OTTAWA — The Ottawa REDBLACKS have released international defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy, the team announced Monday.

The club also announced it has released international receiver R.J. Shelton and signed international defensive back Randall Evans.

Releasing Purifoy comes as a surprise after the former BC Lion was considered one of the top defensive free agents in the off-season. Spending most of his time at boundary corner, Purifoy recorded 29 tackles and an interception in seven games.

The REDBLACKS are coming off a 42-41 loss to the Toronto Argonauts in Week 8, in which they gave up a 24-point lead in the second half while falling to 4-3.

Joining the REDBLACKS’ defence will be Evans, a 26-year-old from Miami. The 6-foot, 195-pound defensive back attended Kansas State and was a sixth-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015. He had one defensive tackle in one game for the Ticats earlier this season.