Toronto Argonauts: Does Winston Venable’s retirement mean an opening for Bear Woods?

The Toronto Argonauts got the unexpected news of Winston Venable’s retirement on Wednesday but now have an opening for Bear Woods who was released earlier this week.

When the Toronto Argonuats brought in linebacker Winston Venable as a free agent it was a major addition to the defence. He is the type of player that could thrive in Corey Chamblin’s system especially with his aggressive approach and being a tackling machine. Now he has decided to call it a career leaving a void on defence, hopefully, one that can be filled by Bear Woods.

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The team recently welcomed back Marcus Ball who spent three seasons bouncing around the NFL. Him and Venable patrolling the middle of the field with Marshall McFadden would greatly improved a defence that was the worst against the run last season. Now with Venable gone, the attention turns to Woods who would bring instant star power and impressive resume. He was named the East Division’s most outstanding defensive player in two of the last three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes.

Montreal’s defence was one of the best units in the East last season and Woods was the centrepiece of that. The reports out of Montreal suggests that the decision to release Woods had to do with money as the team had other needs to deal with. Now the Argos look like the logical landing spot for Woods although B.C. could be making an offer as well and apparently Argos GM Jim Popp, who brought Woods to Montreal has wasted no time going after the 30-year old.

Next: What to expect with training camp underway

Last season, Woods had a career high 126 tackles in 18 games in Montreal including five sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions. There is a lot of football left in Woods and according to Justin Dunk of 3downnation, he made a trip to Toronto on Monday night which further fuels the speculation. There is no doubt that Chamblin would want a player like Woods and it is surprising to see a player like him to be available with training camp in the early stages. It should not take long for the Florida native to make a decision and hopefully for Argos fans, it is with the double blue.