STAMPS ALUMNI HIT OR MISS IN NFL
Some are having great impact in U.S. game — and that brings attention to the CFL
Head coach Dave Dickenson believes that given the right opportunity, there are lots of guys who have played for the Calgary Stampeders who could make a difference in the NFL.
As we've seen the past couple years, though, finding that right opportunity isn't always easy.
Legitimate Stampeders studs like Jameer Thurman and Dashaun Amos have signed NFL contracts, only to find themselves out of work at the end of training camp.
There are a few, though, who have beat the trend.
Most notable among those is Alex Singleton, playing regular reps for the Philadelphia Eagles.
There's another guy who is regularly on his NFL team's active roster, too. That's James Vaughters, the defensive end who spent two seasons with the Stamps in 2017 and '18 before signing with the Bears. He was cut after camp, too, but stuck around and played three games last season.
This year, he's been on the active roster for all 10 of the Bears' games and has picked up 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks.
“We think our guys can play down there given the right team and right situation and opportunity,” Dickenson said. “I wanted ( Vaughters) back a few times, too, but he's down there and making the most of it — and why wouldn't you? They're playing football right now.
“We track them pretty hard. Marken (Michel) is down there on the practice squad. I see (former Edmonton receiver Brandon Zylstra) caught the fake punt the other day. I think, as Canadian football fans (do) — trust, me, I love it.”
Vaughters is an interesting case, because he didn't necessarily put up the numbers that some of his Stampeders teammates who also earned NFL opportunities did in their time in the CFL.
Guys such as Singleton, Tre Roberson and Reggie Begelton put up eye-popping numbers and were constantly in the conversations surrounding end-of-season individual awards.
Vaughters flew under the radar. He played in 33 games over two seasons, picking up 50 tackles and 11 sacks for the Stamps.
Good numbers, sure, but not mind-blowing, by any means.
Just like the NFL, though, that may just be the result of the opportunities he was granted.
Vaughters happened to be just behind a couple of CFL superstars on the Stampeders' D-line depth chart.
“I think Calgary, we've been a little too blessed when it comes to D-linemen,” quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell said. “We've had guys who are absolutely ridiculous and then they go start on other teams and make a lot of money, but just the success we've had at that position has been insane. It's hard when you've got Charleston Hughes, Micah Johnson, Cordarro Law who have been there for so long, and then (Ja'gared Davis) and Vaughters and all these guys and you're still talking about Charleston at age 50 getting two sacks a game.
“Sometimes the overshadowing happens and he's not a household name, but the guy was out there making plays every time he was on the field and obviously the Bears saw it right away.”
Mitchell certainly isn't surprised by what Vaughters is doing with the Bears.
Anyone can look at a player's stats and make a basic evaluation of their talent — whether that's right or not is another question — but there are some things that only a teammate will see.
“I think a lot of times in our locker-rooms there's guys you look at and you can tell they've got the body,” Mitchell said. “They've got the physical stature and they've got the height and the arms, the wingspan, and you think `OK, this guy must not be a dominant pass rusher' or `He must get ran up in the run game' because there's no reason he should be here
“Then, you watch the guy on the field and you're like `OK, he just hasn't gotten seen' and sometimes it's more opportunity than anything.”