Today, the Ottawa Redblacks announced that they had released 10 players from the team’s roster. This announcement came just days after the team met with free agent quarterback Nick Arbuckle. Of the playedrs cut were quarterbacks Jonathon Jennings and Will Arndt, running backs Mosses Madu and Greg Morris, receiver Seth Coate, linebackers Nicholas Boulay and Jeff Knox, DB Maurice Fleming and defensive linemen Cameron Walker.
Among the list of players was Mossis Madu. Madu, the 32 year old running back has also let Marcel Desjardins hat he will be retiring from football.
Along with the retirement for Madu and the transactions the team made, it is a strong possibility that we may be calling Nick Arbuckle an Otawa Redblack very soon. After trading for his rights a few weeks ago, the team has been making progress in signing him to a contract. Arbuckle came to Ottawa and had a visit with Marcel Desjardins to talk about what the potential contract could look like. After that visit, Marcel released 10 players which looked like he was clearing cap space for Arbuckle.
In 2017, Sherrod Baltimore came to Redblacks training camp and shocked everyone by his talent. With the talented group we had in ’17, he was granted a spot ob the Ottawa Redblacks practice squad. After moving players around on the roster, Baltimore finally earned a spot onto the Redblacks depth chart and he proved him self to be a ball hawk.
In 2017, Sherrod was awarded the Ottawa Redblacks rookie of the year award and made over 47 defensive tackles. Since then, he’s made a big name for himself in the CFL being one of the best at his position. Making a name for himself in Ottawa he will be back for a one-year contract going through 2020.
Just weeks before the final game of the CFL season last year, Baltimore and the CFL teamed up to film a documentary on his backstory and how he got to Ottawa. Visit that below.
Baltimore was asked today on what he thought of coming back and he responded, “It feels good to be back in Ottawa where I belong. Everyone in Canada knows I want to be here. We have some unfinished business to take care of and I can’t wait to get back on the field in front of the best fans in the CFL and compete for a Grey Cup with my brothers.”
In his quote he mentions the ambition to get back to another Grey Cup, and Anthony Gosselin must have the same mind set after receiving news today that he will be back in Ottawa also.
Gosselin has been in Ottawa for 3 seasons after being drafted 18th overall in the 2017 CFL Draft. Although he’s listed as a full back on the roster, Gosselin has had 0 carries in his CFL career and has only been able to catch 5 passes for 22 yards. He might not have that many big stats when it comes to his running position, but he’s been a big factor on special teams as he’s gotten over 10 special teams tackles in the 3 seasons in Ottawa.
Just one week following the re-signing of defensive back Justin Howell, the organization announced the extensions of Danny Mason, Michael Wakefield and Avery Ellis who will all join the defensive line once again in 2020.
Mason spent the past two seasons in Ottawa, although due to injury trouble he’s only been able to play 17 games where he’s tallied over 40 total tackles. Mason hasn’t had too much play at the CFL level, but with his contract with the Broncos and Bears behind him he has proved himself to be a playmaker on the defensive side of the ball.
To come with Mason was both Avery Ellis and Michael Wakefield and they both have been big pieces to the Redblacks defense. Wakefield has played 39 games as a Redblack where he’s gotten 55 tackles, 7 sacks and one interception. Ellis on the other hand recently led the Redblacks defense in sacks with 7 which added to his career totals of 16 in the 43 games played. Ellis also has 98 tackles, 2 forced fumbles and a fumble recovery for a touchdown in the past three seasons in Ottawa.
Ottawa is happy to have all three of these defensive linemen back with the team in 2020, and the new defensive coordinator Mike Benevides must be excited to work with them all for the first time.
After getting themselves the majority of their coaching staff set for the 2020 CFL season, the Ottawa Redblacks led by Marcel Desjardins recently gave Greg Knox a spot in the coaching room.
Knox will serve as the team’s defensive backs coach where he’ll also be the first defensive back coach since Ike Charlton left in 2017.
Look at the focus in this guys eyes! We are excited to name Greg Knox our secondary coach. He will be a great teacher to our players! He has played and coached at the CFL level and has had a wealth of experience and success in the USports level. #Rnationpic.twitter.com/72111d9N40
Ahead of this opportunity, Knox has been spending a majority of his coaching career at the University level. Since leaving the CFL after an 8 year playing career, he took on a job for the McMaster Marauders where he took charge of the defense. In the time at McMaster, Knox led the defensive group to 3 Vanier Cups alongside the 2011 National Championship.
