2025 Free Agency (other CFL teams Signings/News)

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Yeah, the team advised him ahead of free agency that they were going in another direction and they wouldn't be offering him a new contract.

That doesn't fit

the definition of abandon - at all. As is the case with the other players you listed.

He still played 2/3 or more of every season he was here. I'd have taken that over what we had to watch with the D-line last year. Jefferson had very little support on the opposite end.

I can only speculate Walters wasn't interested in offering him a contract without conditions/incentives related to his durability. Whatever happened, it's still a shame to see his career end the way it did; I thought he deserved better.

Walters said he intended to bring back Jeffcoat in one interview, unfortunately he had to wait until he finished up with Lawler, Brady and Schoen.  That process took longer than expected meanwhile Jeffcoat has said he was left hanging.  By the time Walters reviewed his budget he probably couldn't make Jeffcoat a respectful offer so he gambled on Haba and Garbutt to fill the gap.

As I recall Dressler was left hanging without communication as well, he wasn't sure
what his future was.  It does not seem like O'Shea discusses the direction the team will be going in his year end player meetings, probably because they don't make those decision until the season is over.

[dd]

In the case of Jeffcoat, yes he is injured often, but heck, he's a game changer...I would have brought him back and pulled him from games that were in the bag to minimize the wear and tear on his body and risk of injury. When he was in our lineup, our pass rush was second to none. If he was in the GC game last year, it would have been a totally different game. Arbuckle would have been dead, instead of having all day to make his dink and dunk plays and win the cup

[theaardvark]

In the case of Jeffcoat, yes he is injured often, but heck, he's a game changer...I would have brought him back and pulled him from games that were in the bag to minimize the wear and tear on his body and risk of injury. When he was in our lineup, our pass rush was second to none. If he was in the GC game last year, it would have been a totally different game. Arbuckle would have been dead, instead of having all day to make his dink and dunk plays and win the cup

Jeffcoat, when healthy, was a dominant force.  The games he "played" were not always him at 100%. If he had been able to play more and healthier, no doubt he'd still be in the league.  The fact that after he became a FA he did not sign elsewhere, either he only wanted to play for us, or he didn't have any other offers...

When we moved on from Jeffcoat, we have a number of promising young DE's coming along.  So promising, they all have found new contracts in free agency.  So its not like we didn't have options.  And we have new DE coming in again, and a durable veteran as well (just FYI, Vaughters first NFL sack was Tom Brady).

[dd]

Our young prospects were no where near as effective as JJ on the edge.when JJ was in with Willie you had 3 seconds to get rid of the ball or you were dead. Sometimes they sacked the Qb before the OL got in their stance!! They were phenomenal. This year, QBs had so much time to make plays it was ridiculous and that cost us big time in the end

[Pete]

At the time both our ends were aging so we decided to continue with Jefferson ( rightly so) and try to develop for the future with Garbutt and Habs, Unfortunately neither really stepped up so we've gone back to a vet like Vaughters. I still would have liked to kept Garbutt as well, unless they think Persons is a better option

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

At the time both our ends were aging so we decided to continue with Jefferson ( rightly so) and try to develop for the future with Garbutt and Habs, Unfortunately neither really stepped up so we've gone back to a vet like Vaughters. I still would have liked to kept Garbutt as well, unless they think Persons is a better option

At this point Jason Persons is just another name, and not a very big one for a DE at 6'-2" 233 lbs, more a LB size.  In Garbutt's recent interview on the Ti-Cat network he complained about how difficult it was for a 250 lb. DE to take on a 300 lb. O-lineman.

[ModAdmin]

At this point Jason Persons is just another name, and not a very big one for a DE at 6'-2" 233 lbs, more a LB size.  In Garbutt's recent interview on the Ti-Cat network he complained about how difficult it was for a 250 lb. DE to take on a 300 lb. O-lineman.

It's not just a matter of height and weight, it is also about strength and dexterity. 

[Blue In BC]

At this point Jason Persons is just another name, and not a very big one for a DE at 6'-2" 233 lbs, more a LB size.  In Garbutt's recent interview on the Ti-Cat network he complained about how difficult it was for a 250 lb. DE to take on a 300 lb. O-lineman.

He's only 12 lbs lighter than Jefferson but 5" shorter, so he's stockier in that sense. Strength, speed and agility are all measurements that come into play. I agree he does somewhat seem more of a LB type, but the Bombers have utilized similar players in both 3 and 4 man fronts.  His size is about the same as some of our other LB's.

So we'll see how he is used in TC but I agree we'll see him more as a LB candidate. We're fairly deep at that position so barring injury I expect he's initially fighting for a spot on the PR.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

He's only 12 lbs lighter than Jefferson but 5" shorter, so he's stockier in that sense. Strength, speed and agility are all measurements that come into play. I agree he does somewhat seem more of a LB type, but the Bombers have utilized similar players in both 3 and 4 man fronts.  His size is about the same as some of our other LB's.

So we'll see how he is used in TC but I agree we'll see him more as a LB candidate. We're fairly deep at that position so barring injury I expect he's initially fighting for a spot on the PR.

Nope, looks like he's strictly a pass-rush specialist, maybe he'll be the next Kwaku Boateng, small but fast.

[Blue In BC]

Nope, looks like he's strictly a pass-rush specialist, maybe he'll be the next Kwaku Boateng, small but fast.

And yet the US listed him as a LB. Different game, narrower field doesn't necessarily translate to the CFL.   Faster game that is more pass oriented than the NFL.

However as I said he's only 12 lbs lighter than Jefferson. Speed can be a great equalizer but as we know Jefferson's height is it's own advantage.

While we know " positional labels " can be deceptive, even the Bombers list him as a LB.

We'll see how this works out.

EDIT: Definition.

Players considered to be edge rushers are usually 4–3 defensive ends or 3–4 outside linebackers. Note that 3–4 outside linebackers often act as an extension of the defensive line, in that they will attack the offensive tackles or blocking tight ends on the majority of their snaps under a majority of 3–4 schemes, though it is not uncommon to see them drop back and play a more traditional 4–3 linebacker role as well.[2]

One reason the word "edge" is used in the term "edge rusher" is that edge often refers to the area outside of offensive tackles, but within a couple of yards of the line of scrimmage. While other positions will rarely be referred to as edge rushers, other than 4–3 defensive ends and 3–4 outside linebackers, it is common for defensive backs, traditional linebackers, and even defensive tackles to occasionally play the position on a play-to-play basis.[3]