Walter Tychnowicz/CFL.ca
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts have added a key piece to their offensive line, announcing Monday they’ve signed national offensive lineman J’Michael Deane to a two-year contract.
The 30-year-old started all 16 games he played in last season for the Ottawa REDBLACKS at left guard, eventually helping his team capture the 104th Grey Cup Championship in November.
Deane, a 6-foot-5, 328-pound native of Hinton, Alta., has played six seasons in the CFL, spending the last three in Ottawa following three years with the Calgary Stampeders. Originally selected by Calgary in the third round (21st overall) of the 2010 CFL Draft, Deane has played in 89 regular season games and nine post-season games, including three Grey Cups.
After beginning his football career in Toronto at Newtonbrook Secondary School and as a member of the OVFL’s Metro Toronto Wildcats, Deane played five seasons at Michigan State. Following a redshirt campaign as a defensive lineman, he made the switch to offence, where he’d appear in 17 games for the Spartans, starting all 13 games at right tackle in his senior year.
