REDBLACKS GM ADJUSTING TO SITUATION ON THE FLY
Team still has some wiggle room, but roster close to being set, Desjardins says
Sitting in his home office with two monitors, a 55-inch television, a shelf with a couple of football helmets (Redblacks and retro Alouettes) and a 1976 Montreal Canadiens Stanley Cup beer mug, Ottawa Redblacks GM Marcel Desjardins is trying as much as possible to stick to his normal March routine.
That’s not easy. There’s less interaction with the coaching staff. And communication with anyone, for the most part, is by texts, emails or on the phone.
With the May 13 scheduled opening of rookie camps looking in doubt — the COVID-19 pandemic has upended much more than the sports world — Desjardins still has to prepare like it’s business as usual. There’s a CFL draft, a global draft and there still may be some tinkering with the roster that will go into training camp (whenever that is).
“The day-to-day communication, that dynamic changes a bit,” Desjardins said Friday. “There’s not as much communication between the personnel side and the coaches. I know (head coach) Paul LaPolice is doing a good job of meeting with those guys online, and keeping them focused and ready for camp, whenever that is.”
Not to be too presumptuous on when or if a season will take place, but the Redblacks have made some significant additions as they try to bounce back from a year when they were bad way too often on the road to a 3-15 record. They dealt for quarterback Nick Arbuckle, then signed him to be their starter. Canadian defensive lineman Cleyon Laing will be expected to make a significant contribution on the defensive line. Don Unamba will take over as the new SAM linebacker, with Anthony Cioffi hoping to earn a spot with the NFL’s New York Jets. Running back/receiver Anthony Coombs could also be a good fit in LaPolice’s offensive scheme.
“I think we have a solid roster,” Desjardins said. “Can we be better? Sure, I think we can always be better. That’s what we strive for every day. Not too many guys are locked in to jobs, there’s going to be a lot of competition — even for our returning players. Let’s see how it plays out. I hope our decisions are difficult.”
The Redblacks may still have a bit of wiggle room to add players. But Desjardins is being careful.
“I don’t want to say our roster is set, but we’re getting close to our maximum in terms of guys we can sign,” Desjardins said. “We’ll be selective moving forward. The majority of what we have to do right now is pore over film and figure out who the last few signings will be, especially in light of the XFL (players who will be available), then prepare for the CFL draft and the global draft, even though it’s been delayed.”
There are guys with significant CFL experience looking for jobs — all-star offensive lineman Derek Dennis and receiver Derel Walker are among them — but again, Desjardins is being careful.
“We’ve talked to a few guys we think could help us, but they’re guys who would have to come in under certain parameters,” he said. “The door’s always open, but the dollars aren’t going to really change.”
The Redblacks saved some cash three weeks ago when they restructured the contract of quarterback Dominique Davis, who took a one-year deal and a salary cut to stay in Ottawa.
"(Dominique is) a guy we wanted to see come to camp,” Desjardins said. “We certainly think he still has a lot of upside, but we’ll let training camp dictate how that all plays out. He understands the business, he understands why we had to do it, how trading for and signing Nick (Arbuckle) impacted him directly and indirectly. It’s not a situation we intended to be in when we signed him a year ago, but we have to adjust as we move forward. He still brings a lot of value to the table.”
Stephane Nembot, at times a starter at right tackle last season, was released.
“Let’s just say, based on how our cap was structured, we weren’t going to be able to afford him in the contract he was under for the second year of his deal,” Desjardins said. “Based on conversations we’d had at the end of the season, we certainly didn’t think he’d be looking to take a pay cut. We just decided to move on. In order to get him up here (in 2019), we needed to give him more money in the second year. At the end of the day, we just couldn’t live up to that.”
Canadian offensive lineman Philippe Gagnon was another cap casualty earlier this month. Despite some reports, Desjardins denied Gagnon had been paid/was due for a roster bonus, hastening his departure. If he achieved playtime bonuses, Gagnon could have been paid about $180,000 this season.
“He was paid a lot less last year,” Desjardins said. "(For 2020), it was a contract to be a starting offensive lineman. We just didn’t see him being that. We will probably not have five Canadians on the O-line so the need for as many depth players is not there. We just felt that was the direction we needed to go in.”
Jason Lauzon-Seguin, the team’s starter at right tackle before getting injured, has yet to be medically cleared after shoulder surgery. The team will have to monitor that situation and make a decision on whether to move ahead with him. tbaines@postmedia.com