Argonauts.ca Staff
Now we turn our attention to the big men on the other side of the ball. Quarterback pressure was an issue for the Argos in 2014, and so they made some big offseason moves in attempt to bring the heat.
Toronto’s prodigal son and two-time Grey Cup Champion Ricky Foley has returned to his hometown Argonauts after a two year stint with the Roughriders in Saskatchewan. Acquired in a trade for LB Shea Emry, Foley played his CIS football at York, and will try to build off a 2014 season which saw him post his second best tackle total (54) and tie his career best in sacks (12).
Also returning from a standout year is Argonauts’ sophomore defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo. The Argos’ 2014 Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Defensive Player recorded 12 sacks in his first season in Toronto, and could create a dynamic outside pass-rushing duo with Foley in 2015.
National defensive tackle Cleyon Laing enters his third season with the Argonauts after a bright start to his CFL career. The former Iowa State Cyclones recorded at least 15 tackles and three sacks in his each of his first two seasons, and he’ll look to take the next step in his third year in Double Blue.
Also returning to the Argos’ D-line are internationals Delano Johnson and Aston Whiteside. Johnson, a former Houston Texan, recorded 10 tackles and a sack in his first CFL season with the Boatmen in 2014. Whiteside spent five years at Abilene Christian before making his debut with the Argos last year, recording 17 tackles and two sacks in
In addition to these returning veterans, the Argos have also brought in a significant number of free agents and draft picks, strengthening their depth along the defensive line.
The 2015 CFL Draft saw Toronto take defensive linemen in the second and third rounds in Western’s Daryl Waud and Guelph’s Cameron Walker. The Argonauts considered Waud a steal at 12th overall after a stellar OUA career which saw him named a First-Team OUA All-Star three times and First-Team All-Canadian as a senior. Walker was similarly touted after his college career, earning First-Team OUA All-Star honours twice and being named Guelph’s special teams player of the year as a sophomore.
The Argos have also added a slew of American free agents to compete for a role on defence.
Tracy Robertson played four years at Baylor before spending the past three seasons in the NFL, most recently with the Chicago Bears. Georgia Tech product Euclid Cummings was signed by the Argonauts at the tail end of the 2014 season, and appeared in one game with the Double Blue, recording one tackle.
Four-year NFL veteran Kyle Moore was signed by the Argos prior to the 2014 season, but missed the entire year due to injury. Ridge Wilson was named the Gulf South Conference defensive player of the year after a 2012 season which saw him record 52 tackles and nine sacks, and he spent the 2013 season with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs. Martez Wilson spent two full seasons with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints and registered 29 tackles and four sacks in 29 games after a standout career at Illinois.
Charles “Chucky” Hunter played four seasons at Texas Christian and was named to the AP All-Bowl team in 2014, as well as being a two-time selection to the Second-Team All-Big 12. Martin Wright was named Florida Atlantic’s defensive Mr. Resilient Award in 2014, after setting a new school single-game sacks record (4.5) and recording 34 tackles as a senior. Finally, Dexter Davis was drafted in the seventh round of the 2010 NFL Draft after a stellar career at Arizona State, where he now ranks third in total sacks (31) and games started (50).
With the reacquisition of Foley and the injection of some high-end Canadian and American talent, the Argos defensive line is poised to take a big step forward in 2015, and make life a whole lot more difficult for opposing quarterbacks.