Tag: Ottawa Redblacks

Jaguars bring in 2 CFL defensive players for workouts

The Jaguars tried out a couple of CFL defensive players Friday, but haven’t signed either.

The Jacksonville Jaguars hosted defensive back Carthell Flowers-Lloyd and linebacker Gary Johnson Jr. for workouts Friday.

Flowers-Lloyd, 25, played for the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats during the 2023 season and recorded 31 tackles. Prior to his professional career, Flowers-Lloyd played at Eastern Michigan before transferring and finishing his collegiate career at Stony Brook.

Johnson, 27, is a CFL veteran who played three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders before joining the Ottawa Redblacks for the 2023 season. In 22 games over four seasons, he’s recorded 33 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.

As a linebacker with the Texas Longhorns, Johnson recorded 150 tackles, 22.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, and three forced fumbles in 26 career games. He briefly spent time with Washington in 2019, joining the team as an undrafted free agent during training camp.

Both Flowers-Lloyd and Johnson have starred on special teams in the CFL. The Jaguars previously mined the CFL’s talent pool and signed quarterback Nathan Rourke, who has spent the majority of the 2023 season on the practice squad.

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Montreal Alouettes pull off the onside punt against Ottawa Redblacks

The Montreal Alouettes pulled off an onside punt in CFL play

This is one you will only see North of the border. And it will be rare even in Canada.

The Montreal Alouettes faced a second-and-18. They threw a swing pass and the receiver delivered a dribble kick type of punt.

The football went across the original line of scrimmage and was recovered by the player who kicked the football.

In Canada, that’s an onside punt and Montreal kept the ball, earning a new set of downs.

Jeshrun Antwi kicked and then recovered the football. The Montreal line couldn’t be more than one yard downfield when he kicked it (Rule 5, Article 9), and only he or other onside players (behind the ball when kicked) could recover it without having to worry about a no yards penalty.

If you are confused the CFL rulebook is here to clear things up.

 

Former Ohio State football players in the CFL for 2023

Former Ohio State football players in the CFL for 2023 #GoBucks #CFL

The Canadian Football League has started training camp. Four former Ohio State football players were on opening-day rosters in 2022, but that number has decreased. Only three are on rosters as the 2023 season gets underway. Two of the names on this list have been in the CFL for a decent amount of time and were a part of all the fun north of the border last year. One is a bit surprising — and even exciting.

One interesting name not on this list is Duron Carter, the son of former Ohio State great, Cris Carter. The younger Carter had some off-field issues at Ohio State before transferring to Alabama and Florida Atlantic, but he has been a cornerstone in the CFL for almost a decade. I expect him to join a roster possibly midseason, so stay tuned.

Let’s dive into the former Buckeyes in the CFL.

Former Michigan State football WR signs with Ottawa Redblacks

An all-time great MSU WR has signed a new contract in the CFL with the Ottawa Redblacks

Former Michigan State football star wide receiver B.J. Cunningham is extending his Canadian Football League career, signing a new deal with the Ottawa Redblacks through free agency.

Cunningham was a star at Michigan State, leading the wide receiver room from 2008-2011. Cunningham concluded his college career as the school’s all-time leader in receptions and receiving yards.

Cunningham was drafted in the 6th round of the 2012 NFL Draft and spent 2012-2014 in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles. After not sticking in the NFL, Cunningham made the move to sign with the Montreal Alouettes in 2015 and has played there for the past 6 seasons.

Through 72 career games, Cunningham has racked up 3,741 receiving yards on 272 receptions and 17 touchdowns. He has also rushed for 81 yards, and a touchdown, on 14 carries throughout his career.

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Chiefs to sign former Ottawa Redblacks CB Brandin Dandridge to reserve/future contract

The #Chiefs are set to sign former Ottawa Redblacks CB Brandin Dandridge to a reserve/future deal. We spoke with him about his shot to live out a childhood dream:

The Kansas City Chiefs worked out Ottawa Redblacks CB Brandin Dandridge last Friday, and now he’s set to sign a reserve/future contract with the team.

Dandridge was unable to sign with the team immediately as Canadian Football League contracts for 2021 don’t expire until February 8. In some cases, players need to be released from their contracts in order to sign with NFL teams. Dandridge was released from his CFL contract on Monday under the guise of pursuing opportunities in the NFL.

CFL reporter Justin Dunk broke the news that Dandridge would be signing with the Chiefs. Dandridge has since confirmed to Chiefs Wire that he’s signing a reserve/future deal.

The Chiefs are very familiar with Dandridge, who attended Blue Springs South High School in Blue Springs, Missouri and Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri. Naturally, Dandridge grew up rooting for the local NFL team.

“I moved to Lee’s Summit when I was 12,” Dandridge told Chiefs Wire. “When I first got here I thought it was just cool to have an actual NFL team right down the street. I’m originally born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa. As time went on I think the Chiefs started to grow on me and I always thought to myself it would be a dream to have an opportunity to put on that helmet.”

Dandridge will now have an opportunity to live out that dream with the Chiefs. Back in 2019, Dandridge was among 40 players at the team’s local pro day, but he didn’t get the opportunity to go through the workout with the team at the time due to injury.

“So, I was coming off a knee injury in 2019 so I was unable to perform at the local day and my pro day as well,” Dandridge said. “The team pretty much told me I needed to get healthy.”

Dandridge first got that opportunity to prove he was healthy in 2019 when he appeared in four games with the Redblacks. In 2021, Dandridge played in 8-of-14 games and tied for the second-most interceptions in the CFL with four, including three interceptions in consecutive games. He felt that his most recent season was a reflection of his return to full health.

“Yes definitely,” Dandridge said. “I still feel that my game is evolving and that I have so much more to learn.”

In Kansas City, Dandridge will have a chance to learn and compete in a secondary that is bound to see some changes for the 2022 NFL season. He could also see some work as a punt returner, as he received First-Team All-MIAA in 2018 with the Missouri Western after returning 19 punts for 240 yards and a touchdown. Most importantly, the Chiefs are getting a player who is motivated and determined to show he has what it takes.

“Chiefs Kingdom is getting a guy that’s hungry and ready to work,” Dandridge said. “I’m going to put everything I got into this off-season.”

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Dolphins to sign star CFL special teamer DeVonte Dedmon

The Dolphins may have just found their return man.

The Miami Dolphins struggled to get consistent performances out of their special teams units in 2021, and one of the least consistent aspects was their return game.

Now, it appears Miami is trying to upgrade that spot, as they’re reportedly signing DeVonte Dedmon, formerly of the Ottawa Redblacks of the Canadian Football League. This past season, Dedmon led the CFL in return touchdowns (three), punt return average (15.4), and kick return average (25).

Jakeem Grant, who was the main guy in those roles for Miami at the beginning of the year, was traded to Chicago in October. This left punt and kick return duties mainly to safety Jevon Holland and wide receiver Jaylen Waddle. The team finished the year averaging 6.6 yards per punt return and 17.4 per kick return.

It’s tough to predict the 26-year-old Dedmon to be the same player in the NFL, but he could be a good addition to the group as someone who focuses on just returns. This would allow Holland and Waddle to continue growing at their primary positions and keep them away from injury risks that could be avoided.

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