Ottawa Redblacks’ newcomer Ryan Davis to bring speed, and versatility on offence alongside DeVonte Dedmon, Rafael Araujo-Lopes and Anthony Coombs

Over the span of the 2020-2021 CFL off-season the Ottawa Redblacks’ offence has changed immensely. From the quarterback room all the way through the offensive line there has been a number of changes across the Redblacks’ offence since the team last stepped foot on the field on November 1st 2019 and there has also been a number of improvements on offence including the young skill players brought in over the off-season. The Redblacks lost receivers Dominique Rhymes, Caleb Holley, Nate Behar, Seth Coate and Noel Thomas as well as running backs John Crockett, Mossis Madu and Greg Morris since the 2019 season but have since brought in younger and fresh talent like running backs Akeem Hunt, Detrez Newsome and Timothy Flanders who haven’t suited up in awhile making their legs fresh for the 2021 season. They’ve also brought in a young group of receivers to play alongside young returning receivers DeVonte Dedmon, Wesley Lewis, Shannon Smith, Rafael Araujo Lopes, Jerminic Smith and more. The new, young receivers coming in are set to make a large impact in Paul LaPolice’s offence, and with the speed, versatility and resume Ryan Davis brings to Ottawa, of all the new receivers signed this off-season he is expected to make the biggest impact of the group.

Davis, a 24 year old receiver out of Auburn was signed this off-season as a free agent. The Tigers’ all-time receptions leader has spent time with the NFL’s New England Patriots where he caught 3 passes for 30 yards in the pre-season, learning from fellow receivers Josh Gordon, Demaryius Thomas and Julian Edelman. He’s also had the opportunity to play in the XFL with the Tampa Bay Vipers but those short stints isn’t what makes the name Ryan Davis a big one coming into Redblacks’ training camp this July.

“I’m not your typical receiver.” Davis said in an interview during his pre-draft process in 2019. At 5-foot-10, 186 pounds Davis has proven himself to be a “do it all” kind of player on offence. He can line up anywhere as a receiver but also make an impact as a ball carrier and if needed a kick returner.

Peach Bowl: Old Lakewood High friends Ryan Davis, Shaquem Griffin face off

While at Auburn he played 48 games, catching a total 178 passes for 1,555 yards and 7 touchdowns, rushing for 37 yards on 8 carries, returning 24 punts for 259 yards including a 48 yard punt return and even completing 3 of 4 passes for 105 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ryan Davis was Auburn’s number one play maker while he was a part of the team, being able to make plays at any position. With his route running, speed and versatility it is proven that he is made for the CFL game having looked at the receivers that have seen success in the league. Players like Nic Demski, Lucky Whitehead, Ryan Lankford, and Weston Dressler have seen success in similar roles as a part of Paul LaPolice’s offensive scheme and having seen what Diontae Spencer, Chris Williams and Jamill Smith did in Ottawa it is only more evidence backing up the fact that Ryan Davis has high potential at TD Place.

What also brings out more potential for Davis heading into the 2021 CFL season is the recent retirement of receiver Jalen Saunders who is a very similar receiver to Davis. Saunders is a former 1,000 yard receiver and recently suffered injuries in a car accident. Although he hasn’t officially hung up his cleats the Ottawa Redblacks have since placed him on the retired list. If he does recover in time to play in the 2021 season he and Davis would likely play similar roles and could end up being quite the receiver duo alongside RJ Harris, Brad Sinopoli, Anthony Coombs, Daniel Petermann, Jerminic Smith and DeVonte Dedmon.

On Redblacks’ linebacker Micah Awe’s Purpleshift combine testing app Davis has clocked in at 16.549 miles per hour, which is 26.63 kilometres per hour on his infamous 28 yard trick play against Texas A&M linked above which had been predicted by Ottawa’s very own Jesse Palmer.

Ottawa Redblacks lose J.P Bolduc, Jalen Saunders and Danny Mason to retirement; who will step up in their positions?

