Remember them?! John Ursua, Kenny Lawler among former Seahawks in the CFL

We’re two months out from the start of NFL preseason, but why wait until then to watch some gridiron football? The Canadian Football League kicks off tonight (June 6) with the 2023 Grey Cup rematch between the Montreal Alouettes and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The last three Grey Cup finishes have been absolutely wild.

And now we enter 2024 with something of a tradition on Field Gulls. I’ve painstakingly combed through the nine CFL rosters to see how many ex-Seattle Seahawks are playing across the border. The list has been divided into Seahawks who actually had regular season snaps and ‘Hawks who were only on the preseason and/or practice squad roster for any period of time. Test your Seahawks knowledge to figure out how many names you can recognize!

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Appeared in the regular season

WR John Ursua - BC Lions

The Seahawks were a yard shy of winning the NFC West in 2019. John Ursua’s first and only catch of his NFL career came on 4th down against the San Francisco 49ers, giving Seattle a fresh set of downs but not a touchdown.

I think you know the atrocious ensuing errors that resulted in Seattle losing that game.

Ursua never played another NFL snap after his rookie season, and he came agonizingly close to being a hero. He tore his ACL in 2021 and found himself out of the NFL completely, but did get into the restaurant business.

After some time on the Saskatchewan Roughriders practice squad, Ursua inked a deal with the BC Lions. Apparently he is on the suspended list. No explanation was given. Did you know he’s already 30 years old?

DT Robert Nkemdiche - Edmonton Elks

Remember what a beast he was supposed to be as a first-round pick for the Arizona Cardinals? Turns out he wasn’t as good as advertised, suffered multiple injuries, and didn’t finish his rookie contract. Pete Carroll’s unrelenting, audacious fixation on reviving first-round draft busts yielded practically zilch in 2021. This will be Nkemdiche’s first CFL season.

CB Linden Stephens - Montreal Alouettes

Stephens was a reserve Seahawks cornerback and special teams contributor in 2020, and even played on the Seattle Sea Dragons in 2023. Like Ursua, he’s also on the suspended list. I haven’t the foggiest idea what’s going on.

Practice squad/offseason roster only

DT Jonah Tavai - BC Lions

Tavai was thought of as a possible undrafted free agent gem out of San Diego State, but that lasted about five minutes. Seattle waived him with a non-football injury designation, and he remain unsigned for the duration of the 2023 NFL season. Tavai was added to the BC Lions roster back in January, and he is on BC’s practice squad.

RB B.J. Emmons - Calgary Stampeders

Emmons was a 2021 UDFA signing who didn’t make it into training camp. The Seahawks brought him back on the practice squad in November for all of a week before letting him go. Emmons has bounced around the NFL, USFL, and CFL, and his only recorded stats came in the USFL with the Tampa Bay Bandits (97 carries for 244 yards and 1 touchdown).

DL Hamilcar Rashed Jr - Calgary Stampeders

Yeah, I don’t remember him. I guess the Seahawks signed him to the practice squad last December and then didn’t retain him on a reserve/futures deal.

DB Loucheiz Purifoy - Edmonton Elks

I know you don’t remember him and if you say you do then you’re almost certainly lying. The Seahawks claimed him off waivers in 2014 and he was waived again with a failed physical only a few days later.

LB Joel Dublanko - Edmonton Elks

Dublanko was an August pick-up for the Seahawks prior to the start of the 2022 preseason. He competed for a roster spot at linebacker and on special teams and from my recollection, it didn’t go particularly well. He got a few snaps in the XFL and USFL last year before going to the CFL. Dublanko has an interesting backstory: his parents are Canadian, so even though he’s born and raised in Aberdeen, Washington, he has since obtained Canadian citizenship and was the number one overall pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.

DB Will Sunderland - Hamilton Tiger Cats

I think it’s distinctly possible that my repeated misspelling of Jonathan Sutherland’s surname is because the Seahawks once had a DB named Will Sunderland. He was signed in June 2021 and did not make final roster cuts. This will be Sunderland’s third season with Hamilton, albeit starting this one on the injured list.

CB Benjie Franklin - Toronto Argonauts

A Seahawks camp body in 2023 who didn’t make the 53-man roster, Franklin was recently added to the Argos squad. Apparently another ex-Seahawks CB in Chris Steele was on Toronto’s offseason roster but was released.

WR Kenny Lawler - Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Of all of the recent ex-Seahawks in the CFL, Lawler is by far the most accomplished. The 2016 seventh-round pick out of California never played an NFL snap, but he’s made major strides as a CFL receiver. He’s a two-time All-Star selection and a two-time Grey Cup champion with Winnipeg. His best season saw him grab 64 passes for a league-leading 1,014 yards and 6 touchdowns in a truncated 14-game regular season. Lawler has over 200 catches to his name and has a knack for impressive catches.

WR Tyjon Lindsey - Montreal Alouettes

One of the more intriguing UDFAs of the 2023 offseason, Lindsey did not make final Seahawks roster cuts but did spend some time in the practice squad. The former Oregon State Beaver is on Montreal’s practice roster.

OL Pier-Olivier Lestage - Montreal Alouettes

The Quebec native was a Seahawks UDFA in 2021 who stayed on the practice squad and the offseason roster until June of 2022. Lestage is entering his third season with Montreal, having won the Grey Cup last season (albeit ending the year on the injured list). He was nominated but otherwise did not win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award.

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The CFL can be viewed on the CFL+ streaming service, as well as CBS Sports Network in the United States. I’m not saying it’s great football, but it’s different! Who doesn’t love giant end zones, three downs instead of four, running start motion at the line of scrimmage, and pass interference penalties that can be challenged?