2015 CFL Free agents: what should the Argos do?

[Wobbler]

Ravi posted Hamilton's list, but here are the anticipated FA lists for all teams (posted in the Winnipeg Free Press print edition today):

Montreal Alouettes

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
CARTER, Duron WR FLA. ATLANTIC I
COX, Chip LB OHIO I
DESLAURIERS, Eric WR E. MICHIGAN N
GREEN, S.J. WR S. FLORIDA I
KLASSEN, Michael DL CALGARY N
LAVARIAS, Aaron DE IDAHO I
PAXSON, Scott DL PENN ST I
SUTTON, Tyrell RB NORTHWESTERN I
TISDALE, Geoff DB PITTSBURGH ST I
WOODS, Jonathan LB TROY I
ZALESKI , Jerod TE/LS SIMON FRASER N


Toronto Argonauts

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
BARNES, Jason WR SACRAMENTO ST I
BROWN, Ivan DL SASKATCHEWAN N
CARTER, Jalil DB AKRON I
CHILES, John WR TEXAS I
HOLMES, Tyler OL TULSA N
KING, Jarriel OL S.C. I
ROGERS, Sir Vincent OL HOUSTON I
STEELE, Curtis RB MEMPHIS I
THOMAS, Marcus DL FLORIDA I
WATT, Spencer WR SIMON FRASER N


Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
BANKS, Brandon WR KANSAS ST I
BOWMAN, Marcellus LB BOSTON COLLEGE I
BREAUX, Delvin DB LSU I
DILE, Marc OL SOUTH FLORIDA I
ELLINGSON, Greg WR FLA. INTL I
FORTIN, Marc-Antoine DL LAVAL N
GIGUERE, Samuel WR SHERBROOKE N
GRANT, Bakari WR CALIF. DAVIS I
LEFEVOUR, Dan QB C. MICHIGAN I
MCGEE, Stephen QB TEXAS A&M I
O'NEILL, Timothy OL CALGARY N
TASKER, Luke WR CORNELL I
WOJT, Greg OL C. MICHIGAN N


Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
ANDERSON, Zachary DT N. MICHIGAN I
BROHM, Brian QB LOUISVILLE I
BRYANT, Romby WR TULSA I
BUCKNOR, Matt DB WINDSOR N
CORNELL, Mike LB OTTAWA N
DUNN, Desia DB FRESNO ST I
JANUARY, Glenn OL TEXAS TECH I
KELLY, Aaron WR CLEMSON I
KNAPP, Dan OL ARIZONA ST I
MARKETT, Marty DB S. CAROLINA I
SEARS, Johnny DB E. MICHIGAN I
STEPHAN, Rene LB HARDING N
VOLNY, Carl RB C. MICHIGAN N
WASHINGTON, Demond CB AUBURN I
WILD, Ian LB MERCYHURST I
WOODS, Aaron WR PORTLAND ST I


Saskatchewan Roughriders

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
BARTEL, Josh K NO COLLEGE N
BLACK, Tristan LB WAYNE ST N
BRACKENRIDGE, Tyron DB WASH. ST I
BROWN, Weldon DB LSU I
CLARK, Dan OL REGINA JR N
FOLEY, Ricky DL YORK N
GEORGE, Tearrius DE KANSAS ST I
HEENAN, Ben OL SASKATCHEWAN N
HUGHES, Neal RB REGINA N
HURL, Sam LB CALGARY N
JACKSON, Tristan DB C. ARKANSAS I
MCHENRY, Scott SB SASK. N
PETERS, Brian DB NORTHWESTERN I
REGIMBALD-GAGNE, K. LB SHERBROOKE N
SUNSERI, Tino QB PITTSBURGH I
TAYLOR, Hilee DE NORTH CAROLINA I
THOMAS, Carlos DB SOUTH CAROLINA I
WILLIAMS, Roderick DB ALCORN STATE I