The CFL’s Ottawa Redblacks haven’t stepped foot on the football field since November 1st of 2019. Since then there have been a number of things change within the organization. There is an entirely new coaching staff except for special teams coach Bob Dyce and linebacker coach Patrick Bourgon and a very new roster, having changes made all the way up to the August 7th kickoff in Edmonton. On Monday and Tuesday there were three different changes made to the Ottawa Redblacks’ roster with retirements of J.P Bolduc, Jalen Saunders and Danny Mason.

Both Mason and Bolduc have made significant impacts for the Ottawa Redblacks over the past few seasons. Bolduc dating back to 2016 when he won the Grey Cup for the Redblacks, making a total 53 special teams tackles, 15 defensive tackles and forcing two turnovers in 61 games while Mason had just seen action in 17 games with Ottawa making 33 defensive tackles, 5 sacks and forcing one fumble over his two season tenure at TD Place. Mason was set to start the 2021 CFL season at defensive end, J.P Bolduc was going to make another big impact on special teams for Bob Dyce and the Redblacks meanwhile Jalen Saunders was ready to make his Ottawa Redblacks’ debut prior to suffering injuries in a car accident across the border.

Although Saunders is stable weeks following the accident he has decided to call it a career, likely the best decision considering the Ottawa Redblacks will be opening training camp in less than a month. The three players that have called it a career all would have been major factors to the 2021 Ottawa Redblacks if they had played out their 2021 CFL contracts so the team will now have to find a player in house or in free agency to have replace them.

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As for Danny Mason and J.P Bolduc their replacements are set 100%. This off-season the Ottawa Redblacks’ front office led by general manager Marcel Desjardins have geared all of their attention towards the defensive side of the ball, Signing former NFL and CFL defensive linemen Frank Beltre, Ese Mrabure-Ajufo, Stansly Maponga and Praise Martin-Oguike who will come to Ottawa for camp alongside Darius Jackson, Kene Onyeka, and Nigel Romick who were with Ottawa in 2019. At defensive back and on special teams Ottawa has drafted and signed a number of talented athletes from both sides of the border, Adam Auclair, Dan Basambombo, Dagogo Maxwell and Treshaun Abraham Webster are all great Canadian options that pair with Americans Marcus Roberson, David Jones, Shamarko Thomas and Marcus Lewis who are among many defensive backs ready to fill in for J.P Bolduc in 2021.

At wide receiver, Saunders was going to be a top 3 receiver in the Redblacks offence in 2021 so it is a tough loss for the offence considering they will be losing a potential 1,000 yard receiver due to retirement. There is a chance they sign someone in free agency that has already proven themselves in the CFL like they did with Saunders however in house there are plenty of options as well. With young, potential talent in Anthony Coombs, Jerminic Smith, DeVonte Dedmon, Rafael Araujo-Lopes, Ryan Davis, Justin Hobbs, Jovon Durante, Shannon Smith and plenty more there is enough reasoning to back up why the Redblacks do not make any more moves at receiver and even though these three players are big names the Ottawa Redblacks should be okay with who they have in house to replace them. It shouldn’t be too surprising if there is more retirements to come and some roster cut downs as well prior to CFL training camp starting so keep eyes on that as well.

2021 CFL Schedule out now; Ottawa Redblacks set to kick-off in Edmonton August 7th

After well over a full calendar year without any CFL football, the wait is over. The CFL made the announcement Monday that the league will return to play on Thursday August 5th when the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Hamilton Tiger Cats and with a full schedule released from that date through December 12th for a 2021 CFL Grey Cup.

For the Ottawa Redblacks’ 2021 CFL schedule they are now set to kickoff in Edmonton on Saturday August 7th. The matchup will feature a new look Edmonton Elks and will be another revenge game for both sides as we watch Trevor Harris, Greg Ellingson, Jonathan Rose and company play their former club. The Redblacks will then be on a bye week to start the season in week 2, regrouping to travel to Saskatchewan where they will play the season’s only game against the Roughriders. The August 21st matchup against the Riders will be headlining the Ottawa Redblacks’ running backs as they face former 1,000 yard Redblacks rusher William Powell.

