By: Adamo Marinelli
February 13th, 2019
The Ottawa Redblacks have been dismantled right before our eyes in the opening days of the CFL free agency period. Several key pieces from the Redblacks’ roster have been shipped off to various western conference teams. The west division now has two or three big powerhouses, not just Calgary.
Quarterback Trevor Harris has been shipped off to the Edmonton Eskimos to replace Mike Reilly who decided to sign with to the BC Lions. Additionally, longtime all-star wide receiver Greg Ellingson was reunited with Harris in Edmonton after signing a big contract.
Not to mention, running back William Powell who had a great year with the Redblacks and led the CFL in rushing for the second consecutive season in 2018, has signed a two-year deal with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
They also lost a key piece of their offensive line by letting left tackle Sir Vincent Rogers go. He elected to leave because he “...didn’t like the structure of the second year of Ottawa’s last offer to me. Respect is everything for me, and I felt that fading toward me in Ottawa.”
Also, wide receiver Diontae Spencer, who also returned kickoffs and punts, left the Ottawa Redblacks to join the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers who foreshadowed the loss of Antonio Brown this offseason. This happened a couple of weeks ago, in early January.
Fans will be frustrated that Ottawa let four key pieces of their offence walk in free agency, however, Ottawa’s strength was its defence last season. The offence finished last in rushing yards, last in rushing TDs, gave up the second-highest number of sacks and finished fifth in points scored. The offence last year was decent, but the numbers weren’t as pretty as they were in previous seasons with Burris and Harris.
Change isn’t necessarily a bad thing. According to Redblacks’ general manager Marcel Desjardins when talking about his team’s offence: “I don’t know if rebuild is the word,... It will be different. That’s the bottom line. It will be a little different. It will be different guys coming forward and being big playmakers for the Redblacks. That’s OK.” Moreover, all four guys that walked on February 12th were over 30, but Desjardins said age wasn’t a factor. Some guys chose not to return for whatever reason, personal or otherwise, some guys they opted not to resign and also money was an issue. Some players wanted too much money which doesn’t work in a rebuild.
Undoubtedly, there will be plenty of new faces coming to Ottawa and the change might be enough to prevent Ottawa from contending for a Grey Cup next season because they’ll spend the whole season building chemistry and making new plays. But if they use their offseason right, the team will know each other completely and be ready to compete come June. More trades will happen, more guys will walk and more guys will sign with Ottawa until June, but who’ll they be?
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