Following Free Agency the CFL now turns its attention to the player combines

Edmonton appeared to make the biggest splash based on the high number of names they brought in. The Elk are back under the thumb of Ed Hervey who after his first stint in Edmonton went on to BC and Hamilton before coming back to try to shake Edmonton out of the daze former GM Chris Jones left the team before being run out of town.

Hervey wants to appear to be making a difference in returning Edmonton to the top of the league and thereby attracting fans back to Commonwealth Stadium. So he managed to make an impression on defense with DL Robbie Smith, DB Royce Menchie, DB Tyrell Ford, DL Jake Ceresna; DL Brandon Barlow; LB Emmanuel Rugamba, DL Jonathon Kongbo, OL David Beard, DL Brandon

Barlow; NT Jared Brinkman, receiver Kaion Julien-Grant, DB Kobe |Williams, OL Grant MacKellar, P Cody Grace, R |steven Dunbar Jr., R Tyson Middlemost, R Tre Odumn-Duke.

Edmonton did a good job of stripping the Argos defensive line but speaking as a fan of a team that under Chris Jones tried to make a splash in free agency which did not work out so good, keep this thought in mind.

Edmonton has a new coaching staff so the trick will be how to get the new systems installed on both sides of the ball, get the players comfortable with those systems, and how soon they can achieve the consistency needed to be winners. The other thing to keep in mind is some of the signings are like fliers on players who have been more injured or not in the past.

If those players can stay healthy, and they are on all rosters of all teams, then the level of play will be elevated. Don’t expect all of them to work out.

The results may take awhile to be seen in Edmonton, but I fully expect them to be better by the end of the season than the start.

In BC, where the team discovered how to creatively use their marketing money to up contracts for Nathan Rourke, a new coach, GM, and attitude made for some interesting acquisitions.

The Lions brought in Jeremiah Masoli to serve as a mentor for Rourke in the quarterback room. Masoli has not been same since his injury, but with him making noise about being a coach, it will be interesting to see what effect he has on Rourke who was clearly over his head last year on his return from the NFL.

The Lions added support in the incumbent outstanding offensive lineman from the Argos OL Dejon Allen, OL David Foucault,

former Rider receiver Brayden Lenius, R Rysen John, RB James Butler and KR Jason Huntley.

On defense the Lions added LB Adam Auclair, LB Adam Konar, LB Micah Awe, NT Dewayne Hendrix, and former Rider DB Deontai Williams.

Players with injury concerns in this group include Lenius who was a decent receiver when he was not injured and may be hoping for a career revival like another former Rider receiver Justin McGinnis.

While giving Rourke some support, the Lions looked at shoring up their defense which was relatively easy to run on. Adding players like Awe give the Lions a bit of swagger and chaos in their linebacking corps.

In Hamilton it was interesting to see several Blue Bomber players following Ted Govera who went from assistant GM in Winnipeg to running the whole show in Calgary.

The Cats brought in RB Johnny Augustine who was stuck behind Brady Olivera in Stony Mountain, R Kenny Lawlar, OL Liam Dobson, and R Drew Wolitarsky.

It may look more impressive than it is. I remember Augustine from the CFL Combine held in Regina and while he had an impressive physique, his attitude apparently left much to be desired. Augustine had moments as a runner, but this is purely a pick based on potential.

Lawlor had his moments in Winnipeg as a home run hitter, especially in the western final against the Riders last year. When it comes to consistency in the regular season, Lawlor fits the bill of someone who when he is dialled in can be a factor in the game, but when he not engaged, it is a different story.

Hamilton signed DB DJ Daniel, DL Julian Howsare, RB Chris Smith, DL Tyjuan Garbutt, DL Reggie Stubblefield, OL Jakub Szott, DB Jonathan Moxey, R Josh Johnson, RB Ante Milanovic-Litre. The last few seasons Hamilton has started their season with a losing streak and has tried to dig itself out of the hole it built for itself.

Last season QB Bo Levi Mitchell surprised me and appeared to find his form almost leading the Cats back to the playoffs and gaining Mitchell an outstanding player nomination from the eastern conference.

Giving Lawlor to Mitchell to play catch with may push Mitchell over the 6,000 yards passing mark, but a lot of these seem to be spec players and if they work out, Hamilton may be a juggernaut, they are a few injuries and under performances away from wallowing outside the playoffs again.

In Calgary the Stampeders dipped into the free agent market to reset the team culture that resulted in the Stamps having the worst locker room atmosphere in the league other than BC. The Stamps let go several veterans, maybe before their best before date and it will be interested to see how good their player evaluation is.

