Free-agent focus will be mostly on defence

Defence will be the focus for the Redblacks when free agency opens Tuesday at noon.

GM Marcel Desjardins reduced his need for offensive help when he signed Paul LaPolice to be his head coach.

“LaPo’s offence is not predicated on high priced receivers,” said Desjardins. “So we re-signed R.J. Harris, and we have a couple of guys coming back … obviously

Brad (Sinopoli) is our highest priced offensive player, outside of quarterback.

“We’re in this window right now where we can talk to agents and players ahead of time, so it’s not trending, I guess is the best way to put it, that we would sign too much on offence. It’s probably more defence and special teams.”

Even at that, Desjardins says the Redblacks will not be going on a wild shopping spree. But they have targeted certain individuals.

“With the way the cap works, we don’t have a ton of wiggle room to do stuff,” he said. “If we get who we want, we’ll probably get two, maybe three guys, max. And if we don’t get who we want, maybe that gives a bit more money to do a little bit more.

“At the end of the day, it’s not like we’re going to sign six, seven, eight guys and let’s go. It just doesn’t work that way. We’ve re-signed a lot of our own guys, Had we not, then we obviously would have had more flexibility.”

The Redblacks currently have 15 players headed for free agency, including last year’s leading receiver, Dominique Rhymes.

“That’s a discussion LaPo and I have had, and will continue to have,” Desjardins said of Rhymes. “We’ll have it with him, once we kind of say this is what we’re doing.”