Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive back Delvin Breaux returned to the practice field on Monday.

Breaux has been on the six-game injured list following Week 8 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. That’s the exact amount of time the 29-year-old has missed and it’s why he’s eligible to go through on-field sessions with his teammates. Through seven games in 2019, Breaux has recorded 23 tackles and one forced fumble.

“When you think of the Hamilton Tiger-Cat defence it’s easy to think about, in the secondary specifically, Delvin Breaux. We’ve been without Delvin for quite some time,” head coach Orlondo Steinauer said.

“First time he’s been out there in a while, so we’re kind of waiting to see – you always gotta wait for that 24 or 48 hours to really see how people are going to be. It was good to see him out there smiling, moving around. Anytime you can have No. 24 out there it’s a good deal.”

Breaux played 14 games in 2018 for the Ticats making 24 tackles, forcing two fumbles and scoring one touchdown while earning CFL all-star honours after coming back from the NFL. Hamilton made Breaux the highest paid defensive back in the CFL last year and he kept that title on his three-year extension signed in February.

The Ticats have allowed the fewest points in the league (263). Adding Breaux back into the starting lineup would make Hamilton’s defence even more formidable.