Ottawa Redblacks Thread

[jerrym]

The Redblacks have restructured a number of player contracts as teams tighten their belts in the Covid era. Ottawa has also signed six new players.

With several of their top players still potential free agents, the Ottawa Redblacks took a step ahead this week, announcing the signing of six American players.

On top of that, the Redblacks have re-signed veterans Marco Dubois, Anthony Gosselin and Justin Howell to one-year deals and restructured the contracts of J.P. Bolduc, Brendan Gillanders and Nigel Romick, keeping all of them through the 2021 Canadian Football League season. Kene Onyeka and Mickael Cote have also agreed to terms on one-year contracts. ...

The Redblacks have announced they are bringing in quarterback Caleb Evans, defensive back Jonathan Alston, wide receiver Amba Etta-Tawo, linebackers Dimitri Holloway and Jawuan Johnson and running back Detrez Newsome. Here’s a look at each of the newcomers, with comments from Redblacks general manager Marcel Desjardins.

CALEB EVANS: The Texas native had 9,520 passing yards, 58 TDs and 34 interceptions in 42 games at the University of Louisiana-Monroe. He also ran for 2,162 yards and 36 TDs. His brother, Lance, was with the Redblacks in training camp in 2018. “He’s a very athletic quarterback. He can do a lot of things,” Desjardins said. “He throws the ball pretty well, his decision-making is pretty good. He’s got decent size — he’s 6-foot-2, about 210 pounds. He’s a dual-threat kind of guy, which a nice plus in our league. He fits what the CFL game is about; the additional space plays to his strength. We’ve had him on our neg list going back to last year.”

JOHNATHAN ALSTON: From North Carolina, Alston switched to defensive back in 2017, his final year in college, and made an instant impact. After his college career, the now-26-year-old signed with the National Football League’s Miami Dolphins in 2018 and joined the Detroit Lions in 2019. “He’s a guy with length, which is a good starting point,” Desjardins said. “He’s shown he can be a physical presence as a defensive player and
he’s a very good athlete.”

AMBA ETTA-TAWO: A receiver, he played college football from 2012 to 2015 at Maryland and in 2016 at Syracuse, where he was named First-Team All ACC. In his final season, he had 1,482 yards and 14 TDs. He was invited to the 2017 Senior Bowl and attended the NFL draft combine. He spent the last three seasons with four NFL organizations: Jacksonville, Kansas City, New York Giants (twice) and Houston. “Our tracking of him goes back probably three or four years,” Desjardins said. “You keep tabs on those guys. You never know how it’s going to play out. He’s a bigger guy, he runs pretty well. The bottom line with him is stay healthy, come in and show what you can do, and he’s got a very good chance of being a difference-maker for us. Based on what we’ve seen, we feel pretty good he will have a great opportunity to be part of our roster moving forward. He still has to go out and prove it, but that’s how we envision his initial foray into the CFL.”

JAWUAN JOHNSON: He spent the 2019 season in the Seattle Seahawks’ organization. Johnson started his college career at Northern Illinois from 2014 to 2017 before transferring in 2018 to Texas Christian University. He had 214 tackles, 31.5 tackles for loss, five sacks, seven interceptions, three defensive touchdowns, four pass deflections, five fumbles recovered and five forced fumbles. “He’s another player we’ve been tracking,” Desjardins said. “He’s a guy who’s got some length. In terms of body type, I’d put him in a bit of the same mold as Kevin Brown. He’ll be able to compete at both WILL and the MIKE linebacker positions, like Kevin could. He plays with urgency. He plays with some physicality and we need more of that on our team. We need physical football players.”