Following his successful seasons with the Marauders, Knox was granted the opportunity to coach with Paul LaPolice as the Winnipeg Bluebombers defensive backs coach in 2015.
LaPolice was asked today on how he felt about the bringing in of Knox and he answered, “We are very excited to have Greg Knox as our defensive backs coach, Greg played eight years in the CFL and was a CFL All-Star as a defensive back. CFL experience is important at that position and he will bring a wealth of knowledge to our players. He has coached in the CFL and has been a successful defensive coordinator and head coach at the U SPORTS level. He will be a great addition to our staff.”
Greg Knox joins the #REDBLACKS coaching staff as DBs coach.
On Friday, June 10th the Redblacks will get to see what Knox can do with the defense as they take on the Toronto Argonauts for the home opener at TD Place.
Since the announcement of the new head coach in Ottawa, the Redblacks off-season has been flat other than a few signings and a trade with Calgary. Today could be the turning point to the off-season action.
Today, the Ottawa Redblacks announced the agreement between Justin Howell and Marcel Desjardins which brings Howell back for another season. The Bradford, Ontario native was drafted to the Redblacks in the 7th round of the 2018 CFL draft. Before being drafted, Howell played his University career as a Carleton Raven just minutes away from TD Place.
In the past two seasons Howell has spent as a Redblack, his role has been increasing and looks to be a star safety or defensive back this coming season. Howell scored 22 total tackles along with a sack last season and will have all eyes on more in 2020.
The new deal for Howell comes just a month following the bringing in of Mike Benevides as the team’s new defensive co-ordinator, therefore with a new boss in town, Howell may have a different role than a year ago.
After falling to 3-15 a year ago, the Redblacks are looking to bounce back to the Grey Cup this coming season, although a bounce back won’t come easy for the team. Following the 2019 season, Marcel Desjardins, the team’s general manager was busy in getting Paul LaPolice as the new coach of the franchise and later found himself signing players and hiring coaches to help build an identity.
Following the press-conference on December 9th, both Desjardins and LaPolice worked together to get Mike Benevides, Bob Wylie, Bob Dyce, Alex Suber and Charlie Eger on the coaching staff for the 2020 season.
Once the Redblacks were able to get their coaching staff set, Paul LaPolice and Desjardins worked together to get a few players signed also.
The players that the Redblacks have signed thus far aren’t very experienced at the professional level, although they’ve been able to find some talent for training camp. The positions that shouldn’t need any more help would be at running back, quarterback, and the offensive line.
Last season, the Redblacks didn’t end the season with the same starting running back and quarterback that they had started with although after each of the players got a shot at the starting job they were able to get a good glimpse of what’s to come. Both Dominique Davis and Mossis Madu started the 2019 season in the backfield, although by the end of the year John Crockett and Will Arndt were in the Redblacks backfield. Crockett missed some time with injuries but was able to get over 500 all-purpose yards on the season. To go along with Crockett, the Redblacks have Brendan Gillanders as a backup and the Redblacks front office also have made moves which had given the team JarvionFranklin, Akeem Hunt and Timothy Flanders.
The quarterback and running back position may be okay as of now, but what should worry Redblacks fans is the current receiving core. This off-season, the Redblacks top three receivers from a year ago, R.J Harris, Dominique Rhymes and Caleb Holley will all fall as free-agents although the team will be able to go out and get some other receivers come free-agency. Before free-agency, the Redblacks should sign R.J Harris back and if they can Dominique Rhymes too. Ottawa will be able to get Darvin Adams in free agency who spent the past few years with LaPolice in Winnipeg, Derel Walker who has had 3 1,000 yard seasons in his CFL career or even Juwan Brescisan who played with Arbuckle in 2018 and 2019.
All of these receivers would be great to have in Ottawa, although if the team is able to get Harris and Rhymes back in town, they wouldn’t be too bad if they were left with the depth they have now. Last season Ottawa had Jerminic Smith, DeVonte Dedmon and Rafael Araujo Lopes make big plays and they can do it once again in 2020, but they’ve also signed Ervin Phillips who had a few good seasons at Syracuse University, and Justin Hobbs who played a great 5 seasons at Tulsa. These receivers, if needed can play some big roles on the Redblacks road to the 2020 Grey Cup.
The Redblacks bouncing back to the Grey Cup even after going 3-15 in 2019 would be a great run, but before we get to see it all happen, we have to know what the team will look like come season. On Feburary 11th, the CFL free agency period will officially open, and the Redblacks will have the opportunity to sign players and re-sign players going into the 2020 season.
