Toronto Argonauts Thread
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Menzinger
Kessel4LadyByng
Not that I was expecting anything different, but very happy to see him confirm his return. Such an awesome player and person
keonsbitterness
Registered User
Dave Naylor: Perfect storm sends CFL quarterback carousel spinning | TSN
TSN Football Insider Dave Naylor looks at the epic game of musical chairs that has been the CFL quarterbacking situation over the past nine months.
www.tsn.ca
When two starting quarterbacks leave for other leagues and three – Mitchell, Fajardo and Hamilton’s Dane Evans – get demoted, the ripples are going to be felt across the nine-team league.
That brings us to the curious case of Evans, who becomes the lone starting quarterback from last season who doesn’t have a home for 2023.
Evans is 29 and coming off a down year in which he struggled with ball security after signing a two-year contract with the Tiger-Cats before last season.
Slated to earn almost $450,000 of base pay for 2023, he has a contract for starter money in a league where there are no starting roles available. That makes it virtually impossible to find a suitable trade, leaving the Tiger-Cats with little choice but to release him.
When the Tiger-Cats do that, however, is up to them. Evans has no off-season bonus in his contract, meaning Hamilton owes him nothing until the day he reports for training camp.
While we wait, it’s not hard to figure where his most likely landing spot will be.
The CFL’s two most inexperienced quarterback rooms are in Edmonton and Toronto where the Elks and Argos are projected to head into this season with Taylor Cornelius and Chad Kelly, respectively, as their starters.
Cornelius signed a second contract with Edmonton after establishing himself as the starter in 2022, showing considerable progress along the way. It’s believed Edmonton isn’t looking to add to its QB stable with Tre Ford and Kai Locksley behind him.
Toronto, meanwhile, has only Kelly and Ben Holmes on the roster, the latter having been released by two other CFL teams during his rookie season before joining the Argos last August.
Kelly will be 29 this season, played at two big-time schools and had two stops in the NFL before surfacing in Toronto last year. But he has just one CFL start on his resume, a meaningless game against Montreal at the end of last season.
Is he ready to be the starting quarterback of the defending Grey Cup champions? He might be, and there is every reason to believe the Argos are willing to give him that chance.
But a little competition at training camp and some insurance during the regular season would sure make sense, which is where Evans comes into the picture.
Evans still sees himself as a CFL starter but, as Harris demonstrated one year ago, sometimes you have to take a step back to take one forward.
Evans to Toronto seems like a good fit for both him and the Argos, but not for the Tiger-Cats. And while there may be nothing Hamilton can do to prevent this from occurring, they can certainly delay it.
But it feels like it’s only a matter of time before Evans is wearing double blue.
fancy lad
Registered User
- Nov 22, 2021
- 722
- 1,020
im excited to see what Chad Kelly will bring next year. As much as I liked Bethel, Kelly really does have more to his game and is a more versatile QB.
id be in favour of bring in Evans from hamilton for depth. All in all team is looking Very good for next season. Pretty much all the big free agent players are back. Hats off to pinball for What is shaping up to be a great offseason.
id be in favour of bring in Evans from hamilton for depth. All in all team is looking Very good for next season. Pretty much all the big free agent players are back. Hats off to pinball for What is shaping up to be a great offseason.
Veteran running back Andrew Harris wrapping his head around new role with Toronto Argonauts | TSN
The 35-year-old Winnipeg native, who last week signed a one-year deal with the Grey Cup-champion Argonauts, expects to split backfield reps with American A.J. Ouellette, who performed admirably after Harris suffered a torn pectoral muscle.
www.tsn.ca
Andrew Harris envisions a different role in what he anticipates will be the final season of his illustrious CFL career.
Last year, Harris went into Toronto's training camp as its starting running back after signing as a free agent. But the 35-year-old Winnipeg native, who last week signed a one-year deal with the Grey Cup-champion Argonauts, expects to split backfield reps with American A.J. Ouellette, who performed admirably after Harris suffered a torn pectoral muscle.
"I know my role is going to be a little different than it has in the past," Harris told reporters during a teleconference. "Those 25-touch games when I was 28 years old were a lot easier (to recover from) . . . but I just have to make sure my body is in good enough condition to get through that if we need to do that but ultimately it's not sustainable for myself at this age."
