The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed a pair of American defensemen for the 2026 season, including midfielder Johnny Hodges and defenseman Javaris Davis.
Hodges began his collegiate career at the United States Naval Academy, where he committed to playing lacrosse. The Darnestown, Maryland native quickly switched to football, where he recorded 63 total tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, four passes defensed and one forced fumble in 16 games with the Midshipmen.
The six-foot, 237-pound guard transferred to Texas Christian University in 2022, where he was named Big 12 Defensive Rookie of the Year and second-team all-conference in his first year. He totaled 204 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, five sacks and one pass breakup in 31 games with the Horned Frogs.
Hodges went undrafted in the 2025 NFL Draft. He received an invitation to the Los Angeles Chargers' rookie minicamp, but did not sign a contract.
Davis originally signed with the Bombers in February but was suspended prior to training camp. He first signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent in 2020 but was released during training camp and later signed with the Miami Dolphins. He played one game for the team the following season, recording two tackles and one pass breakup, before ending his NFL tenure with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
The Jacksonville, Fla., native signed with the XFL's Orlando Guardians in 2023, spending just three weeks with the team before being released and picked up by the Arlington Renegades. Between the two teams, he played in two games and recorded the only tackle.
The five-foot-eight, 183-pound cornerback played 49 games in five years at Auburn University, earning SEC All-Freshman team honors in 2016. He collected 147 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, two sacks and a forced fumble, while stopping 35 passes and recording eight interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers finished fourth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 10–8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as a crossover team before losing in the East semi-finals to the Montreal Alouettes. Zach Collaros threw for 3,048 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions in 13 regular-season games while going 6-7 as a starter.
The Blue Bombers ranked fifth in net offense, third in net defense and eighth with a turnover margin of minus-eleven. The club's leading rusher was Brady Oliveira with 1,163 yards, the club's leading receiver was Nick Demski with 1,001 yards, and the club's leading tackler was Tony Jones with 104 tackles. Winnipeg ranked first in attendance with an average attendance of 32,343, up 3.7 per cent from the previous year.
