Toronto Argonauts: Armanti Edwards poised to raise his game

Now armed with the security of a two-year contract, Armanti Edwards is ready to continue developing at wide receiver for the Toronto Argonauts.

The Toronto Argonauts and their fans are still waiting anxiously, to find out if Ricky Ray will return for the 2018 season. The four-time Grey Cup winner will reportedly make his decision before free agency begins, on Feb. 13.

If Ray does decide to come back, he has the security of knowing one of his top receiving options will also be on the roster. As reported by Argonauts.ca, the Double Blue have re-signed Armanti Edwards to a two-year contract.

Edwards was an immediate success, during his first season with the Argonauts. He finished second on the team with 83 receptions and 962 receiving yards, while also adding four touchdowns.

Along with S.J. Green and Ray, the 29-year old helped the Argos finish with the second-ranked passing game in the CFL. More importantly, the end result was an unexpected, but fully deserved, Grey Cup championship.

What made Edwards’ productivity even more impressive, was the fact he only recently established himself as a wide receiver. He played quarterback all four years in college, at Appalachian State.

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The Greenwood, South Carolina native enjoyed an extremely successful career with the Mountaineers, becoming the only quarterback in conference history to win four consecutive championships. As noted by Argonauts.ca, he also became the first player in NCAA Division-I history to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards

As a result of what Edwards achieved, the Carolina Panthers selected him in the third round of the 2010 draft. However, they were never able to fully utilize his talent, despite trying him at a variety of positions.

After also spending time with the Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears, the two-time Walter Payton Award winner finally made the move to the CFL in 2016. In just four games with the Saskatchewan Roughriders he showed what he could do as a receiver, with 19 catches, 231 yards and one score.

In fairness, Edwards did gain some invaluable experience as a wide receiver at high school, before moving to quarterback. Regardless, the feeling is he is only just scratching the surface of what he can achieve as a wide out.

As you’d expect, this is something Jim Popp strongly believes. As reported by Argonauts.ca, the Argos’ general manager said:

"“Armanti has a great team-first attitude, relentless work ethic and is a very talented athlete which allowed him to excel in our offence last season. We are excited to welcome him back and look forward to seeing him continue to grow in years to come.”"

Next: Argos re-sign two-time All-Star Cleyon Laing

What was your analysis of Edwards’ first year in Toronto? Do you agree with the decision to re-sign him for two years and what kind of success are you predicting for the wide receiver moving forward? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.