"And it takes a lot to admit that . . . but I still feel I have something to give and that's going to look different week to week. I want to go out with a great season, enjoy my teammates, enjoy going to very stadium . . . and just really take it all in."
Harris rejoined the Argos in time for the CFL playoffs, giving them a solid 1-2 rushing punch. He ran for 42 yards and a touchdown on nine carries in Toronto's 34-27 East Final win over Montreal while Ouellette had 38 yards rushing on six attempts.
Harris rushed for 55 yards n 10 carries in Toronto's stunning 24-23 Grey Cup victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who Harris helped win consecutive titles in 2019 and '22. Ouellette contributed 24 yards on six carries but scored two TDs, including the eventual game-winning five-yard scamper.
Harris pondered retirement this off-season but decided to chase a fifth career Grey Cup as Toronto began re-signing its pending free agents. Harris's first CFL championship came in 2011 with the B.C. Lions.
"As I started looking at different options . . . I was going back and forth," Harris said. "Seeing guys re-sign with the Argos and getting a picture of what the team would look like got me excited to do one more."
Harris admits Toronto lost some important pieces of its championship squad, most notably quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who signed with the USFL's New Orleans Breakers. But Harris feels backup Chad Kelly, whose key 20-yard run after Bethel-Thompson suffered a dislocated right thumb set up Ouellette's game-winning TD run, can assume control of the offence.
"I think what we saw from Chad is he's definitely a guy who likes to make big plays, he's not afraid to extend plays," Harris said. "Working with him and getting to know him a little better, he brings a different attitude, he brings a different energy than what you're accustomed to getting from a young quarterback.
"You're never going to be able to replace a leader like Mac, but I think Chad learned a lot from Mac in how to be a leader and quarterback in this league."
Jared Wayne - Football - Pitt Panthers #H2P
Jared Wayne (5) WR - 2022: Started all 12 games he played in…lone missed contest was the Sept. 24 Rhode Island game due to injury…compiled 60 catches for 1,063
pittsburghpanthers.com
5 Jared Wayne
Position: WR
Class: Senior
Height: 6-3
Weight: 210
Hometown: Peterborough, Ontario, Canada
High School: Clearwater Academy International (FL)
2022: Started all 12 games he played in…lone missed contest was the Sept. 24 Rhode Island game due to injury…compiled 60 catches for 1,063 yards (17.7 avg.) and five touchdowns on the year…All-ACC (second team)…in the regular-season finale at Miami, fueled a 42-16 victory with 11 catches for 205 yards (18.6 avg.) and three touchdowns…his receiving yardage was the most by a Pitt player since Larry Fitzgerald had 207 at Rutgers in 2003…Wayne achieved only the eighth 200-yard receiving game in Pitt history…named to the Pro Football Focus National Team of the Week as well as ACC Receiver of the Week for his Miami performance…posted seven catches for 161 yards (23.0 avg.) at North Carolina…had six receptions for 102 yards (17.0 avg.) against Syracuse...selected to play in the Hula Bowl.
HIGH SCHOOL: A native of Canada who played at Florida’s Clearwater Academy International as a senior…compiled 61 receptions for 1,157 yards (18.9 avg.) and 14 touchdowns in leading the Knights to an 11-0 mark, the first undefeated season in school history…previously played at Trinity College School in Port Hope, Ontario, where he was a quarterback, wide receiver and safety…rated the No. 4 Canadian prospect by ESPN…played under Clearwater Academy International coach Jesse Chinchar.
PERSONAL: Jared Emmanuel Wayne, born 10/7/00, is the son of Shelley McLaughlin and Patrick Wayne…has two sisters…father was a linebacker in the Canadian Football League…administration of justice major.
Argos Add to Their Canadian Contingent During 2023 CFL Draft - Toronto Argonauts
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts added eight Canadians to their roster this evening during the 2023 CFL Draft. ARGOS 2023 CFL DRAFT CLASS Round Pick Name Position College 2 16 Jared Wayne WR Pittsburgh 3 27 Adam Guillemette LS Holy Cross 4 36 Spencer Nichols RB Western 5 45 Edouard Paradis OL...
www.argonauts.ca
ARGOS 2023 CFL DRAFT CLASS
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Wayne, 6’3 and 210lbs, played four seasons at the University of Pittsburgh (2019-2022) where he caught 146 passes for 2,308 yards and 13 touchdowns in 41 games. The Peterborough native was named All-ACC Second Team as a senior after hauling in 60 receptions for 1,063 yards and five touchdowns. Wayne played high school football at Trinity College in Port Hope before a move to Florida’s Clearwater Academy International.
