After Mercy Maston Achilles tear, Bombers trade for DB Darby

CFL.ca Staff

TORONTO — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have acquired American defensive back Alden Darby from the Toronto Argonauts in exchange for American offensive lineman Terry Poole.

Darby (five-foot-11, 195 pounds) joins the Blue Bombers after three seasons with the Argos. Over 43 games with the Argos, including 40 starts, Darby registered 137 tackles, one sack, eight interceptions and three touchdowns. He had 56 tackles and five interceptions in 17 games with Toronto in 2019.

The move comes after Bombers’ veteran DB Mercy Maston tore his right Achilles tendon in practice on Sunday, according to Bluebombers.com’s Ed Tait.

“Maston was in pass coverage late in Sunday’s session and became entangled with a receiver running on a route down the sidelines. He immediately signalled for Bombers head athletic therapist Al Couture, and after a few minutes made his way to a medical station and did not return to practice,” Tait wrote.

Maston had season-ending surgery on his Achilles on Monday.

Poole, 29, joined the Bombers in June of this year after stops in the XFL with the Houston Roughnecks and San Diego Fleet of the AAF. The six-foot-five, 325-pound lineman was a fourth-round pick of the Seattle Seahawks in 2015 before joining the Miami Dolphins and Houston Texans between 2016 and 2017.

The California native started his collegiate career at Monterey Peninsula College in California before a move to San Diego State where he was named a Mountain West Second-Team All-Star in his senior season for the Aztecs after starting all 12 games.

In the wake of Maston’s injury, the Bombers acquire a proven talent and add maintain some depth to their defensive backfield. The Argos get an o-lineman with a lot of football experience that’s new to the CFL.

Follow CFL