DIMITRI HOLLOWAY: The 6-2, 220-pound linebacker comes to Ottawa after a dominant college career at James Madison from 2015 to 2019. He had 329 tackles, 27 tackles for a loss, four sacks, eight pass deflections, four forced fumbles and three fumbles recovered in 54 games. “He’s another guy we find intriguing,” Desjardins said. “He’s like David Hinds in terms of size. He’s a smart football player. He can tackle, he has good play speed. His 40 (yard dash) time isn’t great, but he plays faster than that. He can compete at WILL, maybe in the middle. He’s a tough guy who plays around the line of scrimmage and between the tackles very well.”

DETREZ NEWSOME: At Western Carolina, he had 3,728 career rushing yards and 37 rushing TDs. He also ran for 100 yards or more 16 times. He finished as WCU’s all-time leader in touchdowns scored with 46, adding seven receiving TDs and two kickoff returns for scores. In 2018, Newsome played in nine regular-season games with the NFL’s Los Angeles Chargers, producing 49 yards on 11 carries and two catches for 19 yards along with 2.5 special-teams tackles. “He’s a dynamic back, the type of guy who has success in this league,” Desjardins said. “He’s not the tallest, he’s not the heaviest, but he’s a powerful runner, he’ll run through tackles. After contact, he’ll get those additional yards. He’s going 100 miles an hour all the time, he’s like a bull in a china shop. Considering he’s not the biggest guy, that says a lot. He’s got decent instincts, he does a pretty good job with protection, which in our league is very big.”

https://ottawasun.com/sports/footbal...ayers-from-u-s

[jerrym]

The Redblacks have six QBs names on the list of the ten that they released from their negotiation list, reflecting their search for improved quarterbacking. They also announced the team has signed two new CFL players: a National and an American.

There are six quarterbacks on the list: Sam Howell (North Carolina), Dustin Crum (Kent State), Jayden Daniels (Arizona State), Eric Dungey (Syracuse), Tanner Morgan (Minnesota) and Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh). There also are three offensive linemen: Brandon Hitner (Villanova), Juwann Bushell-Beatty (Michigan) and Brant Weiss (Toledo). And there’s receiver La’Michael Pettway (Iowa State). ...

Howell, in particular, seems unlikely to end up in the CFL. In just his second season with the Tar Heels, he has put himself in the conversation for the Heisman Trophy, given to the Most Outstanding Player in U.S. college football. In 11 games, Howell has thrown for 3,352 yards, with 27 touchdown passes and five rushing TDs. Nov. 14, against Wake Forest, he threw for 550 yards. He was also part of the Redblacks’ initial listing of 10 players in September, a list that included quarterbacks Daniels, P.J. Walker (Carolina Panthers), Kelly Bryant (Missouri), Hendon Hooker (Virginia Tech), Mac Jones (Alabama), Asher O’Hara (Middle Tennessee State), Ty Storey (Western Kentucky) and Brady White (Memphis). The non-quarterback on the list was defensive lineman Kendall Coleman (Syracuse). ...

Neg-list players often don’t show up in the CFL, but some of the players who have signed with the Redblacks after being added to the team’s neg list: Linebacker Avery Williams (added in November of 2016 and signed in January of 2018), defensive lineman Avery Ellis (2017), receiver DeVonte Dedmon (added in November of 2018 and signed in May of 2019) and running back John Crockett (added in January of 2019 and signed that April).
The Redblacks also announced the signing of a couple of players Wednesday: Defensive back Marcus Lewis (Florida State/Maryland) and offensive lineman Ben Petrie (University of Guelph.).

https://ottawasun.com/sports/footbal...g-list-players

[jerrym]

The Redblacks have signed Canadian DB/ST Nate Hamlin, a former Carleton Raven who had 6 ST tackles with BC in 2018-19 and American WR Ervin Phillips from Syracuse University, who opted out of his 2020 Ottawa rookie contract, but had been to a 2108 NFL Tampa Bay TC.

[jerrym]

The Redblacks have signed two Canadians: DE/ST Kenye Onyeka who made 3 ST in six games as a rookie in 2019 and DL Graydon Campbell, who played 39 games for William and Mary University.

