Walter Tychnowicz/CFL.ca
OTTAWA — Ottawa REDBLACKS head coach Bob Dyce announced on Tuesday that kicker Lewis Ward will miss the remainder of the 2023 season with a torn pectoral muscle.
The injury to their veteran kicker led to the club announcing the signing of National kicker/punter Michael Domagala and National kicker Keiran Burnham earlier on Tuesday.
Ward converted 34-of-40 field goal attempts over 13 games in 2023, with a league-high 54-yarder against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 8.
The 31-year-old took the CFL by storm as a rookie in 2018, when he was named Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. Ward added East Division and CFL All-Star honours in that season. He holds the pro football record for most consecutive made field goals made (69 made, spanning the 2018 and 2019 seasons) and his 98.1 per cent field goal accuracy in 2018 is a CFL single-season record.
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Head Coach Bob Dyce announced, today, that @REDBLACKS K Lewis Ward sustained a torn pectoral muscle during Saturday’s game at BC.
Ward will require surgery, and will miss the remainder of the season.
— REDBLACKS Communications (@REDBLACKScomms) September 19, 2023
Domagala originally signed as a free agent with the Tiger-Cats in 2019 after playing collegiately at Carleton between 2013-2018. The placekicker appeared in 42 games with the Ravens and converted 73 of 96 field goal attempts for a 76.0 per cent success rate and netted 347 punts with a 38.8-yard average.
Last year, Domagala punted 65 times for an average of 44.8 yards and converted 12 of 16 field goals for the Ticats. The St. Catharines, Ont. native played 17 games for Hamilton in 2022 and his 66.6 yards per kickoff ranked third in the CFL among players with at least 20 kickoffs.
Domagala signed with the Edmonton Elks in February, appearing in two games during the 2023 preseason, recording five punts for 202 yards.
Burnham was drafted in the seventh round of the 2020 CFL Draft by the Calgary Stampeders and spent two seasons with the team. He was most recently a member of the BC Lions.
Ottawa returns home in Week 16 to host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday, September 22, at TD Place. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m. ET.
