BCLions.com
Khari Jones is in paradise. He’s been smiling for almost a week. The whiteboard in his office has a higher than normal amount of X’s and O’s scribblings and imaginary plays. Who can blame him? The Lions’ offensive coordinator was already in pretty excellent shape in the first 48 hours after free agency.
His starting offensive line from 2016 was intact. Running backs Jeremiah Johnson and Chris Rainey were long since re-signed. As for the receiving corps, Bryan Burnham, Nick Moore, and Marco Iannuzzi had put pen to paper as well. And then Chris Williams came along. One of the CFL’s most electrifying playmakers of this decade, yes, we’ll go that far, was officially locked up on Friday.
MORE ON WILLIAMS
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» Bio: Chris Williams by the numbers
The Lions locked in one of their top free agent targets on Friday in Chris Williams (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Williams’ addition goes a long way in determining the fact Jones could have the most potent offence to work with in 2017. Any way you slice it, he has an embarrassment of riches at the receiver position.
“We have a group that I am excited about,” said Jones about the makeup of his projected offence. “It’s similar to last year where teams have to decide on who they’re going to try take away. It’s great to have this many options. We know what Manny can do, we know what Chris can do, we Burnham can do, we know what Jeremiah can do and [Jonathon Jennings] is coming into his own as a quarterback. It’s a very exciting time but it’s still going to take a lot of work.”
It shouldn’t take Jones long to re-establish a rapport with Williams. The two worked together in Hamilton in 2010 and 2011 when Jones served in the similar capacity of OC. Marcel Bellefeuille was the Ticats’ head coach and now the trifecta is officially reunited.
“I am very excited,” said Jones of the Williams signing. “He still is pretty explosive. He’s a great person to have on your team because you can do a lot of things with him.
“He’s not only an explosive receiver but also a good route runner. He’s turned into a good leader. He’s just everything you want in a receiver.”
Moore could prove to be a huge wild card in all of this. The 30-year old’s highly anticipated return was cut short after he suffered a torn ACL while celebrating a touchdown during a week three victory in Saskatchewan. He recorded 15 catches for 205 yards and the ill-fated major before being sidelined for the season. When you add it all up, it’s almost like a whole new addition.
“He feels great. He was in last week and there was just a great energy about him,” said Jones. “The things he did for us early in the season were very positive and made me feel very comfortable knowing we were going to have him back. All indications are that his knee is good and he will be ready for camp.”
Free Agent Additions/Re-Signings
| Player | Position | Transaction | Former Team |
| Mic’hael Brooks | DL | Re-Signed (02/14/17) | — |
| Marco Iannuzzi | WR | Re-Signed (02/14/17) | — |
| Ronnie Yell | DB | Re-Signed (02/14/17) | — |
| Tony Burnett | LB | Signed (02/14/17) | WPG |
| Chris Williams | WR | Signed (02/15/17) | OTT |
| Matt Bucknor | DB | Signed (02/16/17) | CGY |
| DeQuin Evans | DE | Signed (02/16/17) | MTL |
Subtractions (Since Feb. 14)
| Player | Position | Transaction | New Team |
| Ryan Phillips | DB | Released (02/15/17) | MTL |
| Jabar Westerman | DL | Signed (02/15/17) | MTL |
Williams has also shown great determination after rehabbing from a serious knee injury of his own. As a result, he was sidelined for the Ottawa REDBLACKS’ playoff run and subsequent Grey Cup Championship. You can bet the chance to win it all played a big role in his decision to migrate to the west coast.
It’s one thing to be able to have a great group of receivers. The challenge now will be the idea of having everybody buy in and not have any of them disappointed in not getting their fair slice of the pie. Jones insists the “team first” culture will be established from day one of training camp.
“The idea of winning football games trumps everything else,” proclaimed Jones. “I feel like we have a group that recognizes that. They know how good it felt to win as many games as we did last year and I think they want to keep that feeling. Regardless of how many balls guys are getting, I think the biggest thing in everyone’s mind is winning games.”
Jones pointed to Arceneaux as a prime example of putting the team first last year. Despite totaling 1,566 receiving yards and leading all CFL players with 13 touchdowns, there were also some games where he didn’t get as many touches and made a difference with his blocking abilities. Proving to be a good asset when you are not making highlight reel catches is exactly what Jones is referring to.
You also can’t mention the work done on offence without bringing up the re-signing of Hunter Steward. That move ensured the starting offensive line for most of 2016 is intact to start training camp on the final weekend of May.
Khari Jones (left) works with quarterback Keith Price (right) at Lions mini-camp (BCLions.com)
“It’s very big. That was probably one of the top priorities in my mind, making sure those guys can be together for another year,” said Jones.
“I have so much respect for both Hunter and Kirby Fabien for coming back into the starting lineup and how they performed for the last half of the season. It was outstanding. They know what it takes to be not only a professional in this league but a high-performing offensive lineman.”
It has indeed been a very memorable off-season for Jones. With OTA’s and training camp just around the corner, you can bet the whiteboard is in for a few more solid workouts.
Bake’s Takes
During a casual chat with Wally Buono before free agency, the GM/head coach remarked to videographer Cole Jackson and myself something along the lines of “our receivers are going to be pretty good.” At the time, things were very much up in the air. Burnham was still in the midst of his NFL workouts and nothing was set in stone on Iannuzzi. Knowing what we know now, Buono most likely knew they had a decent chance of landing Williams. On paper that would have made the Lions receivers formidable, with or without Burnham. Now that number 16 is back in the fold, all I can say is “get your popcorn ready.” It also speaks to how Buono’s determination to get things done. He had an idea of how he wanted his offence to look in 2017 and he pretty much got what he wanted.
When talking about the receivers, you cannot discount the Canadian contingent. Iannuzzi is back after making some decent strides in 2016. The always versatile Stephen Adekolu is coming off a career year and also back in the fold. The club remains very high on Shaq Johnson who spent the majority of his rookie season on the practice squad. The London Beefeaters product dressed for a pair of games when Shawn Gore was out.
You can’t underestimate the offensive line staying intact. Sure, there is still the May 7 CFL draft, always a goldmine for national blockers, and there will no doubt be a few key rookies on hand at both OTA’s and main camp. But this current starting unit is a big reason the Lions led the CFL in total rushing yards one year ago.