This off-season, the Ottawa Redblacks have found themselves busier than usual after having to go out and get a new head coach and put together a new roster. With CFL free-agency still not among us, the Redblacks have been able to find some young football players to play for them in 2020.
The Ottawa Redblacks have signed 6’4 218 pound receiver Justin Hobbs from Tulsa University. He combined for 2,559 yards and 12 touchdowns at Tulsa. He has the potential to be a red zone threat for the Redblacks if given chance #CFL#rnation@CFL_News@CFL_Headlines@JustinHobbs20
On December 10th, the Redblacks released the names of 7 players who will make their ways to Ottawa for the 2020 training camp, one of which was wide receiver Justin Hobbs.
Hobbs is a 6’4, 230 pound receiver from Tulsa university. The 23 year old receiver had put together a solid background at university and is excited to come to Ottawa. He mentions in a text message “It feels great (to be signed) and I’m ready to get to work!”
Standing taller than the usual receiver, he is a good comparison to the former Redblacks receiver Juron Criner who stood at 6’3 or even the current Ottawa Redblack Dominique Rhymes who is 6’4. The two receivers who played in Ottawa had success in using their big body to go up and attack the ball and Hobbs should be able to do the same here in Ottawa.
Hobbs isn’t just a big body, he is also an explosive athlete off the release. In the 5 seasons he spent at Tulsa, he was able to get in the mix starting 39 of 50 games where he was able to show what he’s got to other coaches and fans.
In the years 2014-2018, Tulsa’s wide receiver core was well balanced where they totaled for an average of 2,892 yards as a group per season. In the years, Hobbs found himself as a number 2 and 3 receiver under both Keyaris Garrett and Joshua Atkinson who both tallied up consecutive 1,000 yard seasons.
As a receiver in the group, Hobbs put together 176 catches for 2,546 yards and 12 touchdowns in his tenure at Tulsa. Along with the numbers he put up, he was able to make a name for himself, in 2017, the coaches in the American Athletic Conference voted him in as a second team all-American.
As of now, Caleb Holley, R.J Harris and Dominique Rhymes are all pending free-agents. These were the Redblacks top three receivers one year ago, and if one or two of them leave for another team, the team will be safe to have Hobbs as a number 2 or 3 receiver.
CFL free-agency opens on February 11th at 12:00 pm EDT and we will be able to see what’s in store for the Redblacks receiving core and even whats next for Justin Hobbs then.
On December 13th 2018, the Redblacks signed thirteen players to play the 2019 pre-season with them. One of the players brought in was Deshawntee “Ironhead” Gallon from Georgia Southern University.
At Georgia Southern, Gallon put together a solid college football career. He spent 5 seasons with the University’s football team where he got playing time in 47 games. In the 47 games, Gallon made play after play tallying up over 230 tackles, forcing 2 turnovers along with 10 pass deflections and 4 blocked kicks/punts.
With the numbers and big plays that Gallon put together at University, he was often looked at by NFL teams but he still went through the 2017 NFL draft unsigned. Although he went undrafted, Ironhead Gallon was taken in by both the Philadelphia Eagles and Arizona Cardinals for separate training camps.
In the two training camps he attended in both 2017 and 2018, he was able to play 5 pre-season games with the Cardinals. In the five games, Gallon showed up as a defensive play maker, making 17 tackles, deflecting one pass and getting a tackle for loss. Unfortunately for Deshawntee, the two training camps didn’t do enough for his future in the NFL, and he found himself going unsigned by an NFL team and later picked up by Ottawa of the CFL.
Following his signing in early December, Gallon came down to Ottawa for the 2019 CFL pre-season where he put together a good name for Redblacks fans. It may have been just his name in which many liked to say, although his lay on the field shook heads in the Nations capital. In the first pre-season game he had played in Ottawa, he put himself on the stat sheet 7 times with 7 total tackles. He put together a fantastic first game, but his second game of the 2019 pre-season was cut short due to an achilles injury.
The injury would’ve left him on the Redblacks injured list for the majority of the CFL season, so the Redblacks decided to release Gallon from the roster. After the release by the Redblacks, Gallon hadn’t been signed by a CFL or NFL team therefore he’d spend his time getting ready for the next opportunity.
That next opportunity was later announced that it would be the same landing spot as the last one. Gallon was recently signed back to the Redblacks, and Gallon is extremely excited to come back to Ottawa for the 2020 pre-season.
