While the arrival of head coach June Jones and the insertion of Jeremiah Masoli as the starting quarterback are often cited as the keys to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats late-season turnaround last year, there were a couple of other big factors worth noting.

Big, as in 6-foot-6, 320 pounds, and 6-foot-7, 318 pounds.

The arrival of offensive tackle Tony Washington (he's the 6-foot-7 one) in early August and the insertion of fellow American Ryker Mathews (6-foot-6) into the starting lineup a month later dovetails nicely with the Ticats' resurgence. The Ticats re-signed Washington, a pending free agent, on Monday.

Washington was initially signed by Hamilton on Aug. 8, a day after being released by the Edmonton Eskimos. He started four days later at right tackle for a Ticats team that was, at that point, 0-7.

But it was Washington's move to the left side, where he's played most of his career, and the insertion of Mathews at right tackle at the season's midway point on Sept. 9 that provided the offence with some much-needed stability under new head coach June Jones and quarterback Jeremiah Masoli.

Over the first nine games, the Ticats gave up 22 sacks (2.4 per game), 81 quarterback pressures (nine per game) and averaged a league-low 57.3 rushing yards per game. It wasn't the only reason the team was winless over that stretch — a porous defence certainly didn't help — but it was definitely an issue.

After the offensive line changes involving Washington and Mathews, those numbers improved significantly: 16 sacks (1.8 per game), 55 pressures (6.1 per game) and an average of 121 yards rushing per game.

While there were certainly other factors involved — Jones' offensive schemes, Masoli's excellent play — an improved offensive line was certainly a key development.

With Washington back on board, all five starters from the latter half of 2017 are slated to return. Mathews is entering the second year of the two-year entry-level deal he signed July 25, while Canadians Ryan Bomben (right guard), Brandon Revenberg (left guard) and Mike Filer (centre) are all under contract for next season. Revenberg's contract extension, signed last December, means the Ticats now have one of the game's best young linemen locked up for three years.

The team has excellent Canadian depth led by underrated veteran Landon Rice with youngsters Braden Schram, Brett Golding and Everton Williams in development. The Ticats also have three of the top 11 picks in this year's CFL draft, which has a number of highly-touted offensive line prospects.

The Ticats will need some insurance behind their international starters. But there will be a few veteran names available in free agency, and expect the front office to bring in a bevy of young American tackles to compete in training camp.

Washington is 31 years old with 86 starts in seven CFL seasons and two Grey Cup rings (2012 with Toronto, 2015 with Edmonton.) He's a veteran guy who knows the league. Mathews is an incredible value on the second year of a rookie deal: that's a good, affordable combination to have on the edges.

If the game is won and lost in the trenches, the Ticats have a solid foundation upon which to build.

Notes: The Ticats announced the signings of Canadian linebacker Curtis Newton and American defensive backs Frankie Williams and Joel Ross. Newton, 23, of London, Ont., split last season between Hamilton and the Toronto Argonauts. The 6-foot-2, 220-pound linebacker appeared in eight games with the Ticats, registering two special-teams tackles. Williams, 24, played in three games with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts in 2016, recording one tackle. The 5-foot-9, 190-pound defensive back played collegiately at Purdue University (2011-15). Ross, 25, attended the Calgary Stampeders training camp last year before being released. Previously, he spent time in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys (2015), Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2015-16) and Chicago Bears (2016).

- With files from The Canadian Press.

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