Following two games on the road to start the 2021 CFL season in week 4 the Ottawa Redblacks will host Rick Campbell and the B.C Lions. This will be the first game at TD Place since November 1st of 2019 and it will be the first time that Campbell coaches against the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday August 28th. The Redblacks will then host the Alouettes on the Friday night of Labor Day weekend, ending the streak of 3 straight Saturday games for the Redblacks. They will then be hosted by the B.C Lions on September 11th at 10:00 EDT and later begin their stretch of divisional games playing Hamilton twice, Toronto twice and Montreal three more times all divided by just two home games against the Elks and Stampeders.

What sticks out the most in the 2021 CFL schedule for the Ottawa Redblacks is how the team has four matchups against the Montreal Alouettes, none against Paul LaPolice’s and Matt Nichols’ former Winnipeg Blue Bombers and just one against both the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders. The team has bye weeks in both week 2 and 7, and will have home games against the B.C Lions, Montreal Alouettes, Hamilton Tiger Cats, Calgary Stampeders and Toronto Argonauts.

New look Ottawa Redblacks offence, who to watch for at wide receiver

Since the Ottawa Redblacks last stepped foot on the field at TD Place a lot has changed on the offensive side of the ball. The quarterbacks are different, the running backs are different, the receivers are different and the offensive line is different, giving R-Nation a new look offence to look at, mainly at the wide receiver position.

REDBLACKS, R.J. Harris agree to one-year extension - CFL.ca

In 2019 the Redblacks’ had Dominique Rhymes, Caleb Holley, RJ Harris, Brad Sinopoli and Noel Thomas making major impacts at receiver but with only Harris and Sinopoli coming back to the offence in 2021 for new quarterback Matt Nichols it will be much different. The top three receivers coming into 2021 will be RJ Harris, Brad Sinopoli and newcomer Jalen Saunders. Both Saunders and Sinopoli have reached the 1,000 yard mark already in their CFL career while Harris has reached the 700 yard mark in each of his two seasons in Ottawa (well 697 yards in year 1, 774 year 2). All three will likely serve as Nichols’ top targets at the same time that receivers Anthony Coombs, Jerminic Smith, Daniel Petermann, DeVonte Dedmon, Rafael Araujo-Lopes, Malcolm Williams, Wesley Lewis and Marco Dubois each put themselves into the mix as experienced CFL receivers and playmakers alongside some young newcomers making their ways into the CFL for the first time.

Of all the names mentioned, you are already aware of the names Brad Sinopoli and RJ Harris because of their achievements in Ottawa already but the other receivers and more still haven’t hit the surface eventhough they are bound to make an impact in the 2021 season with the Redblacks.

REDBLACKS add versatile back, receiver Anthony Coombs - CFL.ca

At the top of that list would be Jalen Saunders. Saunders spent two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger Cats in 2017 and 2018 before becoming a free agent, signing with the XFL for the 2020 season that had later been cancelled due to the COVID-19 Pandemic. In Hamilton he hit the 1,000 yard mark in his very first season having caught 76 passes for 1,170 yards and four touchdowns in sixteen games. He then came into 2018 as the Tiger Cats number one receiver alongside Brandon Banks where he caught for 739 yards in just 9 games played, averaging over 80 receiving yards per game. Saunders, despite getting into a major car accident this off-season should be set to play for the Ottawa Redblacks and bring his firepower to the offence just like some other speedy receivers like DeVonte Dedmon, Rafael Araujo Lopes and Anthony Coombs. In 2019 when Paul LaPolice was calling the shots on offence for Winnipeg he had Nic Demski and Lucky Whitehead making plays left, right and centre as plug and play players on the offensive side of the ball. They were able to catch passes from anywhere on the field and even have the ability to carry the ball when Andrew Harris was on the sidelines. The plays you saw made from Demski and Whitehead for the Blue Bombers could be made by Araujo-Lopes, Dedmon and Coombs because of the skill sets they posses as well as the film we have previously on them. In 2019 Coombs had 20 catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns as well as 37 rushes for 158 yards, combining for 314 yards with the Tiger Cats while both Araujo Lopes and Dedmon combined for 1,113 all-purpose yards on 57 touches over the span of just 7 games, Dedmon playing 5 games, scoring two touchdowns on special teams and Araujo-Lopes playing 2 games catching 6 passes against the Edmonton Elks. The versatile trio should without a doubt be looked at be all Redblacks fans going into the season as they all have the opportunity to show out on a big stage come August 5th when the season opens.

