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You are here: Home / Archives for Chris Rwabukamba

Will the next BC Lions Safety please stand up?

May 21, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

Two seasons ago the BC Lions began to overhaul their secondary. It started with Kory Banks being traded to Winnipeg. At the end of 2014, Dante Marsh was told he wouldn’t be back. As we told you a couple of weeks ago, Ryan Phillips is the last man standing of a group that gave CFL quarterbacks and receivers fits for years.

Chris Rwabukamba - JASON FRANSON, THE CANADIAN PRESSChris Rwabukamba – JASON FRANSON, THE CANADIAN PRESS

But for the last few seasons, and really since the retirement of Barron Miles, the Lions have been looking to upgrade at the safety position. The Lions didn’t offer a contract to J.R. LaRose and they signed Chris Rwabukamba as a free agent in the off-season. Injuries derailed the development of 2012 draft pick Matt McGarva and the Lions cut him loose last week.

The club made an honest effort to secure DB Garrett Waggoner in Wednesday’s supplemental draft, offering up their first round pick in 2016, but Winnipeg swooped in with the same offer and won his services based on the fact they finished worse than the Lions in 2014. Waggoner had previously been on the Lions negotiation list.

The Lions likely would have loved to get their hands on Wilfred Laurier’s Chris Ackie in the draft but that was thwarted by Jim Popp and the Montreal Alouettes who took the talented DB one spot ahead of the Lions in the first round.

Ideally the Lions would love to start a Canadian at safety, so for now the position is Rwabukamba’s to lose. If he does impress enough to start there, BC will need to have a backup national behind him, or at least one that can slide into the secondary if you need to move someone else over and not affect the ratio in other areas.

2014 draft pick Josh Brinkworth could be that player. The DB from Pacific, who the Lions selected in the sixth round, played mostly safety in college and was likely one of the reasons that the club cut ties with McGarva. Brinkworth signed a two year deal with the Lions on Wednesday and will be thrown into the fire when rookie camp begins on May 28th in Kamloops.

Another option could be third year Lion Keynan Parker, son of former Lions great James “Quick” Parker. In fact Parker is the only player on the Lions roster that they list as a safety if you believe in foreshadowing at all.

If the Rwabukamba audition fails the Lions could opt to start an international in that spot, which would in turn affect other things they would like to do with the ratio.

Overall, the Lions have done a nice job finding players to restock the secondary. Cord Parks and Ronnie Yell have become mainstays, while T.J. Lee, Josh Johnson and Torri Williams will look to break into starting roles. There is also Derrick Morgan and Jerimiah Johnson  who were signed at a free agent camp in Washington D.C., Steven Clarke (2014 free agent signing) and the veteran savvy of Phillips is there to keep it all together as the leader of the group. Another signing or two could be announced within the next few days, a result of the Lions final free agent camp in Seattle last weekend.

While their search for a safety hasn’t yet ended, the Lions at least appear to have some options to look at in Kamloops. Here’s hoping they find one that will be a solution for years to come.

Defensive Backs currently on the Lions roster:

6 Lee, T.J. DB International 5.09 190 1990-03-20 Eastern Washington
9 Rwabukamba, Chris DB National 5.11 192 1987-01-05 Duke
13 Williams, Torri DB International 6.02 208 1986-08-29 Purdue
20 Parker, Keynan S National 6.00 183 1989-11-17 Simon Fraser
21 Phillips, Ryan DB International 5.10 195 1982-11-15 Eastern Washington
23 Johnson, Josh DB International 5.10 200 1989-09-10 Purdue
25 Yell, Ronnie DB International 5.10 185 1991-04-15 San Jose State
26 Parks, Cord CB International 5.11 180 1986-11-12 Northeastern
28 Brinkworth, Josh DB National 6.01 205 1993-01-18 Pacific
29 Clarke, Steven DB International 5.10 195 1991-04-19 Vanderbilt
34 Johnson, Jeremiah DB International 5.11 195 1992-08-25 Maryland
37 Morgan, Derrick DB International 5.11 210 1990-03-05 Stony Brook

 

Filed Under: BC Lions Den, Featured Tagged With: Barron Miles, BC Lions, BC Lions Den, CFL, Chris Rwabukamba, Josh Brinkworth, Keynan Parker, Matt McGarva

Lions Not Busy But Talent Is There

February 12, 2015 By Brian Wawryshyn

rwabukamba_740x300
Chris Rwabukamba should give the Lions ratio flexibility.

