Tag: Calgary Stampeders

Former Panthers QB signs with Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders

Former Panthers QB P.J. Walker is headed up north to the CFL.

An old friend has found a new home . . . a very new home.

On Tuesday, the Canadian Football League’s Calgary Stampeders announced they have signed former Carolina Panthers quarterback P.J. Walker. The 29-year-old will join the team as a member of their practice roster.

Walker first hit the pros following a four-year stay at Temple University from 2013 to 2016. The Elizabeth, N.J. native, who remains the program’s all-time leading passer, signed with the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent in the spring of 2017.

After bouncing back and forth between Indianapolis’ practice squad and free agency through the 2019 campaign, Walker really turned heads after joining the XFL in 2020. The COVID-shortened season saw him lead the Houston Roughnecks to a 5-0 record with 1,338 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and four interceptions.

That showing helped Walker back into the NFL, where the Panthers and his former Temple head coach Matt Rhule awaited him. He went on to play in 15 games for the Panthers between 2020 and 2022—amassing 1,461 passing yards, five touchdowns and 11 picks with seven starts.

Walker has since made stops with the Chicago Bears, the Cleveland Browns and, most recently, the Seattle Seahawks.

[lawrence-related id=661248,668267,704680]

Stampeders’ Peyton Logan returns missed FG 122 yards for touchdown

Calgary’s Peyton Logan with a long, long return of a missed field goal

The Calgary Stampeders put on a highlight show against the Edmonton Elks on Wednesday.

They scored on offense, defense, and in a spectacular manner on special teams.

Peyton Logan corrals the missed field goal deep in the end zone and takes off rather than conceding a rouge, which would have given Edmonton one point.

One-hundred and twenty-two yards later Logan’s decision proved successful.

And that opened the floodgates en route to Calgary’s 49-6 victory over Edmonton.

The rain actually delayed the game for an hour.

In case you were wondering the 122-yard return of the missed field goal was not a CFL record.

  • 131 – Boyd Carter/Dave Mann (1958) (Carter for 15 yards, then lateral to Mann for 116 yards and TD)
  • 130 – Ken Hinton (1977)

There has been a quartet of 129-yard returns. They were by Saskatchewan’s Tristan Jackson in 2012 among others.

WATCH: Felton Davis III with an impressive diving catch for Calgary Stampeders

Felton Davis III is starting to look like his old self again

The Canadian Football League has always been a good haven for former Michigan State football players, with names like BJ Cunningham and Jeremy Langford suiting up in the CFL in recent years. Another beloved Spartan, Felton Davis III, recently signed with the Calgary Stampeders and he impressed on Saturday with a nice diving catch.

You can watch it below:

Davis originally joined the Kansas City Chiefs after leaving MSU, but injuries derailed his career. It’s good to see him back to making the highlight plays he was known for at Michigan State.

[listicle id=100030]

Contact/Follow us @The SpartansWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Michigan state news, notes, and opinion. You can also follow Andrew Brewster on Twitter @IAmBrewster.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01g3spkvdx0p008ny50w playlist_id=01eqbz825g32p3akwt player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01g3spkvdx0p008ny50w/01g3spkvdx0p008ny50w-1d597baaa935b31a4a3b23e8afab787f.jpg]

Former NFL player Brendan Langley in wild fight at Newark Airport

A former Denver Bronco draftee and current Calgary Stampeder was in a wild fight at Newark Airport

One of the combatants in the wild brawl at Newark Airport in New Jersey was a former NFL and current CFL player.

Brendan Langley, a third-round pick by the Denver Broncos in 2017 and current Calgary Stampeder, has been arrested and charged with simple assault.

The United Airlines worker he fought in the melee is no longer employed by the airline as a result.

The fight after an apparent argument between Langley, who was a DB for Denver, and the airline worker:

The Stampeders issued the following statement on Monday:

The Calgary Stampeders football club is aware of the reports concerning Brendan Langley.

The team is currently looking into the matter in order to learn the full details and will have no further comment until the investigation is complete.

Langley signed with the CFL  team in February as a wideout.

With the Broncos, je played 16 games at defensive back over the 2017 and ’18 seasons. He made six tackles and returned 10 kickoffs for 244 yards and one punt for six yards.

