THE CANADIAN PRESS
VANCOUVER — A familiar face across the CFL is back, as the BC Lions have signed international kicker and punter Swayze Waters to a one-year contract, the team has announced.
Waters, 29, spent four seasons with the Argos before leaving for the NFL in 2016.
“Swayze is an accomplished kicker who can look after all three duties at a very high level,” said Head Coach and General Manager Wally Buono. “This is a major signing for the club as it fills a significant need for us after Richie’s departure and allows us to have an extra position player on the roster rather than dressing both a punter and a kicker.”
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Swayze Waters spent four seasons with the Argos, departing before the 2016 season (The Canadian Press)
Waters originally came to the CFL as a member of the Edmonton Eskimos in June, 2012. He eventually made his way to the Toronto Argonauts and enjoyed a championship run to the 100th Grey Cup that year. The Mississippi native landed a deal with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers last season.
In 2014, he earned the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player nod after leading the league in kicking points (192), field goals (47) as well as punting average (47.7 yards). No player had previously accomplished that feat since the Lions’ own Lui Passaglia’s did so in 1983. Waters was also good on 90.4 per cent of his field goal attempts that year.
Waters has appeared in 46 games through four seasons (2012-2015) and has a 79.5 per cent success rate on field goals (101/127). His career punting average is 46.9 yards and his average on kickoffs sits at 65.6 yards.