 

The first three days of CFL free agency are done, and the BC Lions appear to be finished sifting through what’s out there and will now focus their efforts on the draft and upcoming free agent camps.

While they only added one player from the available pool of league talent, the addition of Chris Rwabukamba is one the Lions have been trying to make for a couple seasons now.

The former Edmonton Eskimos DB has the flexibility to play the corner or at safety and with comfort of having Canadian Matt McGarva, the Lions may finally have that national safety they’ve been coveting for two years. McGarva is coming off a second major knee injury, but if he can have a solid return to the lineup it gives the Lions great roster flexibility.

e-jackson_266x396
Ernest Jackson

In the loss column, the Lions say goodbye to Ernest Jackson, who in the second half of last season took on a major role in the offence. The Lions wanted to have him back, but the money paid by the Redblacks closed that window. While Jackson may continue to thrive, the body of work didn’t necessarily reflect his new deal with Ottawa. The Lions have Lavasier Tuinei and Bryan Burnham waiting in the wings and both showed promising talent in their appearances last season. The off-season signing of Austin Collie, a healthy Courtney Taylor and Manny Arceneaux, combined with improved numbers from Shawn Gore and Marco Iannuzzi should mean that the Lions should be ok without Jackson.

The Lions might have wanted to add an offensive lineman and were reported to be talking to Stanley Bryant prior to Winnipeg securing the two-time all-star. But most of the top tier players had already re-signed with their clubs or found NFL deals south of the border. While fans (including myself) are pining for improvement with the offensive line, I don’t think the cupboard is as bare as people think.

The key for the Lions will be to have their young guys make strides of improvement, while at the same time, stay healthy. Hunter Steward impressed in his limited action last year and Kirby Fabien was having a stellar rookie season before his injury. Last season, Fabien struggled both mentally and physically returning from that injury, and will hopefully rebound. T-Dre Player also showed some promise and will be attending his second training camp. After a strong rookie season, Matt Norman will be under scrutiny at training gamp with talk that the Lions may try Cameron Thorn under centre. At tackle they are solid on the left with Jovan Olafiyoe and on the right Jermarcus Hardrick provided some stability in the second half of last season.

The Lions would also like to find a kicker after releasing Ricky Schmitt and losing prospect Rich Leone to the NFL’s Pittsburgh Steelers. Of course Paul McCallum will be back at camp, but to ask him to both jobs will be a stretch. Ideally the Lions would like to find a kicker that can handle all duties.

Travis Lulay is the key.
Travis Lulay is the key.

Of course the big question is at quarterback and the status of Travis Lulay. The Lions have spoken with Dan LeFevour and Lowell Ullrich reported that they will wait and see what they have at their April offence camp before deciding if more help is needed. John Beck will return with a better knowledge of the CFL game and newcomer Jordan Rodgers will be evaluated as well. Should LeFevour still be out there, and the Lions decide they need help, don’t be surprised if they look at bringing him in.

There will be more players added through the draft and free agent camps and don’t underestimate the contacts that new coach Jeff Tedford has south of the border. The Lions may not have been busy to start CFL free agency, but they do have the nucleus to make strides in 2015.

And that will be critical in the tough CFL West Division.

Filed Under: CFL/League, Den Talk, Featured Tagged With: BC Lions, BCLionsDen.ca, Brian Wawryshyn, CFL, Chris Rwabukamba, Ernest Jackson, Free Agency, Travis Lulay

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