They also signed several Americans: WR Wesley Lewis, who had 2 catches in six games with the 2019 Redblacks; OL Na'ty Rodgers who played 10 games for the Als in 2018 and was in Winnipeg in 2019; DB Dominique Hatfield who has played in three NFL TCs; and LB Nicholas Grigsby who had 15 tackles in 23 NFL games.

[jerrym]

QB Dominique Davis, who passed for 2,966 yards with Winnipeg and the Redblacks over his five years in the league primarily as a backup, has signed a one year extension with Ottawa.

[jerrym]

The Redblacks have resigned Americans DB Sherrod Baltimore and DL Danny Mason.

Baltimore has made the most of his opportunities since cracking the REDBLACKS lineup as a walk-on in 2017. In his three seasons in Ottawa, he has played 49 games and accumulated 91 tackles. He also recorded an interception in the 2018 Grey Cup game against Calgary. Before joining the REDBLACKS, Baltimore played four years with the University of Maine. ...

Mason, who played college ball for Texas A&M – Commerce, had 27 defensive tackles, eight tackles on special teams and four sacks for the REDBLACKS while appearing in 15 games in 2018. In two games in the 2019 season, he recorded six defensive tackles and one sack. Mason joined Ottawa in 2017 from Calgary.

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...re-mason-2021/

[jerrym]

Americans LB Jerod Fernandez, who had 53 DT and 2 FFs in 11 games in 2019, and WR Devonte Dedmon, who had 5 receptions for 58 yards in 4 games in 2019, have re-signed with Ottawa.

[jerrym]

Ottawa has re-signed Canadian kicker Lewis Ward.

Ward has been turning heads since bursting onto the CFL scene in 2018 where, as a rookie, the former University of Ottawa Gee-Gees kicker set an all-time, all-football record by hitting 69 consecutive successful field goals. Ward continued to be a steady foot for Ottawa in 2019, hitting 86% of his field goal attempts and nine of 11 single-point coverts.

Ward was named the CFL’s Rookie of the Year following is outstanding first campaign. He made 51-of-52 field goals (another league record at 98.1% ), including a pro football-record 48 straight that carried into the following year.

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...rns-redblacks/

[jerrym]

WR RJ Harris and DL Avery Ellis have re-signed with Ottawa. Harris had 62 catches for 774 yards in 14 games 2019 while Ellis led the team in DTs with 54 and tied for the lead with 7 sacks while forcing one fumble.

[jerrym]

Canadian LB Mickael Cote and four Americans WR Rafael Arujo-Lopes have resigned with Ottawa: WR Rafael Arujo-Lopes; LB Jerod Fernandez; WR Jalen Saunders; and RB Timothy Flanders. Saunders and Flanders signed with the Redblacks during the cancelled 2020 season.

In two seasons with the REDBLACKS, Côté played in 15 games, accumulating three defensive tackles and two tackles on the special-teams. Côté was drafted by the REDBLACKS in the 4th Round, 30th overall, in the 2018 CFL Draft.

After joining Ottawa in the middle of the 2019 season, Fernandez made a big impact in a short amount of time, finishing the season with 53 tackles and a pair of forced fumbles in 11 games.

Saunders previously suited up for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2017 and 2018, where he recorded 1,909 yards and six touchdowns. In 2017, Saunders had 1,170 yards and four touchdowns for the Ti-Cats. He recorded 739 yards in just nine games in 2018 before his season was cut short due to injury.

Flanders was a three-time finalist for the Walter Payton Award as the most outstanding offensive player in Division I Football Championship Subdivision. He had 96 carries 541 yards over the past three seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Araujo-Lopes signed with the Ottawa REDBLACKS in 2019. He made his professional debut against the Edmonton Eskimos where he recorded six receptions for 57 yards. He played in two regular season games in 2019.

