Report: Veteran defenseman Matthew Schiltz agrees to deal with Calgary Stampeders

Quarterback Matt Schiltz and defensive tackle Ricky Walker are headed to the Calgary Stampeders.

All-Americans Schiltz and Walker agreed to one-year deals with Calgary on Wednesday, league sources said.

The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because CFL teams cannot officially sign pending free agents until the free agency period begins Tuesday at noon ET.

The six-foot-two, 205-pound Schiltz spent the last two seasons with the Hamilton Tigers. Walker, a six-foot-two, 287-pound defensive tackle, has played with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers the past three years.

Another anonymous CFL source said Wednesday that the Saskatchewan Roughriders have reached an agreement with Ottawa's Adam Auclair. The Canadiens had 119 tackles, 30 special teams, two sacks, one interception and two forced fumbles in 42 regular season games with the Redskins.

Calgary will be the third CFL team Schiltz has played for after starting his Canadian career with the Montreal Alouettes (2017-19, 2021).

Schiltz played in 11 regular-season games with the Ticats last season, completing 161-of-108 passes for 1,556 yards (67.1 percent) with seven touchdowns and five interceptions — all career highs.

Schiltz also rushed 23 times for 160 yards (7.0 avg.) and a touchdown. His attempts and yards were also career highs.

Schiltz, who played collegiately at Butler, played in 78 career games. He completed 338-of-517 passes (65.4 percent) for 4,357 yards with 19 TDs and 18 interceptions while rushing for 625 yards and four touchdowns on 101 carries (6.2-yard average).

Walker had 37 tackles and five sacks last season with Winnipeg. The former Virginia Tech star appeared in 36 regular-season games with the Bombers, recording 59 tackles, one special teams tackle and seven sacks.

As of Wednesday, there was still no indication of potential landing spots for BC defensive lineman Mathieu Betts or Hamilton receiver Tim White. Both are pending free agents and are expected to draw a lot of attention during the open window period.

Betts had a CFL-best 18 sacks in 2023 — a single-season record for a Canadian — and was the league's top defensive player. White had a league-leading 75 catches for 1,269 yards and eight TDs.

The CFL opened its negotiating window on Sunday, allowing all teams to speak directly with pending free agents. The window is open until this Sunday.

Once closed. Pending free agents have a 48-hour negotiating window with the remaining teams under contract with them. At any given time, each CFL club will receive any pending free agent offers received during the open window period.

Teams have until February 13th at 10:00 a.m. ET to make an offer to their free agent. Copies of these proposals should again go to both the CFL office and the CFLPA.

Pending free agents can accept any offer made to them between 10 a.m. and noon ET. If the player does not accept any of the offers, he will become a free agent at 12:01 a.m. ET on February 13 and can sign with the team of his choice.

Toronto defensive lineman Dewayne Hendricks agreed to a deal with Hamilton on Tuesday night, while Calgary defenseman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund agreed to an agreement in principle with Gray Cup champion Montreal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published on February 7, 2024.