Lions release international kicker Swayze Waters
VANCOUVER — The BC Lions announced Wednesday night that they have released international placekicker and punter Swayze Waters.
Waters, 29, spent four seasons with the Argos before leaving for the NFL in 2016. He has yet to suit up this year after nursing an injury.
The release of Waters means that the Leos will go exclusively with Ty Long as their kicker, who has started the BC’s first three games.
Waters originally came to the CFL as a member of the Edmonton Eskimos in June, 2012. He eventually made his way to the Toronto Argonauts and enjoyed a championship run to the 100th Grey Cup that year. The Mississippi native landed a deal with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers last season.
In 2014, he earned the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player nod after leading the league in kicking points (192), field goals (47) as well as punting average (47.7 yards). No player had previously accomplished that feat since the Lions’ own Lui Passaglia’s did so in 1983. Waters was also good on 90.4 per cent of his field goal attempts that year.
Waters has appeared in 46 games through four seasons (2012-2015) and has a 79.5 per cent success rate on field goals (101/127). His career punting average is 46.9 yards and his average on kickoffs sits at 65.6 yards.
