Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca
TORONTO — It’s not quite the eye of the off-season storm, but the holiday season brings relative calm across the Canadian Football League.
DeVone Claybrooks, Corey Chamblin and Orlondo Steinauer have been named head coaches, while Joel Figueroa, Eugene Lewis and Zack Evans are among big names crossed off the pending free agent list in a busy month of December.
There’s still plenty to be decided though. From free agency on Feb. 12 to possible trades, CFL.ca looks at one pressing question for every team this off-season.
BC LIONS
Will Mike Reilly return to Vancouver?
As free agency approaches, Mike Reilly continues to be linked to the BC Lions (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
Pending free agent Mike Reilly has been linked to his former team, where he was the understudy to Travis Lulay in 2011 and 2012, for some time now. For many, in fact, Reilly signing with the BC Lions after the start of free agency seems like a foregone conclusion.
The 2017 Most Outstanding Player is no doubt the biggest domino that will fall this off-season, setting the tone for a busy few months wherever he ends up. If that happens to be Vancouver, it could be a franchise-altering move for what will be a new-look Lions team in 2019.
Though he turns 34 in January, Reilly is still at the top of his game and can transform any team into an immediate contender. If Stamps pivot Bo Levi Mitchell heads south, Reilly moving to BC might just make the Lions the top contender in the West.
EDMONTON ESKIMOS
Will the Esks get their young stars back?
D’haquille Williams headlines a long list of pending free agents for GM Brock Sunderland (Adam Gagnon/CFL.ca)
At the risk of being repetitive, Mike Reilly‘s future in Edmonton is the biggest question this off-season. Let’s move past the for a second. Third-year general manager Brock Sunderland has other concerns this off-season, starting with a long list of pending free agents that includes a pair of budding young stars.
Receiver Duke Williams and defensive end Kwaku Boateng are franchise cornerstones that, regardless of what happens behind centre, make the Eskimos a better team both in 2019 and beyond. Williams, 25, has emerged as the CFL’s most physically-dominating receiver, leading the league with 1,579 yards in just his second season. Boateng, on the other hand, is just 23, and one of the few Canadian pass-rushers that can get to the quarterback regularly.
Bryant Mitchell, Derel Walker and Aaron Grymes are core players pending free agency as well, but youth and proven upside should make Boateng and Williams the first order of business.
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
Is this the end of an era in Calgary?
With Bo Levi Mitchell’s NFL aspirations, are the Stamps a team in transition? (The Canadian Press)
With their third Grey Cup in the span of 11 years, the Calgary Stampeders fall short of dynasty status in a nine-team league. Their success over that span, however, has still been remarkable, especially in era of free agency and one-year contracts.
The Stampeders, led by General Manager John Hufnagel, have been through this before, transitioning from a core led by Henry Burris, Joffrey Reynolds, Jeremaine Copeland and Nik Lewis to the Grey Cup Champions we see now. But with free agency and NFL aspirations threatening to break this group up, is this the end of the Stampeder dominance as we know it?
The list of players looking south is long, and includes franchise quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and defensive stalwarts Alex Singleton and Micah Johnson. Meanwhile, defensive coordinator DeVone Claybrooks has gone to BC to become the head coach. It appears 2019 will bring plenty of uncertainty to Calgary.
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Who will quarterback the Riders in 2019?
Pending free agent Jonathon Jennings has already been linked to the Riders (The Canadian Press)
Boasting a top-tier defence year in and year out, the quarterback position remains the missing link for Chris Jones and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Zach Collaros brought a steady veteran hand but struggled with consistency, while Brandon Bridge hasn’t shown the promise of a franchise pivot through four professional seasons.
With several of the league’s top signal-callers pending free agency, the time may be nigh for Jones to go out and find a definitive answer to the position this off-season. Mike Reilly, Bo Levi Mitchell and Trevor Harris are all pending free agents, while many have already speculated that Jonathon Jennings could be an answer, as the Lions’ young pivot is expected to test free agency.
Landing Reilly from the Esks may seem like a pipe dream, but the Eskimos’ pending free agent has won a Grey Cup with Jones before. And if all else fails, the Riders’ general manager has never been shy to deal. Perhaps Johnny Manziel could be had for the right price?
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Will Adam Bighill test free agency?
Adam Bighill became the Bombers’ defensive MVP in his first season in Winnipeg (The Canadian Press)
Adam Bighill and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers seemed like the right fit from day one, the veteran linebacker eventually winning Most Outstanding Player while elevating Richie Hall’s defence to new heights in 2018. Still, with an expiring contract, Bighill’s return to the Manitoba capital isn’t yet set in stone.
