Argos trying to sell high on Shawn Lemon as the ship sinks

Pass rusher Shawn Lemon didn’t travel west with the Argos because Toronto is trying to trade the veteran defensive lineman.

The Argos lost all three games on the trip dropping to 0-6 on the season.

The last time Lemon suited up in double blue he had five tackles and one sack against the B.C. Lions, his best game of the season. Head coach Corey Chamblin and general manager Jim Popp elected to leave Lemon in Toronto while working the phones.

The 30-year-old started 18 games for Toronto and B.C. last season, registering 11 sacks, 21 tackles and a forced fumble. After starting the year with the Argos, the Lions acquired Lemon in a mid-season trade to boost their pressure on the quarterback. During free agency in February, Lemon signed a one-year deal to return Toronto.

Lemon was named an East All-Star in 2016 when he recorded 22 tackles and a career-high 14 sacks in 16 games and played a key role on the Argos defence that helped the team wan a Grey Cup in 2017. That was the second CFL title of Lemon’s career, he was on the Calgary Stampeders 2014 championship team.

Toronto originally acquired Lemon from the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a July 2016 trade. The Argos extended his contract for two seasons after that year with the pact running through the 2018 season. Lemon is in his ninth season in the CFL, recording 145 tackles, 62 sacks, 19 forced fumbles and one interception in 96 games.

Montreal and B.C. have the lowest sack totals in the league and could use a sack artist such as Lemon.