The Hamilton Tiger-Cats re-signed defensive lineman Maalik Hall to the practice squad and released defensive lineman Kyle Samson on Wednesday.
Maalik Hall is six foot two and weighs 235 pounds. The 26-year-old from Athens, Texas, signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on March 31, 2025. He attended training camp and was released on May 14, 2025.
The New York Jets signed Hall as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2023, but he was placed on injured reserve and later released on February 16, 2024.
Then, Hall signed with the Birmingham Stallions as a free agent on March 14, 2024, but was released on March 22, 2024. Hall re-signed with the Stallions on May 1, 2024. He did not play for the Stallions in 2024. The Stallions re-signed Hall on October 22, 2024, and released him on January 22, 2025.
Collegiately, Hall played five seasons at Southeast Oklahoma State (2017-22) with 154 tackles (79 solos, 75 assists), 24.5 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, three pass breakups, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one blocked punt, and one punt return for 17 yards in 43 games for the Savage Storm. In 2021, Hall was named the Great American Conference Defensive Player of the Year, First Team All-GAC, and D2football.com top-100 players list.
Kyle Samson is six foot three and weighs 290 pounds. The 24-year-old from Hamilton, Ontario, was acquired from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on April 29, 2025, for running back Matthew Peterson. In 2025, Samson played two preseason games. He spent over two months on the practice squad.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers drafted Samson in the second round (20th pick) in the 2024 CFL Draft. In 2024, Samson played two preseason games. He spent the regular season on the practice squad and was activated for the 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver.
Samson played four seasons at the University of British Columbia (2019, 2021-23) making 76 tackles (47 solos, 29 assists), 19.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, one interception for two yards, and four pass breakups in 33 games for the Thunderbirds. In 2023 at UBC, Samson made 27 tackles (17 solos, 10 assists), seven tackles for loss, one sack, and three pass breakups in 11 games for the Thunderbirds.
Samson also played in the Ontario Provincial Football League for the Hamilton Varsity Tiger-Cats making nine tackles (5 solo, 4 assists), one tackle for loss, and a half sack in three games.