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...ders-flanders/

[jerrym]

The Redblacks have signed three Canadians: former Argo and Bomber WR Malcolm Williams, who won Grey Cups with both teams but gained only 266 yards in three years; 2020 third round draft pick DL Reshaan Davis, a 2019 U Sports all-star at Ottawa U; and 2018 third round draft pick OL Andrew Pickett, who has yet to play a game for the team.

They have also signed seven Americans: DL Darius Jackson who had 12 tackles and one sack in five games in 2019; LB Shaheed Salmon, who had seven tackles and one FF in five games in 2019 with Ottawa; DL Shaneil Jenkins who played three games with the Riders in 2019; and LB Dwayne Norman, who signed with the Redblacks in 2020 after attending NFL TC in Denver and Oakland in earlier years; LB D'Juan Hines, who attended three NFL TCs from 2018-2020; WR/KR Terry William who had 2500+ all-purpose yards in two years at Tennessee-Martin; OL Joshua Dunlop, who went to TC with the LA Chargers after All-Conference honorable mention at Texas San Antonio.

[jerrym]

Six players have resigned with the Redblacks including: former WR Argos Mike Coombs and DB Abudul Kanneh, as well as punter Richie Leone, DB Randall Evans, OL Mark Korte, and DB Corey Tindal Sr.

Coombs signed with Ottawa during the free agency period in 2020 after spending 2019 with the Hamilton Tigers-Cats. Coombs played in 16 games in Hamilton, where he ran the ball 37 times for 158 yards. He also added another 20 catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Coombs was drafted third overall in the 2014 CFL Draft by the Toronto Argos. In 69 games in the CFL, Coombs has recorded 1695 receiving yards and 352 rushing yards.

Kanneh spent the first three seasons of his career with the REDBLACKS, a run that ended with a Grey Cup, thanks in large part to a game-saving fingertip tackle by Kanneh in the championship game against Calgary. Ottawa would go on to win the game in overtime. After spending 2017 in Hamilton, Kanneh played two seasons in Toronto, suiting up for 24 games for the Argos. Kanneh had a career-high 70 defensive tackles in 2019 to go along with a sack, an interception and a forced fumble. Kanneh re-signed with Ottawa prior to the cancelled 2020 season.

Leone, a University of Houston product, had a big year for the REDBLACKS in 2019, culminating with his inclusion on the CFL All-Star Team. Leone netted 5,179 yards on a career-high 131 punts, averaging 48.8 yards. Leone, who explored NFL opportunities before signing back on with Ottawa, is a three-time CFL all-star punter and led the league in punting average in 2015 and 2016 (49.5 and 49.3) and East Division in 2019. Leone has played 71 career games in the CFL punting 472 times for 22,809 gross yards (48.3 average).

Evans, had a breakout year in 2019. With just six games to his credit the previous two years with Hamilton and Ottawa, the 29-year-old Evans suited up for 17 games in 2019, recording 56 defensive tackles and 12 more on special teams. Drafted in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2015 NFL draft, Evans, former first team all-Big 12, spent time in Philly and with the LA Chargers before heading to the CFL.

Korte was drafted by the Ottawa REDBLACKS fourth overall in the 2018 CFL Draft out of the University of Alberta, where he was a 2017 U Sports All-Canadian. In two seasons in Ottawa, Korte played in 34 games for the REDBLACKS and has carved out a regular spot on the offensive line.

In three seasons with the Ottawa REDBLACKS, Tindal has played in 49 games, recording some solid numbers: 200 defensive tackles, eight tackles on special teams, three sacks, two interceptions and three forced fumbles. Before joining Ottawa, Tindal spent some time with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2016. Prior to his professional career, Tindal played college football for the Marshall University football program from 2013 to 2015, recording 198 defensive tackles and five sacks in 41 game played.

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...-korte-coombs/

[jerrym]

Ottawa has added three more players to its roster: Canadian 2020 5th round draft pick Treshaun Abrahams-Webster, and Americans OL Brandon Hitner and LB Frankie Griffin.

