The Calgary Stampeders will be without one of their star receivers when training camp opens on May 14.
Jalen Philpot suffered an injury to his hamstring during a training session in March. The team indicated that it’s a “serious injury” that required surgery and he will be “sidelined indefinitely.”
“Jalen is a worker and he will overcome this injury,” said head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson in a statement. “Although this is an unfortunate injury, we felt we had time to address our depth through the signing of Rysen John and adding two quality receivers in this year’s draft.”
The native of Delta, B.C. was the fifth overall pick in the 2022 CFL Draft out of the University of Calgary. In 14 games as a rookie, he recorded 23 receptions for 317 yards and three touchdowns along with 10 carries for 102 yards, 22 kickoff returns for 598 yards, two missed field goal returns for 35 yards, and one punt return for 24 yards.
On Tuesday, the Stampeders used the fourth overall selection in the 2023 CFL Draft to select receiver Cole Tucker out of Northern Illinois University. The six-foot-one, 193-pound target made 155 catches for 2,030 yards and 10 touchdowns with the Huskies.
Calgary added another receiver in the third round, picking Clark Barnes from the University of Guelph. He ran a 4.53-second forty-yard dash at the CFL Combine and was 3DownNation‘s third-ranked receiver in the draft behind only Jared Wayne, who signed with the Houston Texans as an undrafted NFL free agent, and Tucker.
The club also signed Rysen John earlier this off-season following a three-year stint in the CFL. The six-foot-seven, 250-pound target made 132 catches for 1,928 yards and 20 touchdowns as a receiver at Simon Fraser before converting to tight end with the New York Giants.
Calgary’s other Canadian receivers include Luther Hakunavanhu, Colton Hunchak, and Tyson Middlemost.
