The Tiger-Cats improved upon their 6–12 record from 2017 and clinched a playoff berth and home playoff date during their bye in week 17 following the Montreal Alouettes' loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

During the offseason, the Tiger-Cats signed controversial free agent quarterback Johnny Manziel, who played two seasons with the Cleveland Browns in the National Football League (NFL) before being released in 2015 for incidents on and off the field.

The Manziel signing was part of a tumultuous negotiation process that lasted over a year.

[3] In total, the team had nine selections in the eight-round draft, including four picks in the first 15 selections after trading John Chick to the Edmonton Eskimos and Zach Collaros to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

at Tim Hortons Field • Hamilton, Ontario [6] [6] Running backs Receivers Defensive linemen Defensive backs Special teams 6-Game injured list Practice squad Italics indicate International player Roster updated 2018-11-17 Depth Chart • Transactions 46 Roster, 6 one-game injured9 six-game injured, 7 practice → More rosters Head coach Offensive coaches Defensive coaches Special teams coaches → Coaching Staff → More CFL staffs