawa REDBLACKS » Who has the best hands in the CFL? » Buy tickets for the 2025 season » Subscribe to the CFL’s official YouTube channel » Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates The team also announced they have signed six American players, including quarterback Miles Hastings, running back Jaylen Samuels, defensive lineman Deandre Johnson, defensive lineman John Morgan III, defensive back Derrek Pitts Jr., and defensive back Shakur Brown. Hastings capped off his five-season tenure at UC Davis with a career year in 2024, as the San Marcos, California native completed 66.9 per cent of his passes for 4,493 yards, and 38 touchdowns, setting program records with the latter two, helping the Aggies finish second in the Big Sky with a 7-1 record. Hastings’ prolific season saw him finish as a finalist for the 2024 Walter Payton Award, also walking away with the UC Davis record for career passing yards (11,168). The REDBLACKS announced him as one of the 10 players revealed from their negotiation list on December 13, 2024. No stranger to the ranks of professional football, Samuels most recently suited up for the Houston Texans in 2021, but was a mainstay over three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 2018 through 2020. He appeared in 42 games for the team during that span, rushing 131 times for 459 yards and a touchdown, also catching 82 passes for 550 yards and four touchdowns. During four seasons with NC State, Samuels rushed for a total of 1,081 yards and 28 touchdowns, making 194 catches for 1,827 yards and 18 touchdowns, while also returning 12 kicks for 230 yards. He earned First Team All-ACC honours as an all-purpose player in 2017. Johnson spent part of training camp with the Miami Dolphins in 2022, before moving on to the Houston Roughnecks for the 2023 campaign. He played his final season of college football for his hometown Hurricanes in 2021, posting 26 total tackles, nine tackles for loss, four and a half sacks, and a forced fumble in nine games. Prior to his season in Miami, Johnson spent four years at Tennessee, where he appeared in 41 total games, recording 58 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, and five forced fumbles. RB Devonte Williams had 1,003 rushing yards and three majors in 2023 with the REDBLACKS (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca) Prior to a training camp stint with the New England Patriots last season, Morgan finished his college career with Arkansas in 2023. He appeared in 11 games that season, recording 15 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, a forced fumble, and a pass breakup. Morgan spent the prior five seasons at Pittsburgh, where he racked up 73 total tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, two pass breakups, and three forced fumbles. Pitts was with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2023 season, seeing game action against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 3 of that year. In college, he transferred to NC State ahead of the 2021 season, and started 11 of 12 games that season, recording three interceptions to combine with 43 total tackles, following it up with 51 tackles in 2022. Pitts began his college career at West Virginia in 2017, racking up 36 total tackles, five tackles for loss, a sack, and an interception across two seasons. He moved on to Marshall from 2019 through 2020, making 13 total appearances, with 46 tackles, and three for loss, before joining the Pack. Before a stint with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats during last year’s training camp, Brown suited up for the Arlington Renegades (XFL) in 2023, making nine starts and nabbing an interception. He split 2022 with the Tennessee Titans, and with the Pittsburgh Maulers (USFL), after stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, and Detroit Lions in 2021. Brown played his college football at Michigan State, where he was a three-year letter winner. In 26 games over three seasons, he racked up 54 tackles, two sacks, seven interceptions, and nine pass breakups, finishing his career eighth in program history with 186 interception return yards. Finally, the team also announced that American receiver Kahtero Summers, National receiver Jeremy Murphy and National offensive lineman Cooper Hamilton have also been added to the retired list. Get all the top stories from across the league delivered to your inbox.
