Pfeffer lock to make cut as pre-season wraps up

There will be many Toronto Argonauts and Ottawa Redblacks playing for jobs Thursday night, but Canadian kicker Ronnie Pfeffer won’t be one of them.

The 25-year-old native of Kitchener, Ont., will open the 2018 season as Toronto’s kicker-punter after veteran Swayze Waters was released Tuesday. So the five-foot-11, 195-pound Pfeffer won’t be on the bubble when the Argos face Ottawa in Guelph, Ont., in the final exhibition game for both teams.

“I’m just trying to be a part of the team and help us win the game,” Pfeffer said. “I’m just trying to do the best I can out there, just hit a smooth ball everywhere I can and remain consistent.”

Pfeffer and Waters shared specialteams duties in Toronto’s 36-18 win Friday night over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Pfeffer spent last season with Toronto but didn’t play as Lirim Hajrullahu handled all kicking duties for the Grey Cup champions.

Waters was in his second stint with Toronto, signing with the club in February. He earned a Grey Cup ring with the Argos in 2012 and was the CFL’s top special-teams player in 2014 before signing with the NFL’s Carolina Panthers after the ‘15 season.

Pfeffer split the 2015 season between Toronto and Ottawa.

He made 12-of-16 field goals (75 per cent) and sported a 44.1-yard punting average in six contests with the Argos before being released, then averaged 43.2 yards on punts in five contests with the Redblacks.

After missing the entire 2016 season due to injury, Pfeffer was released by Ottawa in June 2017. He joined the Argos less than a week later.