CFL linebacker Wynton McManis signs reserve/future deal with the Saints

The New Orleans Saints signed a reserve/futures contract with Calgary Stampeders linebacker Wynton McManis, adding him to the 2021 roster.

[jwplayer 0zTXhptn-ThvAeFxT]

The New Orleans Saints have shifted gears and begun signing players to reserve/future contracts to add to their 2021 roster, with the first being former linebacker Wynton McManis, per the NFL wire. McManis won the CFL Grey Cup with the Calgary Stampeders in 2018, having gone north of the border after signing with the San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis back in 2016.

If the name sounds familiar, it’s because McManis has signed with the Saints before. The Olive Branch, Miss. native joined them for the final week of training camp last summer after New Orleans released veteran linebacker Nigel Bradham and once the CFL canceled its 2020 season in light of to the COVID-19 pandemic. Here’s some of what I wrote of him at the time:

That said, he has the skills to make a splash. McManis broke out in 2019 with 15 starts and 86 combined tackles, including nine stops on special teams. He cut his teeth in the CFL with his efforts in the game’s third phase, having paced the league with 25 special teams tackles in 2018. If he’s going to earn a spot on the Saints roster, it’ll come with big moments in the kicking game.

[listicle id=42720]

Report: Saints to sign CFL linebacker Wynton McManis after group tryout

The New Orleans Saints are expected to sign linebacker Wynton McManis, a special teams ace and starter for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders.

The New Orelans Saints are expected to sign Wynton McManis, a linebacker who last played for the CFL’s Calgary Stampeders, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero. McManis joined the Stampeders in 2017 after a brief stint with the San Francisco 49ers, who signed McManis as an undrafted rookie out of Memphis.

McManis opted out of his CFL contract on Monday after the Canadian league canceled its 2020 season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, opening up this opportunity in the NFL. He tried out for the Saints on Thursday as part of a six-man group of free agents, which the team reported on the daily NFL transactions wire:

  • DE T.J. Carter (6-foot-4, 289 pounds)
  • DE Anthony Lanier (6-foot-6, 285 pounds)
  • DE Cameron Malveaux (6-foot-5, 265 pounds)
  • LB Mike Hull (6-foot-0, 232 pounds)
  • LB Jan Johnson (6-foot-2, 231 pounds)
  • LB Wynton McManis (6-foot-1, 225 pounds)

The addition of McManis should bring the Saints back to 79 of 80 roster spots filled, with one vacancy remaining. The team recently lost defensive lineman Jalen Dalton and cornerback Johnson Bademosi to injuries that will likely end their seasons.

They also released linebacker Nigel Bradham earlier this week, opening a spot in the rotation for McManis to compete. He’ll be pushing youngsters like Kaden Elliss and Joe Bachie for a backup job, but there are only a handful of practice sessions left for him to make an impression before roster cuts.

That said, he has the skills to make a splash. McManis broke out in 2019 with 15 starts and 86 combined tackles, including nine stops on special teams. He cut his teeth in the CFL with his efforts in the game’s third phase, having paced the league with 25 special teams tackles in 2018. If he’s going to earn a spot on the Saints roster, it’ll come with big moments in the kicking game.

[vertical-gallery id=37025]

Bears cornerback position is wide open following Artie Burns signing

Following the acquisition of Artie Burns, the Bears now have three players who have a legitimate opportunity to win the starting CB job.

Slowly, but surely, the Chicago Bears are filling their needs at various positions during free agency. Their latest signing came on Saturday as they agreed to a one-year contract with former Pittsburgh Steelers cornerback Artie Burns.

Burns, a former first-round draft pick back in 2016, started out as a promising young player in the Steelers’ system, but fell out of favor with the team halfway through the 2018 season. He started just one game in 2019 before injuring his knee, then spending the final few weeks as a healthy scratch.

Burns now comes to Chicago ready to compete for a starting spot opposite Pro-Bowl corner Kyle Fuller and nickel cornerback Buster Skrine following the release of Prince Amukamara in February. And he will certainly have competition.