Smith: I'm most definitely ready - Ottawa REDBLACKS

Also set to make an impact in 2021 for the Ottawa Redblacks would be returning receivers Jerminic Smith, Shannon Smith, Marco Dubois and Wesley Lewis as well as new comers Daniel Petermann, Ryan Davis, Anthony Mahoungou, Joe Walker, Justin Hobbs, Cortrelle Simpson and Amba Etta-Tawo. Of those named, Jerminic Smith, in just two games played in 2019 caught 8 of 11 targets for 87 yards and had one carry for 11. Wesley Lewis caught both targets in two games for 17 yards and at 6-foot-5 he has the chance to be the big body receiver the Redblacks will be missing without both Dominique Rhymes and Caleb Holley in the capital.

With all being said, the receiving core in Ottawa looks to be headlining Brad Sinopoli, RJ Harris and Jalen Saunders in 2019 while their supporting cast and underrated playmakers would be Jerminic Smith, DeVonte Dedmon, Anthony Coombs, and more. Keep all eyes on the receiving core battles in training camp next month as the team still is yet to put out a depth chart showcasing who is ahead of who going into the season.

Ottawa RedBlacks wide receiver, return specialist DeVonte Dedmon clocks in at 19.48 MPH on PurpleShift app

In week 8 of the 2019 CFL season at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium when the Ottawa Redblacks faced the Montreal Alouettes wide receiver and kickoff return specialist DeVonte Dedmon made a name for himself as one of the CFL’s emerging stars. He returned two kicks for scores, and kept the Ottawa Redblacks in the game with some of the CFL’s top plays of the season.

Earlier this week, Jordan Zlomislic of JZ Media and Micah Awe, an Ottawa Redblacks linebacker with his own sports fitness app PurpleShift sports were able to look back at the big game that Dedmon had in Montreal and verified his speed on both returns. On the first return you see in the video, on the kickoff return Dedmon clocked in at 19.48 miles per hour. On the second one, the punt return where he bounced off defenders left and right he was found running an in-game 4.48 second 40 yard dash. If you look at where he ran the 40 yard dash as well he wasn’t running in a straight line and he slowed down at the end to walk into the end zone. With that into consideration this 40 yard dash, with pads on could have potentially been under 4.40. If Dedmon brings that speed to the Ottawa Redblacks in 2021 they could turn the table coming off of the 3-15 season in 2019.

To see more verified times and get your drills verified visit purpleshiftlive.com or download the PurpleShift app in the App Store.

“I can be a difference maker.” Ottawa RedBlacks wide receiver DeVonte Dedmon is in for a big 2021 CFL season and R-Nation should be excited

Since losing wide receiver and kick return specialist Diontae Spencer to the NFL in the 2018-19 off-season the CFL’s Ottawa RedBlacks have been searching for their next Swiss army knife player that can play all over the place. Spencer made a large impact over the two seasons he spent in the nation’s capital on both offence and special teams, enough to break a professional football record for 496 all-purpose yards in a single game against Hamilton in 2017. The Ottawa RedBlacks have since brought in players like Ryan Lankford, R.J Shelton, Stefan Logan, Micah Wright, Rafael Araujo Lopes and Troy Stoudermire to fill that role however the only player to bring that exact spark that Diontae Spencer brought to the 2017 and 2018 Ottawa RedBlacks has been DeVonte Dedmon.