Q & A with Ironhead Gallon
Just days following the announcement that Ironhead Gallon would be coming back to Ottawa, I reached out to Gallon and was fortunate to get a few questions answered ahead of his travels to Ottawa.
Zlomislic: Just this week, you were signed to play for the Redblacks. This will be your second time in Ottawa. What was your reaction to this opportunity?
Gallon: “I was very excited! I’ve been really happy for this opportunity… I felt like I had a pretty good pre-season last year but with the injury I wasn’t able to see the field in the regular season but I’m at 100% now and I’m feeling even better than before so I’m excited to show what I’ve got once again.”
Zlomislic: Last time you were here, you put together a solid pre-season but was later released because of an injury, but you were just brought back to show them who you are once again. What do you have to do to show this Redblacks team that it was a good idea to have you back?
Gallon: “I just got to show them that I still got my juice, I’m explosive and that I can still make plays on the ball”
Zlomislic: As mentioned, you spent last pre-season here in Ottawa, what was that like for you?
Gallon: “It was very eye-opening. I had to get help from a few veteran players to adjust to the rule changes because it felt a lot different from the ball I played out in the states. Other than that, it was great, I thought the atmosphere in Ottawa was unreal and people were really welcoming and I had a good grasp of the game up north so I’ll be ready when I’m back.”
Zlomislic: You just mentioned that there is a rule change in between the NFL and CFL, what was the hardest change you had to go about?
Gallon: “I wouldn’t say I had a hard change to go through just because at the end of the day, it’s still football but it was a little too tough to get adjusted to as quick as we had to.”
Zlomislic: As you said previously, the atmosphere here in Ottawa is pretty crazy at times and that’s one of the reasons why we are the home of the best fans in the East, what do you have to say about the fans that cheered you on last year?
Gallon: “Unfortunately I hadn’t spent too much time up there to really soak it all in, but when I was there the fans treated the players with the upmost respect and the community made sure that everything was going good because they truly care about Ottawa football. They care and love the Redblacks and that’s what I and the rest of us really appreciated from the fans.”
Zlomislic: Although you haven’t had a lengthy opportunity yet in professional football, behind you is a well put together University career. What wold be your favorite memory at Georgia Southern?
Gallon: “Man I’ve got a lot… If I had to pick one it would be the 2014 season, we just moved into the Sun Belt Conference and we showed them who we were by winning the whole conference. We went undefeated in the division and outright won the division. For me and my teammates, it was one of the best feelings ever!”
Zlomislic: In that time at Georgia Southern and the time you’ve had at professional camps, you’ve been among a lot of different athletes, who would be the most interesting person you’ve played with?
Gallon: “I’d have to say J.J Wilcox, I was a freshman when I played with him while he was a senior at Georgia Southern and he pretty much took me a side and helped me out with some things at the collegiate level and he really led me in the right direction so I’d have to say it was interesting how he did that for me.”
Zlomislic: On the field, you’ve put together a good name for yourself as a defensive player, what would be one word you would use to describe your play on the field?
Gallon: “Relentless. I’m a relentless player because I will play balls to the wall as if every play is my last. Last year I had a good pre-season going in Ottawa but it was all cut short because of an injury. Just the thought that that could have been my last snap on the field is weird so I’ve got to play every play like its my last and leave everything on the field.”
Zlomislic: You were recently signed by Ottawa, but as mentioned you already played here last year. Last year you played for Rick Campbell here in Ottawa but the next opportunity you have in Ottawa will be for Paul LaPolice. What excites you the most to show LaPolice who you are?
Gallon: “It’s always been a big thing to get a good first impression, and for me to get that opportunity in Ottawa I hope to leave a great impression on coach LaPolice and pretty much show him what I’ve got. I’m pretty sure I can do that and I’m excited to do it”
Zlomislic: As mentioned before, you got to play a little for the Redblacks last pre-season but your opportunity was cut short. What can Redblacks fans expect when you step foot on the field once again?
Gallon: “They can expect from me, a player that gives it all I got. Day in, day out I’ll be working hard and making sure I make an impact on he field. I want to be a great team player for the Redblacks so that’s what they can expect from me on the field.”
Antoine Pruneau who was one of the Redblacks first draft picks in franchise history has found himself going into his seventh season as a professional football player. In 2014, he was drafted as the 4th overall pick to the Ottawa Redblacks. At the time, the team was an expansion team with a lot of doubt surrounding them going into the inaugural season and the doubters weren’t wrong about the team.
