CFL 2025

[Jeffrey Pedler]

Way too premature to declare that. Seen many teams blow their load only to not have the team gel.

I'm certainly hopeful since they've agressively looked at addressing areas of weakness, but our receivers and kicking game is a major question mark. Fortunately those are two positions that you can sometimes find cheap unknowns that can do well with the opportunity, but those positions can also easily lose you games if you don't get some reasonable talent. Fortunately Hervey has found some rookie gems at the former position. Not sure if he's got the chops to find the latter, but hopefully a Special Teams specialist as head coach might be able to give some good advice on what to look for.

Not premature at all. When was the last time you saw a team sign the #1 FA at almost every position?

 

[Cloned]

Not premature at all. When was the last time you saw a team sign the #1 FA at almost every position?

Is that what happened? I’m not familiar with the players anymore.

 

[bone]

Not premature at all. When was the last time you saw a team sign the #1 FA at almost every position?

Well technically no one is signed until at least Tuesday morning. Assuming everything happens as has been reported, for sure it looks like a slam dunk right now, but sometimes grabbing all the prime players doesn't get the results you'd expect. Though I'm less concerned than usual because some of these guys have already been here before.

 

[bone]

Is that what happened? I’m not familiar with the players anymore.

It's close to that. This is a neutral list from CFL.ca as a sample.

CFL.ca's top 30 pending free agents - CFL.ca

CFL.ca has released its top 30 pending free agents ahead of the market opening on February 11, 2025.

www.cfl.ca

Ford (#1 on the list and highest QB, extended)
Ford (#4 on the list and highest DB)
Ivey (#10 on the list and highest OL, extended)
Ceresna (#14 on the list, 3rd DL but highest to change teams)
Leake (#15 on the list, highest RB and highest returner, extended)
Morgan (#21 on the list, 3rd LB, extended)
Beard (#22 on the list 3rd OL, but highest to change teams)

Though they did lose #13 on the list in Geno Lewis (4th highest receiver on the list). So his comment is reasonable as the only common position they didn't get the highest on the list that didn't stay with their existing team was Receiver and Line Backer.

There were no kickers on the list, but they did sign a guy who's been doing it for the last few years in Calgary and was one of only 3 free agent punters available and the first to sign with a different team than last year. He doesn't replace Julien, and I'm not confident he was the best of the three and don't know the other 2 guys' plans, but at least he should be competent and is a known player to our new coach who likely knows his potential better than anyone in the league.

A positive about Grace also is that despite having a slightly lower career punting average than the other 2, is that his career net yardage average is a full yard better than the other 2. Considering he's working with the same coach, he may be the best suited to execute this coaching staff's game plan.

 

[bellagiobob]

 

[brentashton]

Wouldn’t it be simpler to just post the Elks roster to keep track of all the FA signings?

 

[samiam]

He’s not wrong. Need to have this number before the neg window opens, not a week after.

If this Salary Cap increase was announced earlier, do you think the Elks would have been as successful in signing the players that they did? Or would teams have retained their players?

 

[MoontoScott]

If this Salary Cap increase was announced earlier, do you think the Elks would have been as successful in signing the players that they did? Or would teams have retained their players?

I think the salary cap hike was only 10% so it would have made a small difference but not a large one.

What's happening now (I think) is that the EE are seen as a team that has stabilized and are on the rise so that's incentive to come here. From what I have heard the Stamps are a real mess right now --an example of a team that is headed the other direction.

It also helps that guys who are returning know Ed Hervey. They know all the positives and negatives and are voting on "net positives."

We'll have to see if all these guys actually sign on Tuesday. They are still free to change their minds.

 

[MoontoScott]

14 receivers (including 6 Canadians) on the current roster but take away Lewis and there isn't one name that speaks "standout."