Mitchell's shoulder remains a nagging concern for Stampeders
With most positions set, club can focus on depth at national combine in Toronto
The biggest question surrounding the Calgary Stampeders this off-season has been about Bo Levi Mitchell's shoulder.
It bothered him last season, despite getting surgery after the Stamps wrapped up in 2019.
The shoulder's been bothering Mitchell for long enough that it sort of overshadows much of the other good work the Stamps have done bringing back their young, impressive squad this winter.
It might not be quite this simple, but it's not hard to look at the Stamps and think that if Mitchell's shoulder is strong and healthy, they're among the top Grey Cup contenders. If it's not, they might just be an also-ran.
So how's Mitchell's shoulder doing?
“I haven't seen him a bunch, but I've talked to him. He's back in Calgary,” said Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson on Thursday. “He was supposed to be out throwing the ball a little bit because of the nice weather.
“Of course, when the weather comes nice in Calgary we go to Toronto where we got snowed on yesterday, but I think he's doing quite well and I'm excited to see him in person.”
Stamps staff are in Toronto for the CFL'S combine this weekend, where they'll get a closer look at the players who will be available in May's draft.
It's considered to be a deep draft class this year and the Stampeders should have the luxury of drafting a player who doesn't need to be 100 per cent ready on Day 1 of training camp. Their starters are pretty much set — with the possible exception of safety — and it seems more likely they'll be looking to draft a player who can add depth and grow into a bigger role.
That's a nice place to be, and the way the Stamps steadily improved throughout the 2021 season suggests they should enter this year with realistic ambitions of trying to knock off the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Having Jake Maier locked in as backup gives them a security blanket, but Mitchell's shoulder will almost certainly be the key.
Dickenson didn't provide much detail, but his answer should provide some reason for optimism for Stamps fans
HIGH HOPES
One of the more intriguing players to keep an eye on heading into training camp is going to be receiver Jordan Williams-lambert.
The 27-year-old was the CFL'S Most Outstanding Rookie in 2018 when he burst into the league with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but after exploring NFL options the following season he has never quite managed to match his productivity from that first year.
Williams-lambert signed with the Stamps a couple days into free agency in February, though, and the team is hopeful he might be able to get back to what he was a few years ago.
“We wanted another guy and we did our research and we don't know if he's necessarily going to be back to what we saw in his first year, but had good reports,” Dickenson said. “He's a hard worker, he's tough, he had a serious wrist injury and he had to go get it fixed if he wanted to play this year, and that's what he decided to do. So that's why he didn't really get any snaps in. He did go to the NFL and when he came back he didn't have the same success. We're hoping to kind of rekindle what he had before he went down south and he's still in heavy competition, he knows that. Nobody's guaranteed anything but we like him to enhance our receivers.”
It will be interesting to see how the Stamps choose to use Williams-lambert.
With Reggie Begelton and Kamar Jorden available, they'll have two receivers who are entirely capable of taking over games and putting up huge numbers.
Saying Williams-lambert will be the No. 3 option doesn't really tell the full story, though. That's not how the Stamps tend to play. He's expected to step into the role vacated by Markeith Ambles, who signed with the Argonauts in free agency and there were games when Ambles saw more targets than anyone else last season.
Of course, when the weather comes nice in Calgary we go to Toronto where we got snowed on yesterday, but I think he's doing quite well.
“I mean, let's see what the defences do,” Dickenson said. “Reggie's really versatile, can play inside or outside. KJ knows our entire offence, I think I can move him around wherever I want. Let's try to enhance Jordan's skills and put him in some areas where he can succeed. He's a good player when he's going, let's see what he can do.”