Without much experience on both sides of the ball, the Redblacks were only able to win 2 games in year one. The team finished 2-16 and fell last place in the league, but there was a lot of learning happening in the season for the young guys like Pruneau. Pruneau was able to get in the starting lineup for the majority of his rookie season where he made 79 tackles, 2 sacks and a forced fumble and fell on the defensive leaders at 10th in total tackles.
After the tough rookie season for Pruneau, the Redblacks picked up some veteran players on the defensive side of the ball where Pruneau would find himself losing a little bit of playing time on defensive, but started to get more special teams time. In 2015, the team turned their record around and went 12-6 and took the fans to the Grey Cup for the first time in franchise history. In year two of his career, Antoine put up 70 tackles, 2 interceptions and a forced fumble. The totals that Pruneau put up in the first two seasons were pretty steady and he started to help the team win games as the next season he’d play would change the dynamics of his career.
Following the loss in the Grey Cup the team used the loss as motivation and got back to the big game a second straight year. The same team that went 2-16 in the inaugural season was set to play in the Grey Cup for a second consecutive season and Pruneau was a huge help to get to this point. Pruneau helped play a veteran role for the first time in his career where he helped guys like Jonathan Rose and Forest Hightower who were in their rookie seasons. Playing that role, Pruneau put 69 tackles, a sack and an interception. Although these stats don’t mean much when it comes to league leaders, but he and the rest of the team got a stat to go by their names for the remainder of their lives. The Ottawa Redblacks won the Grey Cup in 2016, and in the big game, Pruneau’s secondary forced Bo Levi Mitchell to throw three interceptions.
After 3 seasons in the books, Pruneau was set to play in Ottawa for 2017 following the Grey Cup win, and 2017 would be his last season where he’d play all 18 games of a season. In 2017, Pruneau had if not his best season where he racked up 73 total tackles, one sack and 4 interceptions where one left in a pick six.
The next season, he got hit by the injury bug, where he only played 13 games but got the chance to play in the Redblacks 3rd Grey Cup appearance where he got 10 playoff tackles to go to his 56 regular season tackles, one interception and a forced fumble.
Unfortunately, the Redblacks weren’t able to bring home the win in 2018, and later took the turn for the worst. After a Grey Cup loss, the majority of the team’s playmakers were free agents come February. The Redblacks whole identity was lost by the time 2019 was here, and Pruneau was in for a spectacular rise to where we are today. Pruneau played just 4 games before he was hit hard by the injury bug. First, he had injured his hand which left him on the 6-game injured list, although only missed 3. He only missed 3, but only got to play 4 more games before being placed back onto the injured list with an injured leg.
All in all, the 3-15 season didn’t quite treat Pruneau too well as he played just half of the season and got 30 tackles and an interception.
Since the final game of this past season, there has been a load of moves happening with the Redblacks and as one of the leaders on the Redblacks defense I asked Pruneau what he has in mind about these moves along with going forward to next year.
One on one with Antoine Pruneau
Zlomislic: Six years ago, you were drafted and signed to play for the CFL’s expansion team here in Ottawa, what was your initial reactions to the news?
Pruneau: “I was very excited! My interview with them was great, so I felt a connection with the people there and we all had a good feeling about the futures of the team. With the connections I had built with the people, I was excited to work there, but the fact that it was a new team and that they didn’t quite have their guys picked out sealed the decision because I knew I’d have the shot at the starting job.”
Zlomislic: Now we look onto today, 6 years later… You’ve experienced three Grey Cup games along with many more big moments here in Ottawa, how would you describe your time here in Ottawa?
Pruneau: “As I looked upon my decisions after University, I was pretty well highlighting Montréal as my top option just because I lived near by and played university ball there but after seeing what happened in the years in Ottawa, I made the right choice. The whole process has been awesome, ever since year one we’ve found ways to be contenders for the Grey Cup and the relationships I’ve built here in Ottawa have been great.”
Zlomislic: As mentioned, you’ve played in some really big games here in Ottawa and have found yourself to be a fan favorite, what is your favorite memory and your favorite part of being an Ottawa Redblack?
Pruneau: “After being signed and spending the past six years in Ottawa, I’ve put together a very solid career here in Ottawa and I’m looking forward to keep building it. We started off tough as we had to do everything from scratch, but since the first season everything has been great, my favorite memory would have to be the Grey Cup win in 2016. I don’t think anything will ever top that unless we win a bunch more. The group we had that year was unbelievable and the way we won was awesome. The celebration put in was awesome and I don’t think it would’ve been done without the fans. The relationship I’ve built with the fans here in Ottawa is awesome and I hope to play for them again for the next six years.”
