Jones may regret releasing Muamba
Team could come to regret releasing Muamba despite free-agent additions
The frenzy has cooled since CFL free agency opened last week.
That’s usually the case as teams move to land the premier free agents in the early hours of the open market.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders followed that trend in landing homegrown defensive tackle Zack Evans, who previously toiled for the Ottawa Redblacks.
The Riders reduced some of the pressure ahead of the free-agent deadline by re-signing receiver Duron Carter, defensive end Willie Jefferson, offensive tackle Thaddeus Coleman and quarterback Brandon Bridge, while trading for defensive end Charleston Hughes and quarterback Zach Collaros.
The Riders signed Evans, linebacker Sam Hurl, running back Jerome Messam, offensive lineman Travis Bond and receiver Jake Harty, in addition to re-signing fullback Spencer Moore and centre Dan Clark.
All of the recent signings, with the exception of Bond, are nationals. The Riders further bolstered their Canadian content by signing running back Johnny Augustin, defensive back Adam Laurensse and defensive lineman Cory Robinson.
Here’s a look at some of the other moves made by the Riders during the first week of free agency:
Head coach and general manager Chris Jones suggested some player moves would have to be made to create salary cap space. Left tackle Derek Dennis and middle linebacker Henoc Muamba were released as a result.
Muamba was due to earn as much as $220,000 in 2018. Releasing him was a head-scratcher, though, considering he’s among the league’s elite middle linebackers and a Canadian to boot.
Who will replace Muamba? Hurl, who was signed hours before Muamba’s release, started 18 games at middle linebacker for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2017.
The other roster options are Cameron Judge and Brandyn Bartlett, who need seasoning. Middle linebackers are the quarterbacks of the defence and the Riders had one of the best in Muamba.
Bond’s signing is curious, considering his natural position is left guard. However, his dimensions (six-foot-seven and 360 pounds) are more like those of a typical offensive tackle.
The Riders already have a perennial all-star left guard in Brendon LaBatte, which leaves one to wonder what the Riders plan to do with Bond. A solution may be shuffling the 31-year-old LaBatte to centre, where he performed admirably while Clark was injured in 2017. The shift would clear a spot for Bond.
Free-agent Bruce Campbell remains the Riders’ best option at left offensive tackle. He proved why in 12 games with the Green and White in 2017.
Jones suggested there’s a salary difference between what Campbell desires and what the Roughriders are offering. They reportedly will pay Collaros $430,000 for the 2018 season, so protecting him is a priority. Campbell is the leading candidate to fill that role.
The Riders are stacked with internationals at running back, so we assume they’ll play an American at the position and won’t be interested in Messam. However, Messam is a power back who improves the running attack.
The signing of Augustin provides a national backup to Messam. If not, combined with the speedy Marcus Thigpen, the Riders could have an effective one-two punch at running back.