Argos relegate Brandon Banks to backup role to accommodate return of Eric Rogers

Photo: AP/Larry MacDougal

The Toronto Argonauts have reshuffled their receiving corps after getting a pair of top pass-catchers back off the injured list.

All-star receiver Eric Rogers will make his first start of the 2022 season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday, after the 31-year-old missed the first six games of the year with a hamstring injury.

Rogers appeared in six games last season and made 25 receptions for 346 yards and three touchdowns. He started the East Final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in December and made six receptions for 62 yards.

The two-time West Division all-star appeared in 45 games as a member of the Calgary Stampeders (2014-15, 2018-19) and made 217 catches for 3,176 yards and 27 touchdowns.

Also returning to the lineup after a one-game absence with a head injury is 29-year-old DaVaris Daniels. The former CFL Most Outstanding Rookie has played five games this season, catching 20 passes for 261 yards and a touchdown.

In order to keep youngster Cam Phillips in the starting rotation alongside the fresh-legged veterans, the Argos have relegated 34-year-old Brandon Banks to a backup role according to their depth chart.

The 2019 CFL Most Outstanding Player is getting set to play the Ticats for the first time since the team cast him aside after eight years of service this past offseason. He has caught 15 passes for 224 yards and three touchdowns in six games so far with the rival Boatmen but has struggled to stay on the same page with quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

The on-paper demotion will likely serve as additional motivation for the pint-sized speedster but expect to see a heavy dose of him on Saturday nonetheless. An injury to right tackle Dejon Allen means that Canadian Shane Richards will start in his place and the added ratio flexibility afforded by the Argos declaring nine National starters will allow Banks to substitute for any member of the receiving corps.