With the acquisition of the former Steeler, the Bears now have three players who have a legitimate opportunity to win the starting job; Burns, cornerback Tre Roberson, who was signed from the Canadian Football League (CFL) in February, and third-year corner Kevin Toliver.

Barring any other moves in free agency or the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft, one of these three will emerge from the competition.

Read on for a brief breakdown of what each player brings to the table.

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4

Bears sign former CFL CB Tre Roberson to two-year deal

The Bears announced the signing of former CFL cornerback Tre Roberson, who has signed a two-year deal with the team.

The Bears announced the signing of former CFL cornerback Tre Roberson, who has signed a two-year deal with the team.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported the news of Roberson’s signing on Tuesday night. Roberson, who was believed to be the top free agent in the CFL, chose the Bears over nine other teams, according to Schefter.

The Bears appear to be high on Roberson, as they’re expected to give him the largest CFL-to-NFL compensation since the Dolphins signed Cameron Wake for $4.9 million in 2014.

[lawrence-related id=436923]

Roberson, 27, had seven interceptions in 16 games this season with the Calgary Stampeders.

Roberson started his football career as a quarterback, where he played three years for the University of Indiana before transferring to Illinois State for his final two years.

Roberson, who converted to cornerback, signed with the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He spent part of the season on the Vikings practice squad but did not appear in a regular-season game.

[lawrence-related id=436980,436966,436907,436923,436839]

5 things to know about new Bears CB Tre Roberson

The Bears turned to the Canadian Football League for their first offseason acquisition. Get to know new Bears CB Tre Roberson.

The Bears turned to the Canadian Football League for their first offseason acquisition. Chicago landed Calgary cornerback Tre Roberson, who’s quite the hot commodity, considering he chose the Bears over a handful of other NFL teams.

Adam Schefter first reported the signing Tuesday evening before Roberson took to Twitter to share his excitement at joining the Bears — and he’s already talking Super Bowl.

We can certainly speculate what Roberson’s signing means for the future of Prince Amukamara, who was already predicted to be a cap-casualty.

But let’s get to know the Bears’ new cornerback. Here are five things to know about Tre Roberson:

1. Roberson was considered the top free agent in the CFL

Sergei Belski-USA TODAY Sports

The Bears are getting not only the most-sought after cornerback in the CFL, but arguably the top free-agent in the entire league. Chicago certainly feels high on him considering they’re expected to give Roberson the largest CFL-to-NFL compensation since the Dolphins signed Cameron Wake for $4.9 million in 2014, according to Adam Schefter.

Roberson, a CFL All-Star, had an impressive 2019 season with seven interceptions and 41 tackles in 16 games with the Stampeders. Roberson also won the Grey Cup in his first season with Calgary in 2018.

[lawrence-related id=436905,436849,436791,436705]

Pages: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5

Bears signing top CFL free agent CB Tre Roberson

The Bears are turning to the CFL for a new DB. They’re signing Calgary CB Tre Roberson, who was believed to be a top CFL free agent.

The Bears are turning to the CFL for a new defensive back.

Chicago is signing Calgary cornerback Tre Roberson, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Roberson chose the Bears over nine other offers, according to Schefter.

The Bears must be high on Roberson, as they’re expected to give him the largest CFL-to-NFL compensation since the Dolphins signed Cameron Wake in 2014.

Roberson, 27, had seven interceptions in 16 games this season with the Calgary Stampeders.

Prior to his time in the CFL, Roberson was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Vikings in 2016. Despite a strong preseason, Roberson never saw the field in the regular season.

 

The Bears have a decision to make at cornerback, which hinges on what they ultimately decide to do with veteran Prince Amukamara. Amukamara could very well wind up a cap-casualty, as the Bears could save $9 million by releasing him.

If the Bears were to release Amukamara, they’d never someone to line up opposite Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller. Second-year corner Kevin Toliver saw time at the position with Amukamara dealing with a hamstring injury over the last few weeks, and he is certainly an option. They could also turn to the NFL Draft, as there’s considered to be a deep cornerback class this year.

Considering the compensation the Bears are giving him, you figure Roberson will factor into things, as well.

[lawrence-related id=436862,436849,436801,436791]