O’Leary: ARGOS Hit Hard with Player Departures.
There’s a certain sinking feeling that comes with realising you’ve been robbed.
Maybe you’ve looked about inside your car for a few seconds, wondering why everything appears so jumbled and out of place, before realising that fragments of glass from what used to be your passenger window are splintered across the seat and floor. Your stomach lowers, you panic about what might be missing, and you become enraged all in the space of a few seconds.
That could be how the Toronto Argonauts’ front staff felt on Tuesday, as five of their prospective free agents reportedly left the team. In a matter of six hours, the Argos saw key members of their 16-win club depart for rival teams across the league, prompting general manager Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons and his staff to take a rapid inventory of what they had and what their 2024 roster could look like.
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The roll call for Tuesday’s moves is significant. The organisation announced the release of linebacker Adarius Pickett, allowing him to sign with the Ottawa REDBLACKS. TSN’s Dave Naylor then announced that running back AJ Ouellette will join the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Following that, it was reported that defensive back Jamal Peters was on his way down the QEW to sign with the Hamilton TigerCats. Next, the Edmonton Elks dived into the Argos’ excellent roster, reportedly signing top returner and reigning Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Javon Leake, followed by signing kicker Boris Bede, who was released by the Argos on Monday.
It demonstrates how rapidly things can change for a team in the CFL. The Argos finished 16-2 in 2023, tying Edmonton’s 1989 team for the league’s greatest regular season record. While the Argos fell short in the Eastern Final (as did the 1989 Edmonton squad in the Western Final), they appeared to be returning with many of the same faces from that historic season.
It’s not exactly a mass exodus, but the Argos are losing some crucial members of their incredibly successful squad. It will be up to Clemons and his staff to modify on the fly and fill those gaps with guys who can contribute at a high level.
As this wave of prospective free agent dust settles, it’s critical to keep things in perspective. The Argonauts have extended 13 pending free agents. This comprises defenders Wynton McManis and Jonathan Jones, receiver Dejon Brissett, defensive back Maurice Carnell IV, and offensive lineman Darius Ciraco and Isiah Cage. The release of Bede allowed the Argos to sign National kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, thus the position is far from empty. They also took preemptive steps during the 2023 season, extending quarterback and reigning Most Outstanding Player Chad Kelly, as well as the majority of the Argos’ coaching staff and Clemons.
There’s still time for the Argos to address the departure of some of those All-Star calibre players. It’s likely that we see some of their already-extended players like Jones step up and play bigger roles for head coach Ryan Dinwiddie in 2024 as well.
Still, the shock of Tuesday’s moves will take some time to sink in. The 2023 Argos looked unbeatable, up until the first quarter of the Eastern Final. Had they been able to keep the core of that team intact, they’d likely be the favourites heading into training camp this year. Now, the field feels like it’s been evened out a little across the league.
Ask any team that’s dominated in the CFL and they’ll all tell you that your rivals will try to pick you apart over time. That’s happened this off-season for the Argos, who started off the winter by losing defensive coordinator/d-line coach Corey Mace to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. As free agency nears, teams across the league will work to leave the Argos with that queasy feeling of having what was theirs taken from them.
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