The Toronto Argonauts inked six players to new contracts on Friday, including re-signing. Canadian offensive lineman Dylan Giffen.
The six-foot-eight, 325-pound blocker was originally selected in the third round of the 2020 CFL Draft out of Western University and now enters his fourth season with Toronto. He has appeared in 26 games over that span and made four starts, including two in 2023.
Also re-signing with the team is veteran defensive back Maurice Carnell IV, who missed the entirety of the 2023 season due to injury.
The 29-year-old originally signed with the team in 2018 but was released in the preseason, eventually rejoining Toronto in 2022 after practice roster and training camp stints with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2019 and 2021. The five-foot-10 halfback played in nine regular season games, notching 28 defensive tackles, a sack and four interceptions.
In addition to the veterans, the Argos brought back two of the team’s picks in the 2023 CFL draft, offensive lineman Edouard Paradis and receiver Richard Burton, and two Global players who finished the season on the practice roster, linebacker Emmanuel Falola and kicker Alfredo Gachuz Lozada.
Paradis was selected by the Argos with the 45th overall pick in the fifth round out of Houston Christian University, where he played 17 games over three seasons as a depth guard. After being cut in training camp, he returned to school at the Université de Montréal for his final season of collegiate eligibility and helped the Carabins win a Vanier Cup.
Burton was selected with the 47th overall pick in the sixth round after an outstanding collegiate career at Queen’s in which he caught 131 passes for 2,016 yards and nine touchdowns over four seasons, earning second-team All-Canadian honours in 2022. He spent the 2023 season with the Potsdam Royals of the German Football League, catching 20 passes for 377 yards and five touchdowns in eight games as the team captured their first-ever German Bowl title.
Falola was chosen with the final pick in the 2023 CFL Global Draft, 18th overall, after suiting up for the Bristol Aztecs in his native Britain. He played in one game as a rookie, recording no statistics.
Lozada was taken with the ninth overall pick in the same draft after an outstanding career with the Naucalpan Raptors of the Liga de Futbol Americano Professional (LFA) in Mexico, where he holds the all-time scoring record after leading the league for five seasons. He suited up in Week 20 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, connecting on three of his four field goal attempts and adding two of three extra points for 11 total points while averaging 63.2 yards per kickoff.
