Tiger-Cats get aggressive in free agency, adding Craig Butler, Abraham Kromah, Steve Myddleton, Brandon Stewart and maybe Cary Koch

CFL free agency opened Tuesday, and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats started it off with a bang. The team added four players on Day One, acquiring hotly-coveted Saskatchewan non-import linebacker Craig Butler, Saskatchewan import linebacker Abraham Kromah, B.C. non-import guard Steve Myddleton and Winnipeg import defensive back Brandon Stewart. According to TSN's Matt Scianitti, the team has also signed Edmonton wide receiver Cary Koch, and they announced an extension for Canadian linebacker Marc Beswick (a pending free agent) Tuesday as well. It's interesting that the team is remaking itself so extensively (they also changed quarterbacks and kickers earlier this offseason, acquiring and extending pending free agent Zach Collaros while releasing Henry Burris, bringing in Justin Medlock and cutting Luca Congi), considering that they made it to the Grey Cup last season, but head coach and general manager Kent Austin has apparently elected to stay aggressive, and that could pan out for them. Butler is the biggest prize here, and he should be an excellent addition, but the other three players could also be interesting contributors. The key question ahead will be if the Tiger-Cats got enough value for their money, though.

Butler is a big addition, and he's one that could make a substantial difference for Hamilton if used correctly. He's a versatile player who spent time at both linebacker and defensive back with the Riders, and he had a great 2013 campaign, posting 60 defensive tackles, 11 special teams tackles, three sacks, four interceptions and two fumble recoveries. He started at strong-side linebacker in the Grey Cup and will be missed by Saskatchewan. It's going to be interesting to see how the Tiger-Cats use him, though, and how their linebacking corps eventually looks. The team started three imports by the end of last season, using Rico Murray on the strong side, Jamall Johnson in the middle and Simoni Lawrence on the weak side, but while they were able to extend Murray in January, Johnson and Lawrence both hit free agency, and Lawrence signed with the NFL's Minnesota Vikings Tuesday. The team has a good bit of Canadian depth at linebacker now, including Butler, Beswick, Frederic Plesius and C.O. Prime, so you'd expect to at least see Butler starting, but where he'll start and with whom (Kromah's also a contender here; he started for Saskatchewan in his rookie season of 2012, but missed most of last year thanks to injury) seems still yet to be decided.

The other players here could also be useful. Kromah might be a solid contributor at linebacker if he can stay healthy, while Myddleton adds some experienced interior talent to a line that lost centre Marwan Hage to the Ottawa Redblacks in the expansion draft and may miss Peter Dyakowski for a while thanks to the knee injury he suffered in the Grey Cup. Stewart found some success at defensive back in Winnipeg (albeit inconsistently), and he can also contribute on special teams. Koch's CFL career has had ups and downs, both in Saskatchewan and Edmonton, but he's made some big plays at times. A key question is what the Ticats paid, though, and how much money they're left with.

While being aggressive in free agency can excite fans and make your team look good in the offseason, it isn't necessarily always a recipe for success. The problem with building through free agency is that it's an open market, unlike the draft, trades or contract extensions and that means that players acquired through it typically come at a higher cost. In a league with a rather low salary cap, that can pose some problems and make it harder for you to fill other holes. Now, Butler's really the only one of these acquisitions who was hotly pursued by much of the league, so the other pickups may represent decent value, but their costs still have to be kept in mind; they're likely more expensive than drafting new Canadian players or signing new American players. The Ticats have certainly made big splashes this offseason, and they'll definitely be a different-looking team come the 2014 campaign. The question is if they'll be better than the team that made it all the way to the Grey Cup in 2013, though.