Hamilton Ticats hire former Edmonton Elks coach/GM Chris Jones as senior defensive assistant

Edmonton Elks head coach Chris Jones walks on the sideline during a stoppage in play during the second half of a preseason CFL football game against the B.C. Lions, in Vancouver, on Friday, May 31, 2024. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck)

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats hired Chris Jones as a senior defensive assistant and cut ties with assistant head coach and defensive coordinator Mark Washington on Monday.

The club said in a release that Jones will take over defensive play-calling duties after it "mutually agreed to part ways" with Washington.

The announcement comes after the Ticats (2-8) were defeated 47-22 by the Edmonton Elks (3-7) on Saturday at Tim Hortons Field.

Jones was fired as head coach and general manager of the Elks in July after the team got off to an 0-5 start.

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The move reunites Jones with Ticats head coach and offensive coordinator Scott Milanovich. The two led the Argonauts to a Grey Cup title in 2012 with Milanovich as head coach and Jones as defensive coordinator.

"It's exciting to add someone of Coach Jones’s calibre to our staff, given his extensive experience and proven effectiveness on the defensive side of the ball," Milanovich said in the release. "We look forward to the positive impact his knowledge and leadership will bring to the team."

Jones led Edmonton to a Grey Cup in 2015 as head coach, and was the CFL's coach of the year in 2018 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The 57-year-old also won a Grey Cup ring as a defensive line coach with the 2002 Montreal Alouettes and as defensive coordinator with the Calgary Stampeders in 2008.

Those successes earned Jones a reputation as a defensive guru in the CFL. But over two-plus seasons in a second stint with Jones at the helm, Edmonton compiled an 8-33 record.

At the time of Jones's firing, the Elks defence was ranked eighth in the league both offensive points allowed (30.4 per game) and offensive yards (402.2) and last in offensive touchdowns surrendered (17).

The Elks still rank at or near the bottom of the league in several defensive categories, but they have won their last three games and are 3-2 under interim head coach Jarious Jackson.

Washington was hired as the Ticats' defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach in January 2019.

The Ticats made it to the Grey Cup final in 2019 and 2021 and appeared in the East Division semifinal in the last two seasons.

This season, however, the Ticats have allowed a league-high 334 points

The loss to Edmonton was particularly ugly for Hamilton's defence. The Ticats surrendered four rushing touchdowns and two passing TDs as the Elks went 6-for-6 in red-zone opportunities.

"I'd like to recognize coach Washington's important achievements throughout his tenure in Hamilton and thank him for his hard work and dedication," Milanovich said. "Decisions like this are difficult to make, but I believed it was important to take a different approach at this time.

"Coach Washington is an outstanding man. We wish him and his family all the best in the future."

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 19, 2024.