“As for favorite part, for me I believe the best part of being a football player in Ottawa is just being at work. I haven’t played anywhere other than Ottawa, but from talking to people within the league, I don’t think other teams build relationships like we do here in Ottawa. I feel like everyone trusts everyone and that its a very good community when it comes to the ownership and coaches. This morning (Saturday) I was going to workout at the gym we have at the stadium and I realized just how cool it is to be a Redblacks player. The head guys at the stadium gave me the keys to the stadium just so I could get some extra workouts in over the holidays, and I believe they would do that for anyone else just because that how everything is in Ottawa.”
Zlomislic: In the six years you’ve played here in Ottawa, you have played under head coach Rick Campbell, but this off-season it was announced that you’d play under new coach Paul LaPolice heading into the new season, what do you have to say about this move?
Pruneau: “I really appreciate all my time I spent with Rick, he really taught me a lot and he’s the only coach I know on the professional level and I certainly think he’ll do a great job out in B.C and with him moving on Marcel made a good move in getting Paul and I think he has one of the greatest offensive minds in the league and we can be confident that we will have a good offense but I will also make sure our defense isn’t too shabby also.”
Zlomislic: This move happened just a few weeks after the heart breaking 3-15 season last year, how frustrating was it for you, as a leader of the team to fall to last place?
Pruneau: “It has been really hard. It started back in the off-season really when we lost all of our key components from the year before and when the media started talking, we listened and it ends up what they were saying was all true because we weren’t in the right mindset starting the season and overall was just a frustrating season for me because of all the injuries I fought through to help the team out and show that I’m healthy and a dedicated player for our team moving forward.”
Antoine Pruneau is the #Redblacks nominee for the Jake Gaudaur Veterans' Award, which recognizes a Canadian #CFL player who demonstrates the attributes of Canada’s veterans: Strength, perseverance, courage, comradeship and contribution to Canadian communities.
Zlomislic: Since the last game of the last season, Marcel has been extremely busy making moves and one of them brought in Mike Benevides as your new defensive co-ordinator. What excites you the most to play for Benevides?
Pruneau: “Marcel sure is busy in the office this year, but I have all the trust in the world for him and he’s been making some great transactions. He started off well when he signed back Bob Dyce, he is a great special teams coach and now with Mike Benevides, he’s making it even more exciting to get back on the field. Mike has a lot of experience and I truly think that is the thing that excites me the most to see him is to learn from his experience.”
Zlomislic: When you first entered the league, you laced experience and you were led by guys like Hank and Jovon Johnson who had experience already, now we look on this year and this past year, you’ve been a great leader for this Redblacks team, what is it like to go from rookie to leader here in Ottawa?
Pruneau: I think it’s been a really cool experience for me to stay on the same team here in Ottawa for the 6 years and make the leader transition with the same team I started with. When I first came here, guys like Hank, Pat Lavoie and Jovon Johnson all were a big help for me making the leap and getting ready for my future. Now to take their roles has been great. I feel like I’m really contributing when I help with these guys on the team. It’s not just stuff that goes on on the field that I help with either, I’ve helped guys find thing for what they want to do off the field and stuff like that which I feel is a great necessity and I am happy to help as a leader on the Redblacks.”
Just under a month into his new job here in Ottawa, Paul LaPolice has found himself being quite busy. Him and Marcel Desjardins have both been very active in setting up the roster heading into 2020 and today they made a big jump.
REDBLACKS have acquired QB Nick Arbuckle from Calgary for a 3rd round pick. Conditional pick to follow if Ottawa is able to sign him.
Desjardins found an agreement with the Calgary Stampeders which would leave the Redblacks with the rights to Nick Arbuckle. In this trade, the Redblacks will be giving up a 3rd round pick in this year’s draft along with a conditional pick if the Redblacks sign Arbuckle to a contract.
Last season, the Redblacks had a trio of quarterbacks who started games. Davis started the season as the starter then later was replaced by Jennings due to injury and to close the season, Arndt started 4 games and threw for just shy of 1,000 yards on the season.
Along with Arndt’s 4 games, the trio totaled for 4,310 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and 27 interceptions while Arbuckle tallied up 2,103 yards, 11 touchdowns and just 5 interceptions.
With this deal, many are certain that Arbuckle is the next starting quarterback here in Ottawa, although we could see a battle at training camp once again. The Redblacks have both Dominique Davis and William Arndt under contract come 2020 and Arbuckle will have to beat both of them out to receive the starting job here in Ottawa.
JZ MEDIA 