Guillemette, 6’1 and 220lbs, spent four seasons at Holy Cross (2019-2022) playing in 11 games in 2022 and three in 2021 as a junior. The Cambridge, Ontario native made the Patriot League Academic Honour Roll in 2019 and 2020.
Nichols, 6’3 and 225lbs, played four seasons at Western University (2018-2022) where he caught 13 passes for 123 yards with one rush for four yards in 37 games for the Mustangs. The London native helped the OUA team win the Vanier Cup in 2021 when the Mustangs beat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 27-21.
Paradis, 6’4 and 320lbs, played six games at Houston Christian in 2022 and two games in 2021 and was an honour roll student both years. The Levis, Quebec native played at New Mexico Military Institute before his time at HCU.
Burton, 6’0 and 185lbs, spent four years at Queen’s University (2018-2022) and over the course of 31 games caught 131 passes for 2,016 yards and nine touchdowns. The Ottawa native had his best season in 2022 after posting a 51-851-1 line in 11 games for the Golden Gaels and was named a U SPORTS All-Canadian.
Onyemenam, 6’1 and 215lbs, was a three-year player at Wilfrid Laurier where he totaled 81 tackles, one sack, six passes defended, three forced fumbles and one block.
Murphy, 6’1 and 225lbs, was a Western Mustang the last two years where he notched 103 tackles, 15.5 for loss, seven sacks, six passes defended, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery in 21 career games. The Quebec native was part of the 2021 Vanier Cup winning Western Mustangs.
Vandal, 6’3 and 290lbs, spent four seasons at Sherbrooke (2018-2022) where he was named RSEQ’s offensive rookie of the year in 2018. Vandal was a Second-Team All Canadian in 2022 and a conference all-star three other times.
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Toronto Argonauts place veteran receiver Dontrelle Inman on retired list | TSN
Dontrelle Inman has cut short his return to the Toronto Argonauts. Toronto placed the veteran receiver on the retired list Monday, one day after he opened training camp with the CFL club.
www.tsn.ca
GUELPH, Ont. — Dontrelle Inman has cut short his return to the Toronto Argonauts.
Toronto placed the veteran receiver on the retired list Monday, one day after he opened training camp with the CFL club. Inman, 34, spent two seasons with the Argonauts (2012-13) before heading to the NFL and suiting up for the Los Angeles/San Diego Chargers (2014-16, 2019), Chicago Bears (2017), Indianapolis Colts (2018), New England Patriots (2019) and Washington Commanders (2020).
Inman decided to continue playing football after serving as coaching intern last year with the NFC-champion Philadelphia Eagles. And when Jim Barker, then a senior adviser with the Argos, came calling, Inman figured the best place to finish his playing career was where it essentially began.
Inman helped Toronto win the 100th Grey Cup in 2012 after being signed in 2011 as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars. Barker was the Argos' GM in 2012 but recently left the CFL franchise to rejoin TSN as a football analyst.
Inman's retirement was surprising given the six-foot-three, 205-pound receiver not only looked to be in terrific condition, he performed very well during Sunday's opening practice. Afterwards, he talked openly about wanting to continue to play and what he could bring to the table for his former team, which will be defending a Grey Cup title in 2023.
"A little déjà vu especially the first day and me walking out and seeing the locker room, seeing my name on the locker," Inman said. "I've been retired the last two years working on what my second career was going to be but I decided I needed to try and close the final chapter, which was here."
"This is where it started, this was the stepping stone for me and my career. I was blessed to be part of this organization and I'm blessed to be able to come back. I had offers from many other teams up here but I was only talking to the one person who got me here, which was Jim Barker. He's the reason why I'm here."
Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said Sunday was pleased with what he saw from Inman.
"We didn't work Dontrelle out this off-season but he came in shape and I was really impressed Day 1 with him," Dinwiddie said.
