The CFL has been extremely busy over the last couple of days. With CFL free agency just a couple of weeks away now, and a number of players set to hit the open market on February 8th teams across the league have been signing back their key parts for the 2022 CFL season. The Ottawa Redblacks have joined the teams making moves in the off-season by re-signing emerging Canadian wideout Nate Behar.
Ottawa only has under contract right now at receiver, Ryan Davis, Jordan Smallwood, Terry Williams and Anthony Mahoungou so bringing back Behar is big for depth for the Redblacks but there’s a good chance it can be for more than just that. In the 2021 CFL season the Ottawa Redblacks struggled in many ways, only winning 3 of the 14 games on the year, but there were indeed some small victories here and there. The discovery of some great receivers was a small victory indeed. Ryan Davis in his rookie season in Canada caught a team leading 55 passes for 589 yards and two scores, winning him the team’s rookie of the year award, and then Canadian receiver Nate Behar found himself in a larger role than ever with the team. Playing in all 14 games, Behar went just one game without a catch. He finished the season with 38 catches on 64 targets for a career high 439 yards. The stats include 5 games in which he had 5 or more catches. It was clear that Behar was a reliable receiver for the Redblacks in 2021 and was able to move the chains on a consistent basis. Add in his Canadian passport and roots in the city having played with the Carleton Ravens, he’s a great fit for the Redblacks and will likely see himself as a starting receiver and a impactful player for the Redblacks again in 2022.
Not only is Behar a great fit for the Ottawa Redblacks on the football field, but he’s also a great fit off of it as well. The energy he brings to the team is phenomenal and is a huge positive when things may not be going so well on the score board, but what separates him from any random Canadian receiver the Redblacks could have gotten in free agency or the draft to replace him is his creativity. Off of the football field Nate Behar has made a name for himself as an entrepreneur. He’s launched his very own app, Firework, which connects athletes with brands to create brand deals directly with athletes. The app is a huge invention from Behar’s end, and will one day be very big in Canada and other countries, but right now helps his teammates explore their opportunities off of the field as well as explore their creativity with entrepreneurial minds around.
This is a win on the football side of things and in the locker room for new general manager Shawn Burke. Next on the list should be R.J Harris, Mark Korte, Micah Awe, Davon Coleman, Abdul Kanneh, and Don Unamba as there remains a number of pending free agents for the Redblacks.
JZ MEDIA 