Calgary Stampeders

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
BRYANT, Stanley OT EAST CAROLINA I
HARRISON, Edwin OT COLORADO I
JOHNSON, Micah DE KENTUCKY I
JONES, Brett OL REGINA N
LEMON, Shawn DL AKRON I
LEWIS, Nikolas WR S. ARKANSAS I
LOVE, Glenn LB UCLA I
MACDOUGALL, Keenan DB SASKATCHEWAN N
SINOPOLI, Brad WR OTTAWA N
SMITH, Brandon DB SACRAMENTO ST I
WALTER, Matt RB CALGARY N


Edmonton Eskimos

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
COLEMAN, Thaddeus OL MISS. VALLEY ST I
CURRAN, Rennie LB GEORGIA I
HINDS, Ryan DB NEW HAMPSHIRE N
O'DONNELL, Matthew OT QUEEN'S N
ORAMASIONWU, Donald DT MANITOBA N
ROTTIER, Simeon OL ALBERTA N
RWABUKAMBA, Chris DB DUKE N
SHARUN, Corbin LB ST FRANCIS XAVIER N
WASHINGTON, Tony OT ABILENE CHRISTIAN I
WILLIS, Odell DL W. GEORGIA I
YOUNG, Marcell DB JACKSON ST I


B.C. Lions

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
ARAKGI, Jason DB MCMASTER N
JACKSON, Ernest WR BUFFALO I
MATECHUK, Jordan LB WINNIPEG RIFLES JR N
POBLAH, Kito WR C. MICHIGAN N
WESTERMAN, Jabar DL E. MICHIGAN N


Ottawa Redblacks

Player Pos School IMP/NIP
EPPELE, Joe OL WASH. ST N
GREEN, James FB CALGARY N
HOPKINS, Moton DL TULSA I
KRAUSNICK-GROH, Alex OL CALGARY N
MILES, Wallace WR N.C. A&T I
POTTINGER, Jason LB MCMASTER N

[Wobbler]

Among our guys, we'll need to retain at least *part* of our OL; it would be nice to resign Holmes and either Rogers or King. Steele and Carter have been good contributors and I don't think we have a good replacement for either of them at the moment, so I hope we give them good offers.

The receiver situation is interesting. If Watt is going to have long-term health problems, now is the time to let him go. We don't have a national replacement for him (Adjei is still basically an unknown), but could find one at the draft or through free agency. Giguere would certainly look good at that spot. As for Chiles and Barnes, well, I'm not sure. Neither had good seasons, at least in part due to injury. I assume that we'll make reasonable offers to both and let them fight for their jobs in camp.

[doubleblue]

I don't see Barker signing a lot of free agents, but if Holmes follows through with going for another shot in the NFL, Joe Eppele would be a proven player to fit back into the LG position. Quite a few offensive tackles will be available if Rogers and/or King don't come back. Adjei might be able to replace Watt, I thought he showed some flashes at times. Has the speed, just has to learn some route running. There are also a couple of good WR prospects in the up coming draft in Demski of Manitoba U and Richards of Regina U. The Argos with the 3rd pick could get one of them if they wanted to.
One other player I wouldn't mind the Argos trying to sign is DT Westerman from BC, especially if Laing leaves.

[ArgoRavi]

I don't see Barker signing a lot of free agents, but if Holmes follows through with going for another shot in the NFL, Joe Eppele would be a proven player to fit back into the LG position.

It looks like Eppele is done with football. He never played a game for Ottawa after his surgery and the RedBlacks don't expect him to return. It is unfortunate as he had a lot of potential.

[gilthethrill]

Step 1...let Marcus Thomas enter Free Agency! SJ Green would be nice & he does have a history with Milanovich & Brady. Another name that interests me is DL Jabar Westerman. Local kid would help out on the DL...I suspect Chiles will be exploring NFL interests, so I would not count on him although I would like to see him return.

[Argo57]

Call me crazy but I would look at Foley again, had a good season in 2014 and has never been adequately been replaced in Toronto, also may flourish with Burke as DC.
Chiles took a huge step backwards this season so if he wants to go to the NFL let him try, has trouble staying healthy and when he was healthy was often invisible.

