Free Agency Archives | Page 3 of 4 | BC Lions Football

Forecasting the Lions Free Agency Landscape

February 7, 2014 By Brian Wawryshyn

Free agency is just around the corner, and thanks to a Family Day holiday weekend in most of the country, the league and players association agreed to move the date from Saturday, February 15th, to Tuesday February 11th at 12:00pm Eastern, 9:00am Pacific. The speculation and guessing will begin about what players will sign where, so we throw on our thinking caps ahead of Tuesday’s open market.

This forecast is nothing more than a guess based on what areas I feel the Lions need to address. After the dust has settled, we’ll see how close I came, or more than likely, how far off I was.

For their part the Lions have six free agents on their 2014 list, so let’s start by going through those. Two of the six are out of the picture, as Stu Foord is still rehabbing a serious knee and long snapper Dan McCullough retired last season.

Josh Bell – Defensive Back – Import

Bell emerged as a starter at corner last season and while there are changes coming in the secondary as evidenced by the decision to part ways with Korey Banks, the Lions like what Bell brings to the table and have already offered him a new deal. Bell is a crafty and physical defender and should be a big part of this year’s defence if he re-signs with BC. The question is how much it will take to get him to re-sign and judging by the fact nothing has been done yet, despite an offer it appears Bell will see what’s out there.

Nick Moore – Receiver – Import

Moore led the Lions in receiving last season and they club would love to have him back. Reports have the Lions initial pitch in the $140-150,000 range, but Moore has decided to see what the market will bear before considering the Lions offer. You can’t blame him for wanting to wait and see what the going rate will be; he was the understudy to Geroy Simon for a couple seasons before getting his chance, and he’s looking at his first major contract after a few NFL auditions earlier this off-season.

You would have to think the the Lions would hate to lose Moore who they have invested a lot of time in. I have a feeling he will eventually resign with the Lions once he sees what the market pans out like. Then again, Wally Buono isn’t someone who will be swayed from his plan very easily and may just let him walk if the money isn’t right and if another team swoops in and wants to overpay, the Lions may decide to let Moore go.

Keron Williams – Defensive Line – Import

The Lions don’t appear to have offered Keron Williams a new contract to date and will instead let him see what his value is once free agency begins. It was an off year for Williams whose stats took a hit as he was asked to play multiple roles on a defensive line that took a long time to get settled in 2013. If Williams does return, I think he would be hoping for a more defined role and ideally a return to his rush end position, full-time. He’s also expressed interest in giving the NFL one last shot, but to date hasn’t had any reported workouts. Williams stated in the off-season that he wants to return to BC, and did meet with coaches in the off-season. I still think the Lions would like to have him back once he determines his value on the open market.

Steve Myddleton – Offensive Line – Non-Import

Acquired via trade with the Calgary Stampeders last season, Myddleton filled in on an injury riddled offensive line last season. The expansion draft saw them lose 2013 draft pick Matt Albright to the Redblacks. Kirby Fabian is coming off a horrific knee/leg injury, the role of tackle Ben Archibald and Angus Reid is up in the air. All of this means the Lions need non-import depth on the offensive line and as such offered Myddleton an extension. Like the other Lions contracts nothing has been announced as far as acceptance, so its likely Myddleton will explore his options on Tuesday.

Who will the Lions target?

Again, this is all speculation on my part, but as a fan these are the areas I think the Lions need to improve at and the players I would target to fill them. Some are realistic, some maybe a bit of a dream, but hey that’s what makes being a fan so great, right?

Craig Butler – Linebacker/Safety – Non-import

The Lions have been looking for an answer at safety for a few years now and if there is one player that might have their attention it could be Craig Butler of the Grey Cup Champion Saskatchewan Roughriders. Butler can play linebacker and safety and is a physical hard-hitting defender. He racked up 60 tackles, 11 special teams tackles and 4 interceptions in 2013. His non-import status and skill make him a prize catch, and I would be shocked if the Lions don’t go hard after him, unless of course the Riders sign him before Tuesday which is always a possibility.

Josh Bourke – Offensive Line – Non-Import

The seven-year pro of the Montreal Alouettes could be about to hit the market and would be a great addition for the Lions. He can play the left tackle spot and if the Lions want to go in a different direction in regards to Archibald, Bourke would be a prime replacement. Montreal is still trying to sign the 2011 CFL top offensive lineman, but it’s sounding as if Jim Popp doesn’t know how it will go saying, “I don’t know. There’s a couple things with Josh, but I think deep down he’d rather be in Montreal.”

