Mitchell, five teammates named division all-stars
Six Calgary Stampeders got a little end-of-season love on Wednesday afternoon.
The players were selected as West Division all-stars by members of the Football Reporters of Canada and CFL head coaches. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers also had six all-stars, while the B.C. Lions led the way with seven.
There were three players on the offensive side of the ball and three players on the defensive unit, with quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, receiver Kamar Jorden and offensive tackle Derek Dennis all getting nods on offence.
Defensive tackle Micah Johnson, who is the team’s President’s Ring winner and nominee for most outstanding defensive player, was named as an all-star on defence, along with linebacker Alex Singleton and corner Ciante Evans.
Mitchell’s nomination was certainly no surprise, as he finished in the top-three for passing yards, while leading the league in touchdown passes despite throwing to a group of receivers that was ravaged by injury. One of those receivers was Jorden, who was named to the all-star team despite playing only 10 games. He still finished just outside the league’s top-10 in receiving yards despite playing just over half as many games as most of the league’s other top receivers.
Dennis, meanwhile, bounced back from a tough year with the Riders in 2017 and re-established himself as one of the league’s dominant forces along the offensive line.
On defence, Evans remained one of the most dangerous corners in the CFL, and his presence out wide altered opponents’ game plans as they avoided throwing to him.
Singleton had another huge season, leading the CFL in tackles with 123. He was absolutely deserving of another nomination for CFL’s most outstanding defensive player — an award he won in 2017 — but was only held out of this year’s race by teammate Johnson, who finished second in the league in sacks with 14 despite playing at defensive tackle, a position where players generally don’t get as many sacks as the guys on the outside of the defensive line.