In just 5 games with the Ottawa RedBlacks in the 2019 CFL regular season following a pre-season where he returned a kickoff for a touchdown Dedmon touched the ball 42 times for a grand total of 939 yards and two special teams touchdowns that he scored in the same game against the Montreal Alouettes. Averaging 22.3 yards per all-purpose touch Dedmon was bound to make a big play every time he had the ball in 2019, and in limited snaps having injured himself on two instances there is a lot of potential coming from the 25 year old Williamsburg, Virginia native.

When talking about his first year in Ottawa and what he was able to accomplish in just a span of 5 games Redblacks’ DeVonte Dedmon had said, “It was amazing. It’s not everyday that a kid from William and Mary gets an opportunity to play professional ball at that high of a level so I was extremely thankful for the opportunity and being able to have some success like I did was crazy. I really realized how the Canadian game is built for players like me that can stretch the field and love doing the extra work.”

For Dedmon though, if he hadn’t scored that punt return touchdown in the pre-season opener against the Hamilton Tiger Cats he likely wouldn’t have made it on the Ottawa RedBlacks final roster to start the season. Starting training camp and the pre-season wearing the number 79 as a wide receiver it made him hungry. He was ready to show everyone what he was all about and did exactly that. He tells his side of the story, “When I saw number 79 in my locker I said to myself ‘I got something to prove’ and got to work.” Dedmon said, “I was very thankful for the opportunity so you’re not going to hear me say anything about a number or anything like that but you’ll see what I have to say about it on the field and in this case I scored a TD and got a new number so it worked in my favour and if I have to wear another number to be able to play again I will do it because I just want to get back to Ottawa and play football with my teammates again.”

It has been 21 months since DeVonte Dedmon last hit the field against the B.C Lions at TD Place in the 2019 CFL season, and there is no question that he has missed everything about being a part of the Ottawa RedBlacks organization. He explained to me in an interview this week, “Football brings some personality out of everybody. Players, coaches, front office personnel, the staff at the stadium and even the fans. It brings us all closer and gives us all something to talk about and gather around. It has been too long since I walked around the stadium before a practice, I haven’t said good morning to my coaches in too long so I am super excited to be back in Ottawa and be around my teammates and the entire organization. Its going to be amazing when we touch foot on the field again.” Although the last time that Dedmon stepped foot on the field at TD Place he was a kickoff and punt return specialist and only had 4 touches on the offensive side of the ball, he is set to have a big season on not only special teams as a returner but also on offence at wide receiver and slot back. At William and Mary, DeVonte Dedmon caught 152 passes for 2,037 yards and 20 touchdowns making himself a top 10 receiver in Tribe athletics history and making him a reliable option for Matt Nichols in his first season as the Redblacks signal caller. Dedmon expresses himself as a receiver, “I don’t want to be a one trick pony.” explaining, “I know I can do a lot more than just return kicks and even though I can make a huge impact doing exactly that I have been grinding a lot this off-season to make an impact on offence too and I can be a difference maker in our offence.”

The offence that Dedmon is referring to is currently led by skill position veterans Brad Sinopoli, RJ Harris, Jalen Saunders Timothy Flanders, Brendan Gillanders and Anthony Coombs who all go alongside quarterback Matt Nichols. Dedmon has been talking with a lot of his teammates and coaches over the off-season and is not only excited to be back with them but believes they have something special coming to Redblacks fans in 2021. “We had a really special bond nearing the end of the 2019 season.” Dedmon mentioned, “In practice we were all playing well together and were able to build connections with each other to the extent where we called each other out and the veteran guys were teaching the younger ones. I think that with the group we have coming back and the players we brought in we can do a lot of big things. Just talking with my teammates and coaches I’m so ready to come up and work.”

Dedmon and the Redblacks will be coming up to Ottawa to work in a few weeks now, with training camp currently scheduled for early July and a season starting in the first week of August the season can’t come any sooner and Ottawa RedBlacks fans should be ecstatic about players like Dedmon coming in for their second season. The roster is filled with younger players, having Dedmon, Jerminic Smith, Rafael Araujo Lopes, Detrez Newsome, Taryn Christion, Caleb Evans and Chase Litton all on the offensive side of the ball around an experienced quarterback like Matt Nichols and experienced receivers like Sinopoli and Harris, there is plenty of potential in house. Dedmon said, “I’m excited to learn more this year. With a new staff and a new quarterback, I can’t wait to sit down and talk to Nichols and learn from him and his experience in the CFL.”

