The Toronto Argonauts announced on Wednesday the signing of former Calgary Stampeders linebacker Nate Holley.
The 26-year-old from Ottawa Lakes, Michigan, recently played three games for the Miami Dolphins in the 2020 season and had three tackles.
Holley played 43 games in four seasons as a safety for Kent State University. He had 424 tackles, three sacks, and one interception. In his senior year, he led the nation with 8.9 solo tackles per game.
After college, he went undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft and signed with the Minnesota Vikings. He was later released before signing with the Nebraska Danger of the Indoor Football League. Holley played two games for the Danger and racked up 23 tackles and a forced fumble. Later, he signed with the Los Angeles Rams but was cut during training camp.
On May 19th, 2019, Holley signed with the Calgary Stampeders and made an immediate impact. He played 18 games with 78 tackles, 22 special teams tackles, one sack, and one interception. He was named Most Outstanding Rookie by the CFL in 2019. After the season, Holley left the CFL to pursue an opportunity in the NFL.
In addition to Holley, the Argonauts claimed OL Jonathan Zamora from the Calgary Stampeders’ practice squad.
The Calgary Stampeders drafted the 25-year-old from Toronto, Ontario, in the third round of the 2020 CFL Draft out of St. Francis Xavier University. He played 31 games in four seasons with the X-Men.
To make room for these players, the Argonauts released DB Dondre Wright.
Dondre Wright is a 27-year-old from Ajax, Ontario. He played college football at New Mexico Military Institute and Henderson State University.
While at New Mexico Military Institute, Wright played 21 games in two seasons with 69 tackles, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one interception. After two years, he transferred to Henderson State University. He played 24 games with 113 tackles, one sack, 13 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and one interception.
The Montreal Alouettes drafted him in the third round of the 2017 CFL Draft. He played 27 games in two seasons with the Alouettes with 45 tackles, 14 special teams tackles, and one interception. In 2019, he signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers but only played in three games with one special team’s tackle.
After the Blue Bombers, he was a free agent and signed with the Argonauts in 2020. However, due to the season’s cancellation, Wright was released by the Argo’s in December 2020.
The Toronto Argonauts visit the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, November 6th, at 4 pm on ESPN+.
