Toronto Argonauts roster goes through massive shakeup
After making sweeping changes to the roster last year, the Toronto Argonauts made headlines with an even bigger shakeup on Sunday.
Gone are Matt Nichols, Bo Lokombo, Randy Richards, but the team then added Nick Arbuckle, Eric Rogers, Cody Speller, Cordarro Law and Robertson Daniel. With Rogers and Speller signed to deals, the focus shifts to Law who needs a new deal.
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Seeing a flurry of moves like this is not a rare occurrence in the CFL but with the 2020 season being cancelled, a lot of these players never even got the chance to play with the Argos. Like most CFL team, Toronto made most of these moves because of team budgets changing as a result of the pandemic.
Players with big roster bonuses either had their deals restructured or were released if an agreement couldn’t be made. It was known that Nichols and the Argos were trying to re-negotiate his deal before he was released.
Fortunately for Toronto, they were able to scoop up Arbuckle and surrounded him with arguably the deepest group of receivers in the league after the team added Martavis Bryant last week. The trade for Rogers not only adds another proven receiver that will be a big contributor but one that knows the offence head coach Ryan Dinwiddie will be running.
Toronto Argonauts defence gets major boost with Cordarro Law
One move that can’t be overlooked is the acquisition of Law who bolsters the Argos pass rush significantly. The 32-year-old recorded 10 sacks in 16 games last season, his best since he had 14 in 2013.
Seeing how the Winnipeg Blue Bombers dominated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the trenches in the Grey Cup. It also helps that Speller, who played centre for Winnipeg in the Grey Cup, will probably be Sean McEwen’s replacement.
There is still a lot of work to be done between now and Feb. 9 as many players need to be signed or could find themselves looking for a new home. Some prominent names include; Chris Ackie, Natey Adjei, Drake Nevis, Michael O’Connor, Craig Roh, Robert Woodson and McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
After this jam-packed day of movement for the Argos, the opening of the free agency window should lead to more deals and possibly more shakeups across the CFL.
Key dates from the Argos schedule. dark. Next
What are your thoughts on the flurry of moves the Argos made? Do you expect more deals to come? Let us know in the comments below.