Three Canadian castoffs the Redblacks should consider calling

Following the league-wide cutdown, a number of prominent players suddenly find themselves on the free agent market.

Since there’s no such thing as too much Canadian depth, here are three players the Ottawa Redblacks should consider calling.

REC Anthony Parker

This one almost makes too much sense. Given the recent news that offensive lineman Jason Lauzon-Séguin will miss 6-8 weeks due to an injury sustained in the Redblacks first pre-season game, Ottawa will be forced to juggle their roster to manage their ratio.

As the team will likely start two Canadians at the receiver position (Brad Sinopoli and Julian Feoli-Gudino), Parker would be a savvy addition. The 28-year-old is a proven veteran capable of playing any position in the receiving corps. Over 108 games and seven seasons in Calgary, Parker made 178 catches for 2245 and 15 touchdowns.

Parker wouldn’t need to be rushed onto the field either, he could simply provide depth and work in as a rotational player as he learns the nuances of Jamie Elizondo’s playbook.

REC Rob Bagg

Despite Bagg being a bit older than Parker at 33, he checks off many of the same boxes. Although he’s coming off a statistically poor year, he still averaged 9.7 yards per catch in 2017. The down year might also work into the Redblacks’ favour, allowing them to sign Bagg to a cheaper, team friendly contract.

DL Faith Ekakitie

One of the biggest surprises from cutdown day, the 2017 1st overall pick never managed to find his place on a deep Bomber’s defensive line. Even if he failed to live up to expectations in Winnipeg, perhaps being free of the burdens that come with being the draft’s top pick allow Ekakitie to settle in and simply focus on football. After all, not all players develop at the same speed.

Given that the Redblacks already have Daryl Waud, Micheal Klassen, Ettore Lattanzio and Andrew Marshall on their roster, perhaps there’s no room for Ekakitie. But if anyone can get some production out of him, you’d have to believe Hall of Fame defensive line coach Leroy Blugh would be up to the task.