The Stamps signed QB Joey Gatewood, QB Logan Bonner, former Rider LB Gary Johnson Jr., DB Damon Webb, LB Fraser Sopik, R Dominic Rhymes, R Tevin Jones, LB Derrick Moncrief, RB Jeshian Antwi, DB Godfrey Onyeka, former Riders DL Miles Brown, LB Mica Teitz.

Meanwhile the Stony Mountain Blue Bombers, looking to continue their Grey Cup losing streak (now at three in a row) found themselves in the position of having to step up in free agency as some players decided the prospect of playing in the Grey Cup at home and losing was not enough to get them to stay.

The Bombers signed DB Montae Braswell, DB Javaris Davis, LB Enock Mikapo, former Rider QB Shea Patterson, DL Brock Gowanlock, RB Peyton Logan, R Gavin Cobb, R Reggie White Jr., DB Josh Hagerty, former Rider R Jerreth Sterns, R Dalton Schoen, DL James Vaughters.

The Bombers look like they have learned their lesson from choking against Toronto in the Grey Cup and may be reverting to a ball control offense, led by Olivera running the ball and more possession receivers than speeders. It will be interesting to watch the Bombers as Mike O`Shea will be forced to consider whether to show loyalty to his veteran corps who are getting older or do what it takes to get back into the Grey Cup.

Montreal seemed to have done most of its heavy lifting before free agency but managed to boost their defensive line with signings like DB Anthony Bennett, DL Dylan Wynn, DE Shawn Oakman, OL Des Holmes, WR Regis Cibesa, WR Letcher, RB Walter Fletcher, and K Josh Archibald.

With Davis Alexander taking over at QB from Cody Fajardo, the idea seems to be to strengthen the two lines and give Alexander as much support as possible, including bringing out McLeod Bethel Thompson as a QB when needed.

Ottawa made a splash with some interesting signings including LB Ayinde Eley (BC`s most outstanding rookie last year), WR Geno Lewis, OL Isaac Moore, former Rider defensive lineman Christian Albright, former «rider DB Amari Henderson, former Rider centre Peter Godber, DB Tunde AdelekeQB Matt Schiltz, WR Devonte Dedmon, LB Jovan Santos-Knox, OL Jacob Ruby, LD Adarias Pickett, WR Bralon Addison, WR Justin Hardy, DL Kene Onyeka, K Richie Leone, QB Dustin Crum.

Ottawa kind of broke through to the playoffs last year with new QB Dru Brown and now look to give him more weapons as they look to host a playoff game. Ottawa is a team to watch this year.

Toronto took a massive hit in free agency and it will be interesting to see how the Argos handle losing their entire defensive line. While Toronto has made some changes on and off the field, it is how well their scouting still is that will determine how far they go.

The Argos signed former Rider DL Bryan Cox Jr, former Rider DL Demarcus Christmas, former Rider DL Anthony Lanier II, DL Celestin Haba, DL Andre Carter, CB Ciante Evans, WR Hergy Mayala, WR Bruno Labelle, WR Janarion Grant, WR Damonte Coxie, RB Kàdeem Carey, QB Nick Arbuckle, LB Wynton McManis.

Again, Lanier was injured often, but their re-imagination of the defensive line gives the Argos the ability to stop the run effectively. The rest is in the hands of Arbuckle or perhaps even Chad Kelly assuming he comes back from injury.

3DownNation said the Riders had the most successful free agency, filling holes in the roster that they needed to fill.

The Riders signed QB Jake Maier, QB Tommy Stephens, C Sean McEwen, OL Philip Gagnon, R Tommy Nield, DL Mike Rose, DL Shane Ray, DB Tevaughn Campbell, RB Khalan Laborn, DB Kerfalla Exume.

The Riders have improved their offensive line, not too sure about the defensive line and keep in mind Ray is injury prone. In the quarterback department, they understand with Trevor Harris missing more games than playing. Maier has the advantage of having played for offensive coordinator Marc Mueller. Maier didn`t show much arm, but this will be a fine test of whether

Mueller can work miracles. Stephens is probably the best short yardage quarterback in the league.

The Riders defensive line will be interesting to see develop, but even more interesting is seeing how the coaching staff responds after last year and how they have incorporated the lessons they learned in their first season under Cory Mace.

Harris said the key for the Riders this year will be continuity and whether they have learned from their mistakes last year and won’t have the ready-made excuse of being a new coaching staff. How the Riders learn from mistakes may be the difference between them playing in Winnipeg for a Grey Cup or watching it on TV.

by Greg Urbanoski

Following Free Agency the CFL now turns its attention to the player combines

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