Lions add pair of Americans to defence
Published
The BC Lions announced Friday the signing of Americans Jonah Tavai and Chris Cooper.
Tavai, a 23-year-old defensinve lineman and native Californian, joins the Lions after attending rookie mini camp with the Seattle Seahawks in 2023 after signing with the team as an undrafted free agent.
Collegiately, Tavai played four seasons at San Diego State from 2019-22, recording 147 combined tackles (77 solo, 70 assisted), 36 tackles for a loss, 24 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles over 48 games.
Cooper, 29, spent the 2023 season with the XFL’s St. Louis Battlehawks, where he recorded 27 combined tackles (16 solo, seven assisted) in nine games.
The defensive back from Mount Vernon, N.Y., native signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as a non-drafted free agent in 2018 and would spend that season on the practice squad.
After landing with the Kansas City Chiefs’ practice roster for the post-season in January 2019, Cooper landed with the Atlanta Falcons and was activated for a Week 17 contest in the 2019 season.
Cooper would later spend two seasons on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ practice roster (2021-22).