Abrahams-Webster was drafted by the Ottawa REDBLACKS in the fifth round, 38th overall, of the 2020 CFL Draft. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Pickering native played in eight games for the Dinos in 2019. During his university career, Abrahams-Webster has recorded a total of 49.5 tackles in 28 games ....

Hitner was signed by the Los Angeles Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2019. He then spent time on the practice squads of the New York Jets, Buffalo Bills and the Indianapolis Colts. He competed in 28 games during his collegiate career at Villanova and was the recipient of the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Award in 2017. ...

Griffin signed as an undrafted free agent out of Texas State with the Green Bay Packers in 2020. He played 42 games in four seasons of college football, making 212 tackles, 25.5 of which were for a loss, along with 7.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. He earned all-Sun Belt third team honors for his 2017 season and honorable mention for his 2018 campaign.

https://www.ottawaredblacks.com/2021...ahams-webster/

[jerrym]

Former Redblack, as well as Ticat, Stampeder and Rider QB Henry Burris has been named offensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears. In 2020 he was hired by the team as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program. Congratulations and good luck in your new position.

[doubleblue]

[QUOTE=jerrym;151983]Former Redblack, as well as Ticat, Stampeder and Rider QB Henry Burris has been named offensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears. In 2020 he was hired by the team as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program. Congratulations and good luck in your new position.[/QUOTE

Good for Henry. I guess TSN will be looking for a new guy on the Panel. They never really replaced Jock IMO for entertainment.

[AngeloV]

[QUOTE=doubleblue;151985]

Former Redblack, as well as Ticat, Stampeder and Rider QB Henry Burris has been named offensive quality control coach for the Chicago Bears. In 2020 he was hired by the team as part of the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship program. Congratulations and good luck in your new position.[/QUOTE

Good for Henry. I guess TSN will be looking for a new guy on the Panel. They never really replaced Jock IMO for entertainment.

They should look at David Benefield. Very entertaining, opinionated and would be nice to get a defensive guy on the panel (have they had one since Less Brown many, many years ago?). Having said that, I wouldn't mind moving Suitor to the panel and get a replacement for him on commentary. He's been fine over the years, but getting stale IMO. I don't think it will ever happen, but I think it would be a good move

[Will]

[QUOTE=AngeloV;151993]

They should look at David Benefield. Very entertaining, opinionated and would be nice to get a defensive guy on the panel (have they had one since Less Brown many, many years ago?). Having said that, I wouldn't mind moving Suitor to the panel and get a replacement for him on commentary. He's been fine over the years, but getting stale IMO. I don't think it will ever happen, but I think it would be a good move

Do you promote Forde to the #1 commentary team? With Cuthbert gone and his replacement not yet known, I wonder if TSN would have a completely new #1 team.

[AngeloV]

Do you promote Forde to the #1 commentary team? With Cuthbert gone and his replacement not yet known, I wonder if TSN would have a completely new #1 team.

I like Forde, but I don't think a lot of people like his style. Honestly, I don't see any changes coming on the commentary side, just I personally am ready for a change from Suitor, and not because I don't like him. I really do. I love hearing him go on the many TSN radio shows across the country and talk CFL. I think he would be awesome on the panel, but I think they need to change their broadcast teams overall, especially now that CC had moved on.

[paulwoods13]

I'd be fine with moving Suitor off colour and to the panel. IMO Forde should be a pre-game and halftime analyst in the studio the way LaPolice was a few years ago. He's not a good colour guy, IMO. Too monotoned and too inclined to start every comment by agreeing with whatever the play-by-play guy just said. IMO Dunigan is the best colour guy they have, but he's also valuable on the panel. Maybe Stegall could work doing colour.

[R.J]

Do you promote Forde to the #1 commentary team? With Cuthbert gone and his replacement not yet known, I wonder if TSN would have a completely new #1 team.

Wasn't Dustin Nielson brought on full time by TSN for what would have been the 2020 season ?