Luca Congi/Sean Whyte – Kicker – Non-Import

How long can Paul McCallum go? That’s the question the Lions have had to deal with the last couple of seasons and once again it will be a topic this year. The Lions only have the former Okanagan Sun kicker Steven Schott who has promise, but not experience. Congi asked for his release from the Ticats after they signed Justin Medlock who returns from the NFL.

Whyte is of course no stranger to the Lions and he’s a BC boy. He struggled at times in 2013, but if the Lions are looking for insurance or depth at the kicker position Whyte may be an option to consider.

Alex Hall – Defensive Lineman – Import

A bit of a long shot here for a couple of reasons. Hall is intent on trying the NFL, but if he doesn’t catch on he will likely hit the open market. Hall was acquired by Saskatchewan for their stretch run to the Grey Cup after tearing up the league in the first half of the season on the defensive line of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Hall would be a solid addition to a Lions defensive line that wants to return to being a dominant force in 2014 after taking a step backwards last season.

Intangibles

Traditionally the Lions aren’t really big players in free agency, but in a year when they are hosting the Grey Cup and with holes to fill it seems this time around they will very active. How much salary room do they have? What will the new SMS figure be under the new CBA? How will they be able to compete with teams like Ottawa who have a ton of room to spend on free agents?

It all starts Tuesday at 9:00am pacific time. Stay tuned!

Leos prove to be the best fit for Arceneaux.

May 20, 2013 By Brian Wawryshyn

Reports Sunday evening are indicating that former BC Lions receiver Emmanuel Arceneaux has a signed a 2 -year free agent deal with his former team. Neither the club or the player has officially confirmed the deal, but several reputable sources are now reporting the contract is done.

Arceneaux spent the last two seasons trying to find a home in the NFL, but spent much of his time on the practice rosters of the Minnesota Vikings, Washington Redskins and most recently the New York Jets, who released him just prior to last week. Over his two season with the Lions, Arceneaux caught 130 passes for 1,972 yards and 12 touchdowns before trying his luck down south.

The Lions were considered to be the front-runner heading into the process, not because BC was his last CFL club, but because the import receiver had a strong connection and mentor type relationship with general manager Wally Buono. He also has a strong connection to several current BC Lions players, as well as the offence of coordinator Jacques Chapdelaine. The departure of Geroy Simon means that there will be a prime role available in training camp,

Earlier this weekend it was speculated the Lions offer to Arceneaux was low and that the Toronto Argonauts were the front-runners to land him. Silence fell over the weekend and twitter users began to speculate what the outcome would be, with Arceneaux playing along and even admitting to The Province’s Lowell Ullrich, ““I was just messing around. Seriously, I didn’t know what was going on.”

In the end both the team and the player got what they wanted and if it wasn’t already, the battle at receiver during training camp will be one to watch.

CFL Free Agency: Great day at the office for Buono and the BC Lions

February 15, 2013 By Brian Wawryshyn

When it comes to days at the office, Wally Buono can certainly say he had a great one as free agency opened across the CFL on Friday. After the firestorm of the Geroy Simon trade, it had to be a feel good day out in Surrey. Here is a recap and some thoughts on today’s activity.

The Lions started the day by announcing the re-signing of veteran receiver Paris Jackson and an extension for Korey Banks. As Lowell Ullrich of The Province tweeted, the extension for Banks was just part of the annual off-season routine for the Lions and the veteran defensive back.

The Jackson signing was news simply because there is a notion that after two years of accepting a lesser role, Jackson and the Lions are indicating that he’ll be given every opportunity to use his experience and get back on the playing field. Jackson had asked for his release from the Lions, but his leadership among the receiving corps could be the reason why the Lions had second thoughts, especially after the departure of Geroy Simon.

With those signings out of the way, the Lions turned their attention to their most high profile free agents. Free agency began with the news that Solomon Elimimian had decided to remain in the CFL. Farhan Lalji from TSN modified partner Dave Naylor’s tweet by saying Elimimian would not be signing in BC.

That set off some excitement on Twitter, with fans of other teams wondering how Elimimian would fit into their team’s plans. Shortly after that, reports began to surface that the Lions had re-signed Elimimian, though it took a while for all sides to finally confirm. The Lions had Elimimian take a medical prior to the deadline, and obviously feel there are no serious issues there. It’s believed that Elimimian received a similar deal to that of Adam Bighill, who he will have a whole training camp to get in sync with heading into the 2013 season.