JZ Media, Maroons Academy, Limitless Era, Human Two Point Zero announce four-way partnership

Watch and listen to Doctor Chris Raynor, Coach Jean Guillaume and Jordan Zlomislic breakdown their four-way partnership between their organizations Human Two Point Zero, Maroons Academy, JZ Media and also Limitless Era and how it impacts the city of Ottawa moving forward.

Ottawa Redblacks still searching for William Powell replacement; a look in at the running backs on the Redblacks’ roster, who R-Nation should keep eyes on

Ever since the Ottawa Redblacks let running back William Powell walk in the 2018/2019 CFL free agency period to go to the Saskatchewan Roughriders the team has been searching for their next 1,000 yard rusher. In the 2019 season they had Mossis Madu, Greg Morris and Brendan Gillanders returning from 2018 and John Crockett coming in from the NFL. Over the span of 18 games in 2019 the running back committee combined for 1,062 yards on 226 carries, averaging 4.7 yards per carry and just under 60 yards a game which isn’t bad however without a touchdown scored by a running back all season it was clear that the Redblacks needed help at the position.

To start the long 2020-2021 CFL off-season, the Ottawa Redblacks re-signed Ottawa native Brendan Gillanders, released Canadian running back Greg Morris and CFL/NFL veteran running back Mossis Madu announced his retirement. If there had been a 2020 CFL season John Crockett would have been under contract for it however he became a free agent after the season was cancelled and his contract expired, leaving it to just Brendan Gillanders as the only returning running back.

Detrez Newsome Maneuvers Through Traffic for Long Return

Outside of Gillanders the Ottawa Redblacks signed free agent running backs Timothy Flanders, Akeem Hunt and Detrez Newsome to come to CFL training camp. The group of four makes it extremely hard for the coaching staff to decide who will start week one of the 2021 CFL season. With the NFL experience behind both Detrez Newsome and Akeem Hunt, there is no questioning that they can play at the highest level of football. Newsome, a Raeford, North Carolina native played his collegiate ball at Western Carolina University where he ran for 3,728 yards and 37 touchdowns in 43 games. He then was signed by the Los Angeles Chargers where he found himself for the next two NFL seasons. Over the span of the two seasons with the Chargers Detrez Newsome played in 8 pre-season games, having touched the ball 74 times, gaining an all-purpose 303 yards (206 rushing, 97 receiving) and 3 touchdowns. After having an outstanding 2018 NFL pre-season he played in 9 regular season games where he rushed the ball 11 times for 49 yards and caught two passes for 19 yards. He gained 5 first downs and made two special teams tackles, showcasing his abilities in the NFL and now has the opportunity to do so in the CFL with the Ottawa Redblacks.

Akeem Hunt, like Detrez Newsome has had his success in the NFL. Playing with the New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Kansas City Chiefs and Tennessee Titans, Hunt was able to return kicks and play a versatile role on offence, running the ball and catching the ball. Over 3 seasons and 30 regular season games in the NFL from 2015 to 2017 he returned 35 kicks for 824 yards, ran 45 times for 228 yards and caught 13 passes for 99 yards, combining for an all-purpose 1,151 yards on 93 touches. He ended up averaging 12.3 yards per touch before getting signed and playing in the AAF with the Orlando Apollos and the Tennessee Titans for the 2019 NFL pre-season. In the AAF he touched the rock 42 times, gaining an offensive total 234 yards and scoring both a touchdown and two point conversion in 8 games as a feature back. Then in his pre-season opportunity with the Titans, the last time he played football he played in 3 games, gaining 55 yards on 13 offensive touches. Hunt is expected to battle for the Ottawa Redblacks’ starting running back spot with Timothy Flanders who also spent some time in the NFL prior to his CFL career where he has familiarity with head coach Paul LaPolice and quarterback Matt Nichols.

