Johany Jutras/CFL
Things are no longer as frenzied now that 2016 CFL free agency almost two weeks old. That stretch over the first few days were as insane a period of time I’ve ever seen when it comes to player movement in this league.
Now that the dust has settled, I decided to call on my Sportsnet and CFL.ca colleague Justin Dunk to go around the horn on the biggest stories thus far. Let’s see if you agree with us.
How crazy has 2016 free agency been?
Dunk: We’ve seen a ton of star players change jerseys. It’s one thing to have the shorter contracts and put a lot more guys on the market. It’s a completely different thing to actually see guys leave teams like Trevor Harris, Andrew Harris, and even [previously signed] Weston Dressler.
MMQB: I’m with Justin on this one. I can’t remember a time when there have been bidding wars quite like this on so many different players. I wasn’t sure what to expect and I thought a lot of the big names out there would end up back with their 2015 teams. That hasn’t really been the case.
Sure, I thought Andrew Harris was pretty much destined to change teams, but I wasn’t expecting as many to join him with new addresses. I still felt like there was a good chance the Argos would figure out a way to keep Trevor Harris. I really thought Josh Bourke would sign again with Montreal, the only team he’s ever played for. Justin Medlock? There’s no way he’d get to free agency and sign elsewhere! And yet, here we are.
In a way, all this activity makes Hamilton re-signing Ted Laurent even more significant. The Alouettes came strong in trying to lure Laurent back to his hometown, but the Tiger-Cats stepped up keep the centerpiece of their defence. With a guy who had offers like Laurent had elsewhere, it’s actually a little surprising to see him stay in Hamilton, specifically knowing how free agency has worked this year.
How do you like what the Riders have done?
Dunk: They’ve gone in there and it’s been no holds barred in terms of bringing in the types of guys they want. They want big players who have length and who can run. If you look at most of the guys they’ve signed, they’ll fit into one, if not both, categories and that’s really where Saskatchewan has put its focus.
MMQB: No one has been more active in free agency than Saskatchewan. When Chris Jones and John Murphy are finished constructing their 2016 roster we’re going to be talking about one of the most heavily overhauled groups in recent memory. The change in personnel we’ve seen over the last number of months is pretty unprecedented.
I like a lot of what the Riders have done, too, because they’ve touched basically every position with their bevy of signings. Linebacker Otha Foster and offensive lineman Andrew Jones are both really interesting signings, mainly because of how familiar they’ll be with Jones et al from playing in Edmonton last season.
There was one signing that jumped off the page for me more than anything else, though. Justin Capicciotti was one of the most treasured prizes this year and the Riders got him. And it wasn’t a signing that a lot of people saw coming.
Dunk: I was hearing maybe [Capicciotti] ends up back on the West Coast, back in BC, and all of a sudden, the way the dominos fell, the Riders were in on this talented defensive lineman. He was probably the most surprising Riders signing for me.
MMQB: Similar to Laurent in Hamilton, Capicciotti is a ratio-busting, impact defensive end. The Riders said goodbye to 33-year-old John Chick and his 11.0 sacks this off-season. Well, they’ve replaced him with a 26-year-old Canadian who had 12.0 sacks last year. No knock on Chick, but Saskatchewan wins that trade-off.
What are reasonable expectations for the Riders for the 2016 season?
Dunk: Chris Jones might be hesitant to say it, but I think this Riders team, with a healthy Darian Durant, there’s no reason why they couldn’t be in the playoff picture.
Everyone focuses on 2015 and what a bad year it was, but you put Durant on that field, he’s such a leader and he really knows how to win ball games. Now you surround him with all this new talent and give him a Chris Jones defence.
I don’t’ see any reason why the Riders can’t compete for a playoff spot in year one of this new regime.
MMQB: It will be a disappointment if Saskatchewan isn’t a playoff team. I don’t say that solely based on their impressive haul in free agency, either. I say that because Jones has a bit of a reputation to live up to here.
In year one with the Eskimos, Jones took a 4-14 team the year previous and turned it into a 12-6 playoff team. The year after that, Jones was at the helm as Edmonton won the Grey Cup. History doesn’t always repeat itself, but the Riders are banking on Jones to engineer a quick turnaround much like he did with the Eskimos.
How much could Justin Medlock affect the Bombers?
Dunk: He’s so accurate and he’s got a good range and you can rely on him in some of those longer field goal situations. At the end of last year, Winnipeg probably wouldn’t have let [Lirim Hajrullahu and Sergio Castillo] take some of those kicks. It’s huge now to have Medlock. They lost some tight games because of some missed field goals.
MMQB: I wrote about it last week and I’ll reiterate it: Winnipeg’s most impactful signing for me is Medlock. While Andrew Harris and Ryan Smith will be nice potential upgrades for them, no one is going to impact how the Bombers go about their business more than the CFL’s best kicker.
Dunk is right when he talks about some of Winnipeg’s losses thanks in part to questionable kicking. Well, there are no questions anymore. Hajrullahu was accurate 68.8 per cent of the time last year while Castillo was accurate 75 per cent of the time on 12 kicks. Then there’s Medlock, who has never been under 87 per cent in his four full seasons in the CFL.
Medlock helps you in all kinds of different strategic ways but he does one thing more than anything else. By having such a good kicker in the fold, Winnipeg doesn’t have to be as risky with offensive play calls. Medlock’s range is good and we know how accurate he is; in a tight game, you can run the ball at the opposition’s 38-yard line on second and long because you know Medlock is likely going to nail that 45 yard kick.
What’s going to happen with Henoc Muamba?
Dunk: He’s a guy that can come in and be a ratio-breaker on defence and at linebacker. Before we talk CFL he’s going to have a look at the NFL. He already has a couple workouts lined up and I know that’s an avenue he wants to exhaust at all costs before he entertains CFL offers.
MMQB: The Muamba situation is a really interesting one. To condense it for you, though, he had a roster bonus pending with Montreal on what was already a big contract. The Als didn’t want to pay that bonus so explored trade options, but GM’s are smart; they knew what was going on. So, when no one bit, Montreal General Manager Jim Popp didn’t have any other choice but to release Muamba into free agency.
It’s too bad, but as Justin says, Muamba’s NFL aspirations might have forced Montreal’s hand regardless. We’ll see how his workouts go south of the border, but I know for absolute certain that Muamba will be as sought after it gets if he ends up in the CFL in 2016. Muamba is a 26-year-old Canadian linebacker who’s already been an all-star in this league once. Players like that don’t grow on trees.
Dunk believes Muamba is now the hottest ticket item in free agency and it sure is tough to argue with him.
