Ticats head coach Milanovich confirms Greg Bell will be the club's starting running back

Dan Ralph · The Canadian Press

· Posted: May 13, 2025 8:34 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

Scott Milanovich rapidly removed immoderate uncertainty regarding who volition beryllium the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' starting moving backmost this season.

The Ticats' caput manager emphatically stated Monday pursuing the club's 2nd time of grooming campy that occupation belongs to Greg Bell. And lone an wounded to the six-foot, 200-pound sophomore volition alteration that.

"Greg is the starter arsenic agelong arsenic he's healthy," Milanovich said. "There's nary uncertainty astir that."

Bell, 26, had galore flashes of brilliance past season, his archetypal successful the CFL. In conscionable 8 games with Hamilton, the California autochthonal rushed for 625 yards (6.6-yard average) and six TDs portion adding 29 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown platooning with seasoned James Butler.

Bell's play resulted successful Hamilton releasing Butler, who rapidly re-signed with the B.C. Lions. Butler spent his archetypal 2 CFL seasons successful Vancouver (2021-22) earlier joining the Ticats arsenic a escaped cause successful 2023.

Bell's dual-threat quality was connected afloat show successful Hamilton's 47-22 location nonaccomplishment to Edmonton connected Aug. 17. He ran for 85 yards and a TD connected 12 carries portion besides registering six receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown.

"He's dynamic, he's explosive," Milanovich said of Bell. "He's a menace successful the tally crippled ... he's a menace successful the walk crippled and does a bully occupation protecting.

"He's an all-around back. He has a accidental to person a truly bully twelvemonth if helium stays healthy."

Too galore turnovers successful Ticats preseason game, manager says

Milanovich, besides Hamilton's violative co-ordinator, was captious of his portion Monday for committing aggregate turnovers during the squad period.

"I was pleased with contiguous but I wasn't pleased with the offence holding connected to the football," said Milanovich, whose displeasure was intelligibly audible astatine McMaster's Ron Joyce Stadium. "Offensively, we've got to grasp existent rapidly that it doesn't substance however galore bully things you do, if you crook the shot over, it washes everything out."

Butler was the past Ticat to unreserved for 1,000 yards, finishing with a career-high 1,116 successful 2023. Before him, DeAndra' Cobb did it successful back-to-back seasons successful 2009 and 2010 (1,203 and 1,173).

Bell credits Butler with mentoring him and helping easiness his modulation to the Canadian game.

"I learned everything from him," Bell said. "Just being tough, learning the CFL crippled and being a hard-nosed moving back.

"I'm mode much comfy (now), I cognize the offence, I cognize everybody connected the team, I'm bully to beryllium retired determination and beryllium myself. I tin person a truly bully year. We person a large offence, truly explosive, truthful I consciousness we're each going to person a truly bully year."

Bell's blocking prowess is awesome fixed however often helium indispensable prosecute bigger players.

"He tin amended but he's not atrocious astatine it," Milanovich said. "Ball information is different (area for improvement), helium tends to transportation it debased astatine times.

"But I'm gladsome he's here, let's enactment it that way."

Hamilton (7-11) finished 4th successful the East Division past season and missed the CFL playoffs.

Bell played successful the NFL with Detroit and Pittsburgh

Like each prime moving backs, Bell gets into his rushing lane quickly. However, erstwhile helium breaks the enactment of scrimmage, helium tin footwear into different cogwheel that makes him precise hard to way down and catch.

"I'm trying to get into the extremity portion each clip I interaction the ball," Bell said. "Once I get past the linebackers, I'm conscionable trying to tally astatine afloat velocity and get to the extremity zone, for sure."

Certainly, overmuch of Bell's moving quality comes naturally. But helium works diligently astatine being a coagulated receiver.

"I effort to enactment connected my hands each day... so I tin beryllium comfy catching," helium said. "Catching the shot is going to grow the offence for maine and everybody."

And existent to his word, pursuing Monday's session, Bell took other reps astatine the Jugs machine, which throws passes betwixt 5 and 80 yards and tin swivel 360 degrees to mimic immoderate passing drill.

Bell played collegiately astatine Arizona Western (2016-17), Nebraska (2018) and San Diego State (2019-20). He joined the Aztecs arsenic a walk-on successful 2019 with nary scholarships available, past missed the full play owed to a weightlifting injury.

Bell opened 2020 with 4 consecutive 100-yard performances, finishing with 637 yards connected 113 carries (5.6-yard average) and six touchdowns. He came to Hamilton aft NFL stints with Detroit (2022) and Pittsburgh (2023).

His superior extremity this play is simply a precise elemental one.

"Winning," helium said. "I conscionable privation to win."