[ArgoGabe22]

I believe Foley has already agreed to re-sign and just waiting for the deal to be announced. Someone said the deal took place during the season.

With the way Foley complained the Argos front offices, I doubt we would want him back and doubt he would want to be back.

[Argo57]

I believe Foley has already agreed to re-sign and just waiting for the deal to be announced. Someone said the deal took place during the season.

With the way Foley complained the Argos front offices, I doubt we would want him back and doubt he would want to be back.

All true I am sure Gabe but the thing I miss most are his interview skills.

[Will]

If Foley re-signed in Toronto then guess who would be back on these forums unless he was banned.

[AngeloV]

All true I am sure Gabe but the thing I miss most are his interview skills.

York wants his diploma back.

[Argo57]

Brandon Banks would be high on my list as well, this guy is a threat every time he touched the ball, highly doubtful he will be available, Hamilton should and probably will lock him up after the season he has had

[doubleblue]

Again my wish list would be LB Ian Wild, WR SJ Green, LB/DB Brian Peters, DT Jabar Westerman and OG Joe Eppele. However I expect the GM's from these teams will go all out to resign most of these guys. Ravi says Eppele may be done because of shoulder injuries, we will have to wait and see. Jabar Westerman being from Brampton might be open to moving back East.
This new rule on all Canadian citizens being eligible as "Nationals" now is interesting. Jabar's older brother Jamaal who has had 4 or 5 years in the NFL could now be termed a National (if I'm reading things correctly) if he were to take out Canadian Citizenship. Family moved to Canada when he was about 14, but because he wasn't here for 5 years before his 17th birthday he was classed an Import while younger brother Jabar became a Non-Import. Maybe the Argos could make a package deal for both of them. Jamaal would be an up grade at DE at 6`2 257 over Ivan Brown who is a FA anyway.

[Qman]

surprise move Westerman resigned with lions. Rumour was he was heading home here for sure.

[Argo57]

surprise move Westerman resigned with lions. Rumour was he was heading home here for sure.

Perhaps the current state of the Argonaut organization trumped any desire to return home, may be an issue moving forward for the Argos.

[ArgoGabe22]

Looks like Fred Stamps won't be back. He had the bulk of his 1000 yard seasons with Ricky Ray as his QB. His production has come down with Reilly and even more with Jones as HC.

[AngeloV]

Looks like Fred Stamps won't be back. He had the bulk of his 1000 yard seasons with Ricky Ray as his QB. His production has come down with Reilly and even more with Jones as HC.

I was talking about this yesterday. I would do this in a second. He can play slot or boundary, and IMO, still has a lot to give.

[Wobbler]

I guess it depends on whether we're trying to maximize performance in the Dome for the next couple of years before rebooting in a new location, or whether continuity is important. If the short term is our focus, Stamps would be a nice addition. If we're trying to be continuously competitive, we should probably spend money on younger receivers who can carry an increasing load as Owens/Durie/Barnes decline.

A lot depends on the health and ability of Chiles and Watt. if 2014 was an aberration and they can bounce back next year, we'll be in great shape. If not, we'll need to make some smart decisions.

[gilthethrill]

Jamal Richardson failed his physical in both Toronto and then Calgary after Montreal cut him after training camp this year. At age 32, I gather his great career is over?

[ArgoRavi]

Jamal Richardson failed his physical in both Toronto and then Calgary after Montreal cut him after training camp this year. At age 32, I gather his great career is over?

He will have been out of the game for close to two years by training camp next season. I think that he is done as is current Als' receiver Chad Johnson.

[Fumblitis]

I believe Foley has already agreed to re-sign and just waiting for the deal to be announced. Someone said the deal took place during the season.

With the way Foley complained the Argos front offices, I doubt we would want him back and doubt he would want to be back.

Yeah I'm not sure why it hasn't been announced but Ricky is staying in green.