Titans sign former Chiefs running back Akeem Hunt among flurry of roster moves | Yardbarker

Timothy Flanders, ahead of Hunt, Newsome and Gillanders could be the favourite to be the Redblacks’ starting running back because of the success he had under LaPolice and in the same backfield as Matt Nichols, but the only downside with Timothy Flanders, Akeem Hunt and Detrez Newsome is the lack of recent film. Gillanders, out of all of the running backs has the most recent film, having suited up the last game that the Ottawa Redblacks played on November 1st at TD Place against the Montreal Alouettes, both Akeem Hunt and Detrez Newsome haven’t played since the 2019 NFL pre-season and Flanders hasn’t played a game since 2018, only having a quick stint with the Calgary Stampeders in the 2019 CFL season but Timothy Flanders has had the most film and the most success over his professional career at running back. Starting his CFL career in 2015 after his time with both the New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns as an undrafted free agent out of Sam Houston State. He played his first CFL game with the B.C Lions, rushing for 15 yards on 3 carries, then made his way to Winnipeg where he made a name for himself early on as a backup to future hall of famer Andrew Harris.

Sports briefs: football, golf, basketball | Chatham Daily News

In 3 starts in 2016 when Harris wasn’t in the lineup Flanders filled in, running for 262 yards on 42 carries, and catching 15 of 17 targets for 145 yards combining for 407 yards and two scores on 57 touches, gaining over 100 all-purpose yards per start and averaging over 135 yards per game. He then served as a backup to Andrew Harris for the next two seasons, starting every few games that Harris was out for, having played in a total 18 games with the Blue Bombers, touching the ball 150 times, gaining 1,058 yards and scoring 7 touchdowns. Flanders averaged 58.7 yards per game over his time with LaPolice and Matt Nichols, averaging 7.05 yards per touch and eventhough it has been well over two years since he stepped foot on a CFL field for a regular season game he has the chance to bring that exact energy to the Ottawa Redblacks offence.

Game against Stamps will be the true measuring stick for Bombers - Winnipeg Free Press

The three running backs described, Timothy Flanders, Akeem Hunt and Detrez Newsome will be battling for the starting running back role for the Ottawa Redblacks come July 10th when the CFL training camp is expected to begin so those are all names that should be known by Redblacks fans going into training camp along with Brendan Gillanders if they don’t know the name already. Hometown kid Brendan Gillanders, who grew up in Ottawa, played for the University of Ottawa and has been with the Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks in the CFL since 2014. Over his CFL career, in 92 games he has had 94 offensive touches for a total 590 yards of offence, averaging 6.2 yards per touch. In the season opener of the 2017 CFL season Gillanders ran for 80 yards on 12 carries and to close the 2019 season, in the last 4 games he had 154 yards on 25 offensive touches, including 45 yards on 6 in the second last game of the season at Toronto. Brendan Gillanders is going to be making the Ottawa Redblacks roster, like usual he will play a large role on the team’s special teams units and will be able to touch the ball on offence with fellow Canadian Anthony Coombs who could be found in the backfield as well here and there as a versatile slot back.

While the Ottawa Redblacks’ may have some trouble finding their next 1,000 yard rusher like they had in William Powell from 2015 to 2018, it is clear that they have some great candidates in house in players like Timothy Flanders, Akeem Hunt, Detrez Newsome and Brendan Gillanders. They had the opportunity to bring in some key free agents like James Wilder Jr, Shaquille Cooper or John White but didn’t, making it an even larger reason why people should keep all eyes on the running backs that the Ottawa Redblacks have in house.

Canadian receiver James Tyrrell scores special teams touchdown in The Spring League as he continues to strive for a CFL opportunity

In the week 5 matchup of The Spring League’s 2021 season between the Generals and Sea Lions Canadian wide receiver James Tyrrell scored his very first professional football touchdown. Tyrrell, a Concordia University product caught 61 passes for 903 yards, averaging nearly 15 yards per reception in his final season of his collegiate career.

