HAMILTON — Wynton McManis will finally make his Hamilton Tiger-Cats debut.

The veteran middle linebacker will be in the lineup Sunday when Hamilton (2-1) hosts the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2). McManis joined the Ticats in the off-season as a free agent following four seasons with the rival Toronto Argonauts but had been sidelined with a bone bruise in his knee.

He was listed behind Canadian Ryan Baker on the depth chart.

Baker performed well in McManis’s absence, registering 16 tackles. But Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich said McManis, a three-time Grey Cup champion, has a penchant for delivering big plays at key times.

“(With) Wynton, there’s just an intangible there, an instinctive deal,” Milanovich said. “Bake is also instinctive … but he (McManis) always just has a knack for finding the ball, getting a big sack when you have to and getting an interception (and) he usually scores when he gets one.

“He’s a player I’ve always respected.”

McManis, 31, had 62 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 13 regular-season games with Toronto last season. The six-foot, 220-pound American has 390 tackles, 52 special-teams tackles, 16 sacks, nine interceptions and four forced fumbles while scoring three defensive touchdowns in 100 career CFL regular-season games with Calgary (2017-19) and Toronto (2022-25).

All-star cornerback Jamal Peters also returns for Hamilton, which comes off a bye week. He suffered a head injury in the Ticats’ 37-27 road win over Winnipeg on June 11.

Winnipeg starter Zach Collaros threw for 421 yards with two TDs and an interception versus Hamilton. But the Bombers only rushed for 49 yards on 14 attempts as Canadian Brady Oliveira had 32 yards on eight carries.

Mllanovich doesn’t expect Winnipeg to test McManis on Sunday, especially through the air.

“I know better than to go at Wynton in the pass game,” Milanovich said. “I’ve tried it before and it hasn’t worked out well.

“I’m sure they’re going to try to run the football, that’s their MO. Depending on what the weather is going to look like Sunday, we’ll see (but) I’ve never been one to test (McManis) in the pass game.”

Ticats starter Bo Levi Mitchell was a tidy 19-of-24 passing for 287 yards and three TDs versus Winnipeg while former Bomber Keric Wheatfall had three catches for 102 yards. Larry Rountree III ran for 124 yards on 23 carries.

“I thought we didn’t tackle our best so that would be a good start,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea told reporters in Winnipeg this week regarding the first meeting with Hamilton. “Everybody wants to be a little tighter in coverage but I don’t think that was bad … once again offences are pretty hot right now.

“We’ve got to be maybe just another step closer a little more often and try to disrupt things a little bit more.”

Winnipeg comes in having lost two straight games while Hamilton has registered consecutive victories. The Ticats’ other win was a 41-27 decision over the B.C. Lions (0-3 entering action this week) but Milanovich puts no emphasis on either club’s early-season record.

“I have so much respect for their (Winnipeg’s) players, their coaches, their championship pedigree,” he said. “I think their record does not indicate who they potentially will be.

“All that stuff sorts out at the end of the season and usually the teams that you thought were going to be good that don’t become good have a bunch of injuries along the way. Only time will tell but I don’t look at either of those teams (Winnipeg, B.C.) as a below-average team.”

Hamilton centre Liam Dobson, who began his CFL career in Winnipeg (2022-24), said the Bombers will be looking to resume their winning ways.

“I know they’re a very well-coached group, I have a lot of respect for everyone in that building,” he said. “They’re going to come out and play super hard, play super physical because they want to get back into the win column.

“At the end of the day we have to match that energy. We have to be going out there and playing as physical, if not more physical, than they are.”

Mitchell has been stellar over Hamilton’s last two games, having completed 34-of-42 passes (80.9 per cent) for 572 yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s had six completions of 30 or more yards and amassed perfect efficiency ratings of 158.3.

Mitchell is only the eighth CFL quarterback to post consecutive perfect ratings and first since Toronto’s Ricky Ray in 2013. Hamilton is 14-5 off a bye since ’18 and has won six of its last seven home matchups versus Winnipeg.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2026.