The Toronto Argonauts signed defensive lineman Jay Person and defensive backs Robert Priester and Mark Milton on Monday.
Jay Person is six foot two and weighs 233 pounds. The 24-year-old from Cleveland, Tennessee, signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent on May 13, 2024. He was released by the Patriots on June 11, 2024.
Collegiately, Person played one season at Appalachian State in 2018 making two tackles (1 solo, 1 assist), and one tackle for loss in two games for the Mountaineers. Then, he transferred to Chattanooga (2019-23) making 228 tackles (131 solo, 97 assists), 56 tackles for loss, 27 sacks, five pass breakups, nine forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries in 48 games for the Mocs.
In 2023, Person made 56 tackles (28 solo, 28 assists), 17 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, one pass breakup, and three forced fumbles in 12 games. He was named a two-time All-American, two-time SoCon Defensive Player of the Year, a two-time Buck Buchanan Award Finalist, two-time Second Team All-SoCon, and two-time First Team All-SoCon.
Robert Priester is five foot nine and weighs 180 pounds. The 30-year-old from Tampa, Florida, made three tackles in five games for the Toronto Argonauts in 2023. The Argonauts signed Priester as a free agent on May 21, 2022.
In 2022, Priester made 28 tackles, five tackles on special teams, and two forced fumbles in 12 games. Priester’s contract was not renewed and became a free agent on February 13, 2024.
Before Toronto, Priester signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on May 22, 2018. He made seven tackles and one pass breakup in two games. After the season, he signed with the Edmonton Eskimos in 2019 and spent the season on the practice squad.
In 2020, Priester played for the Tampa Bay Vipers (XFL) making eight tackles (7 solo, 2 assist), one sack, and one interception in five games before the league suspended operations due to the pandemic. In 2021, he returned to the Edmonton Elks and later returned to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2022 but was released at the end of training camp.
Collegiately, Priester played three seasons at Wyoming (2015-17) making 102 tackles (73 solo, 29 assists), six tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, 12 pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 35 games for the Cowboys.
Mark Milton is six foot two and weighs 191 pounds. The 24-year-old from Houston, Texas, signed with the Carolina Panthers as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Milton made 7 tackles (3 solo, 4 assists) in three preseason games for the Panthers earning himself a spot on the practice squad. However, he was released on September 20, 2023.
Milton would later join the Miami Dolphins practice squad before returning to Carolina. The Panthers released him again on November 11, 2023. Next, Milton signed with the Birmingham Stallions on December 6, 2023. After Birmingham released Milton on March 10, 2024, Milton signed with the San Antonio Brahmas (UFL) but was released on March 22, 2024.
Then, Milton signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on May 8, 2024. In a preseason game against the Toronto Argonauts, Milton made one tackle earning himself a spot on the practice squad. The Ticats released Milton on June 19, 2024.
Collegiately, Milton played five seasons at Baylor (2018-22) with 97 tackles (69 solo, 28 assists), 2 tackles for loss, 1 interception for 2 yards, 9 pass breakups, 1 forced fumble, and 1 fumble recovery in 51 games for the Bears. In addition to football, Milton was a track and field star competing in the 4x100m relay in 2019 finishing fourth place with a time of 39.92 at the conference championships.