He has since found himself on the Ottawa Redblacks roster in the CFL however with the cancelations of the 2020 CFL season he wasn’t able to play out his opportunity with the team. To get back to that opportunity for when the CFL is back on August 5th he and a group of CFL/NFL free agents have suited up in The Spring League for their 2021 season in Texas and Indianapolis in a bubble set up. Over the first four games Tyrrell hasn’t made that large of an impact but scoring a special teams touchdown on the Sea Lions’ punt team he has now showcased himself as a great special teamer which is extremely valuable in the CFL, especially for Canadian receivers and offensive players.

Ottawa Redblacks add another defensive end to the mix, sign Nigerian born Praise Martin-Oguike

Throughout this long CFL off-season there have been a number of different themes that can be found in the Ottawa Redblacks’ decisions and transactions. One theme has been the will to improve following a 3-15 season in 2019 but more specifically to improve on the defensive side of the ball. In the 3-15 season in 2019, the last time the Redblacks and the rest of the CFL played Ottawa had the most points against with 564, gave up the most yards of offence with 7,477 yards and allowed opposing offences to be on offence the most having played on defence for 1,089 snaps, the most in the CFL.

Since being last in most defensive categories the Ottawa Redblacks’ front office led by general manager Marcel Desjardins have been busy building a defence similar to the one they had in 2016 so they can have another Grey Cup parade on Bank street. They began the off-season bringing in defensive coordinator Mike Benevides who has plenty of experience and is loved by many in the CFL. Then Benevides, head coach Paul LaPolice and general manager Marcel Desjardins started to re-sign and sign players on both sides of the ball, for the most part on defence. Re-signing key contributors of the 2019 defence like Avery Williams, Avery Ellis, Jerod Fernandez, Randall Evans, Sherrod Baltimore, Gump Hayes, Danny Mason, Corey Tindal, and Brandin Dandridge made a lot of sense and keeps the familiarity within the defensive side of the ball but the real improvements were found in the free agent signings, having brought in CFL veterans Cleyon Laing, Davon Coleman, Micah Awe, Don Unamba, Abdul Kanneh, Ese Mrabure, and Dwayne Norman while also bringing in some other free agents with NFL experience and high potential in Stefan Charles, Shamarko Thomas, Stansly Maponga, David Jones and D’Juan Hines. The defence has several great athletes going into the 2021 CFL season which is planned to start August 5th however the roster isn’t fully complete.

Tanner Lee, Praise Martin-Oguike - Tanner Lee and Praise Martin-Oguike Photos - Zimbio

Just on Friday, a month ahead of the expected CFL training camp the Ottawa Redblacks signed defensive end Praise Martin-Oguike. Martin-Oguike is a Nigerian born, New Jersey raised athlete that went to Temple University. As a part of the Temple Owls he was coached by Matt Rhule and Phil Snow who are now on the Carolina Panthers staff in the NFL as head coach and defensive coordinator. He also played alongside Redblacks teammates Avery Williams, Avery Ellis and Cortrelle Simpson as well as NFL pass rusher Haason Reddick who was drafted 13th overall by the Arizona Cardinals in the 2017 NFL Draft and just had his career year with 10 quarterback sacks.

The opportunity for Praise Martin-Oguike with the Ottawa Redblacks will be his 5th opportunity to play professional football. Since going undrafted in the 2017 NFL Draft he has been with the Miami Dolphins and Arizona Cardinals of the NFL, the Seattle Dragons in the XFL and The Spring League’s Blues. At 6 foot, 258 pounds he made 9 tackles and one quarterback hit in 5 XFL games, although with 121 tackles, 19 sacks, 29 tackles for loss, 11 forced fumbles, 4 fumble recoveries and one interception over his 40 games at Temple, Martin-Oguike has a lot of potential in Ottawa on the defensive line and will be interesting to see where he falls on the depth chart come training camp alongside the other free agent signees.