The news got even better when the Lions announced (before Elimimian was confirmed) that they had signed 2012 most outstanding offensive lineman Jovan Olafioye to a new deal. It was widely known that Olafioye would explore his options in the NFL, but after last year’s experience and the lack of a real commitment by anyone this year, he appears to have made the decision to carve out a nice career here in BC. That’s great news for the Lions (and for Travis Lulay) who would have had a big hole to fill on the offensive line, particularly with the question marks at the guard spots heading into training camp. In fact the only downer on the day was the fact the Lions weren’t able to add any depth for the offensive line, thanks largely in part to teams re-signing their own players and the crop being rather thin this year.

The Lions also plucked defensive lineman Julius Williams from the Edmonton Eskimos to add to their stacked defensive line corps. Williams, listed at 6’2 257 pounds, is entering his third year in the league and was deemed expendable by Edmonton GM Ed Hervey after his club signed Odell Willis away from Saskatchewan moments after free agency opened. Williams has compiled 25 tackles and 7 sacks over his 24 regular season and 3 playoff appearances. The signing could give the Lions two Williams as defensive ends, with all-star Keron the other bookend.

The Lions did lose James Yurichuk to the Toronto Argonauts on Friday. The Ontario native chose to sign in his home province rather than re-up with the Lions and you can’t blame him. His work on special teams will be missed, but Yurichuk wasn’t going to see much playing time behind McKenzie, Bighill and Elimimian.

Defensive back Cauchy Muamba also entered the day as a free agent but as of this blog had not signed with anyone yet.

So all in all it was a great day for the Lions and their fans and who knows, there could be another tweak or two in the coming days.

We’ll leave the last word to the boss:

Parker and Foord sign with Lions on day two of CFL free agency.

February 16, 2012 By Brian Wawryshyn

The BC Lions could be a very hard team to pass the ball against in 2012. After a productive 48 hours that saw the defending Grey Cup champions sign Lin-J Shell and re-sign their own free agents, Ryan Phillips and Dante Marsh, the team has confirmed the signing of three time division and league all-star Byron Parker, formerly with the Toronto Argonauts.

The signing leaves BC with a secondary to be envied by the rest of the league and one that just oozes with experience. It will be interesting to see how the Lions utilize all this DB talent when things get going and it certainly means that a few DB’s on the roster today likely won’t be on opening day. If the Lions can have James Yurichuk step in at middle linebacker the Lions could go with an all-import secondary.

Regardless, it’s a luxury that every coach in the league would drool over. After retaining pretty much their entire Grey Cup winning offensive roster, they are now loading up on defence. The loss of Solomon Elimimian and possibly Aaron Hunt will be felt, but the Lions already have some nice pieces to try and plug in with the likes of Rajon Henley, Yurichuk, Joash Gesse, Adam Bighill and Adam Leonard.

On offence the Lions addressed the retirement of Jamall Lee by signing Stu Foord out of Saskatchewan. Foord will see duty on special teams and back up fellow Canadian Andrew Harris in the backfield.

“Stu is a capable running back who can provide us with some depth behind Andrew Harris as well as on special teams. We’ve been aware of his ability for some time and this is a very good addition.” said GM Wally Buono.

Foord leaves Regina after coming up through the junior ranks, playing for the Regina Thunder and spending the last four seasons with the Riders where he saw very limited touches and spent most of his time on special teams.

Word on the Aaron Hunt front is that there is interest out east for the popular Lion defensive lineman, but Lowell Ullrich of The Province also indicated on Thursday that the door may not quite be closed yet on a return to BC.

Marsh and Phillips stay in orange and black. No word on Hunt.

February 15, 2012 By Brian Wawryshyn

It came down to the wire, but the BC Lions signed two more of their own Wednesday morning as the team announced that Ryan Phillips and Dante Marsh would be back with the team in 2012.

Farhan Lalji of TSN broke the story last night indicating the sides had agreed to new deals but the contracts were not officially done until this morning.

The signings give the Lions defence a solid boost of of continuity on defence, with Solomon Elimimian the only huge loss so far. That said, popular defensive lineman Aaron Hunt has not been as successful with his dealings with the Lions and is currently shopping himself around the league as a free agent, with Hamilton and Winnipeg said to be interested in his services. It would likely have to be a full time playing role and a starters wage for Hunt to move, which apparently the reason why he hasn’t re-signed with the Lions.

There have also been rumblings the Lions could be bringing former Stubler protege Byron Parker into the fold, which would leave the secondary very crowded but stacked with talent.

We’ll have a recap of all the Lions action coming later.