Stamps make Eric Rogers signing official
CALGARY — Former all-star receiver Eric Rogers is on his way back to Calgary.
Rogers joined the Stampeders back in 2014 and made his mark as a part of Calgary’s playoff run that season, producing a two-touchdown performance in the club’s Western Final win over Edmonton en route to the Grey Cup. In 2015 he led the CFL in receiving with 1,448 yards on 87 receptions and finished tied for first in the league in touchdowns with 10.
“Eric was an excellent and productive player for us and we’re very pleased to welcome him back,” said Stampeders president and general manager John Hufnagel Thursday. “Eric is familiar with our offence and he obviously had an excellent rapport with Bo Levi Mitchell, so I look forward to seeing him perform once he’s been given an opportunity to get readjusted after two years away from the CFL.”
“I’m excited to see him,” head coach Dave Dickenson added. “I haven’t seen him in a couple of years. He’s had a couple things surgically he’s had to fix.'”
Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell agreed with his head coach on the possibility of the pass-catcher returning to Cowtown.
Will Eric Rogers make his return to the Stampeders? (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
“If that becomes official, it’s adding a huge weapon, a huge piece that can really come in and help this offence,” Mitchell told Stampeders.com. “Everybody knows who the guy was when he was here. I’m excited to see what happens with it, where they end up putting him or where he’d play and how we’d handle the rest of the roster. I know the receiving group is going to welcome him with open arms.”
The chemistry between Rogers and Mitchell was undeniable and the Stamps pivot doesn’t think it’ll take very long for it to spark back up again.
‘”I think it (chemistry) always takes time but he was somebody that I found it with early on and he’s a worker too,” said Mitchell. “As soon as you see anything you don’t like you can talk to him about it. He can tell me the same thing. He’s got a long road ahead of him. It’s been a couple of years. The playbook’s changed a lot since then so he’s got a lot to make up for when it comes to that.”
After earning an all-star nod in his sophomore season, Rogers signed with the San Francisco 49ers in January of 2016 but never saw any game action after tearing his ACL in training camp. Rogers was released by the 49ers in May of 2017.
If he does in fact join the Stampeders, he’ll be joining a receiving corps already filled with talented players including the West’s nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie, Marken Michel, as well as DaVaris Daniels and Kamar Jorden. Rogers could also fill the void that Marquay McDaniel left when the team decided not to re-sign the 34-year-old after he became a free agent this off-season.