For a Bombers team that could look mostly the same next season, and a changing West Division landscape surrounding, 2019 could be the year. If that’s going to happen, however, one would imagine Bighill will be a big part of that following his third straight season of 100-plus tackles. Of course, as Head Coach Mike O’Shea knows, Bighill’s contributions go far beyond the numbers.
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Who will be the Ticats’ defensive coordinator?
New Ticats head coach Orlondo Steinauer is in search of a new defensive coordinator (Ticats.ca)
June Jones has said it could be a record-breaking season for the Ticats’ offence in 2019. Brash, sure, but not out of the realm of possibility after what we saw last season from Jeremiah Masoli, Brandon Banks and Alex Green, along with the rest of the Ticats’ league-leading attack.
The bigger question is likely on the defensive side of the ball, as Jerry Glanville departs and incoming head coach Orlondo Steinauer searches for someone else to run the ‘D’. The Ticats had an up-and-down season defensively, going from dominating to underwhelming on a week to week basis. Another step taken on that side of the ball and the Grey Cup favourite could be in Hamilton next season.
First thing’s first. While Steinauer could do the job himself, word out of Hamilton is he’d prefer not to divert his attention in year one of being a head coach. Mike Benevides and Mark Washington are two names that immediately come to mind for the vacant position following their departures this off-season.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Can the Argos find some star power at receiver?
Duron Carter’s usage in a short stint last season raised some eyebrows in Toronto (The Canadian Press)
DeVier Posey, S.J. Green and Armanti Edwards were quite the handful for opponents in 2017, helping the Argos win the Grey Cup in dramatic fashion. Last year, with injuries at the quarterback position and Posey no longer with the club, it was an underwhelming receiver group in Toronto.
The Argos have plenty of questions coming off a four-win season, including who starts at quarterback next season as James Franklin and McLeod Bethel-Thompson lead the charge entering 2019. If the offence is going to improve, a good place to start is at receiver, where the Boatmen could use some star power.
Whether it’s Duron Carter or one of a handful of young pass-catching stars pending free agency, including DaVaris Daniels and Bryant Mitchell, General Manager Jim Popp needs to be aggressive in February and bolster his talent on the offensive side of the ball to complement star running back James Wilder Jr.
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Can the REDBLACKS afford to lose Diontae Spencer?
With Diontae Spencer pending free agency, there could be some changes in Ottawa (CFL.ca)
One of those young star receivers pending free agency is the electrifying Diontae Spencer, not only a dynamic returner but the type of pass-catcher that can change a game on a moment’s notice. Spencer has become a star in two seasons with the REDBLACKS and deserves to be paid like one of the CFL’s best receivers, an expense General Manager Marcel Desjardins may not be able to afford.
There are two ways of looking at Diontae Spencer‘s situation this off-season. On the one hand, Desjardins hasn’t built a perennial Grey Cup contender by overspending to keep his free agents — the REDBLACKS’ GM is a savvy spender and will seek value elsewhere if he needs to. On the other hand, a big part of Ottawa’s offensive success has been a dynamic group of receivers that can get separation and turn short passes into big gains.
With both Spencer and Greg Ellingson moving closer to free agency, Desjardins will have some difficult decisions to make this off-season as the REDBLACKS try to get to their fourth Grey Cup in five years in 2019.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Is Johnny Manziel part of the Alouettes’ future?
The Alouettes have been non-committal on a starting quarterback in 2019 (The Canadian Press)
For a team that gave up so much to acquire Johnny Manziel part way through last season, the Montreal Alouettes have sent mixed signals when it comes to his future. Manziel overcame a difficult start to his CFL career, showing progress from week to week and even picking up his first career victories in the process.
However, the Als have since signed Jeff Mathews, Vernon Adams Jr. and Antonio Pipkin to contract extensions, while Matthew Shiltz is also under contract for 2019. Head Coach Mike Sherman has said Manziel isn’t guaranteed anything going into next season, as open competition awaits come training camp.
Perhaps part of it is trying to keep Manziel honest this off-season, making him earn the starting job next spring. But if the Alouettes aren’t enamoured with their big-ticket addition, what does his future hold? And with a crowded quarterback room, could GM Kavis Reed consider trying to recoup some of the assets moved last season via trade? It’s a storyline to watch this off-season.
