Riders CFL Free Agency Day 1 Recap

Riders CFL Free Agency Day 1 Recap

Published: Wednesday, Feb 13th 2019, 12:02pm

Well… that was an interesting kick off to CFL Free Agency yesterday! The big question for the Riders was “who will be our quarterback?” For what seemed like an eternity, we had no idea. The league’s best player Mike Reilly we all knew was going back to the BC Lions. Bo Levi Mitchell and Trevor Harris remained as the best options available. Then it happened.

 

Riders sign Running Back William Powell to a 2 year deal. Raise your hands if you had THAT as he first move… Bueller… Bueller…

 

The move for Powell wasn’t a NEED move, but it’s never a bad move to bring in the league’s 2nd leading rusher, especially to a team who looks like their offensive strategy is going to be the same: Run the ball, then run it some more. Powell is a great fit and he won’t be crushing us anymore when he plays us.

 

Another move. Rider sign Linebacker Dyshawn Davis from BC. BUT THAT’S NOT A QUARTERBACK! No, but it’s a position of need. We need to replace the departure of Sam Eguavoen to the Miami Dolphins and Davis was a sleeper pick that could turn out to be one of the best signings.

 

Alright O’Day, let’s do this…. Nope. Trevor Harris signs in Edmonton. Damn. Okay, well we can still get Mitchell, throw all your money at him! Reports come out that Mitchell is choosing between Calgary, Toronto and Saskatchewan. Oh boy, could it be? O’Day would be a legend here if he signed Mitchell away from Calgary. But alas, as expected, Mitchell re-signs in Calgary. Rider fans go nuts.

(For the record, it’s not Jeremy O’Day’s fault that he offered someone a contract and they turned it down…. what else is he supposed to do?)

 

Enter Defensive Tackle Micah Johnson from the Calgary Stampeders. WHOA! This one was a shocker, but a much needed get as Willie Jefferson signed with Winnipeg. The Riders replaced one of the best defensive players with one of the best defensive players. A solid trade off, although having Willie stay would have been preferred. But Johnson can play the inside AND outside of the line and has proven to be an absolute force in games. Rider fans, be excited about this pickup.

 

Here it comes. Riders sign a QB… Welcome back… Zach Collaros! Survey says… the 2019 season is a waste. Everyone else got better while the Riders didn’t. Might as well rebuild again.

 

That was just day one of CFL Free Agency. Day two may not be as dramatic, but this is where the Riders management need to be at their best. Collaros is going to need help at receiver. The team’s leading receiver is Shaq Evans and he didn’t even get a touchdown last year… their current #2 leading receiver, Kyran Moore, only had 475 yards last season. Guys like Naaman Roosevelt, Derel Walker (sounds like he’s going to Toronto), Terrell Sinkfield, Chris Williams and Manny Arceneaux are all still available. O’Day needs to do something here to 1) get Collaros some help and 2) to save face.

 

Collaros was 10-4 last season. Albeit his stats weren’t great, the bottom line is he did enough to win games. He can do that again, but he needs help. If the Riders strike out on Day 2, O’Day’s popularity is going to go where most of the fans thing the season is going… down the drain.