The ball has dropped on a new year and that means a fresh slate for everyone, including your favourite CFL team.
With free agency just six weeks away, all nine franchises are busy retaining their talent before it hits the open market. However, just like in life, some faces are better off left in 2023 for the sake of self-improvement.
In honour of those new beginnings, here is one popular veteran player each team should let walk in 2024.
Montreal Alouettes: RB William Stanback
There may be no harder time to move on from a veteran than after a Grey Cup victory, especially when that player scored an impressive touchdown in that game. However, Stanback hasn’t been the same since suffering a major injury in the 2022 season opener and will be 30 years old next season. He no longer averages six yards per carry like he once did but still wants to command top dollar. Unless a bargain can be struck, it is time for the Alouettes to get younger and cheaper in the backfield.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers: OL Geoff Gray
The Bombers still have the best offensive line in Canadian football despite a few greying beards. A lack of talented American tackles and the tendency for linemen to produce late into their thirties means the other members of the starting five should be retained, but the 29-year-old Gray is the exception. The 2017 first-round pick hasn’t blossomed the way his hometown team expected and was the only Bombers’ blocker to receive a grade under 60.0 from Pro Football Focus last year. With a bumper crop of offensive linemen available in the draft this year and both Liam Dobson and Tui Eli ready for larger roles, it’s time to cut bait.
Toronto Argonauts: DT Shawn Oakman
At six-foot-nine and 287 pounds, Oakman still looks every bit like the behemoth that made him a viral sensation. But while his statistical output hasn’t actually decreased, his role with the Argonauts did last year and he was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions. Dewayne Hendrix and Jared Brinkman have the capacity to be the best defensive tackle tandem in the league, which leaves the soon-to-be 32-year-old Oakman as an unnecessary luxury that Toronto definitely can’t afford. If someone is looking to let an apartment with particularly high ceilings in Regina, a golden opportunity could be around the corner.
B.C. Lions: REC Lucky Whitehead
Whitehead remains massively popular with fans in Vancouver and across the country, but he’s simply not the deep threat he used to be. Though he still stepped up on occasion, the 31-year-old didn’t always handle his reduced usage with grace last season either, choosing to be cryptic on social media. While Whitehead’s fate seemed sealed early in the year, the torn Achilles suffered by Keon Hatcher in the West Final will provide an unexpected incentive to keep him around. The Lions must resist that urge and find their receiver depth elsewhere.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats: DT Dylan Wynn
Wynn was on my colleague Josh Smith’s short list of Ticat’s players that need to be brought back but I vehemently disagree. The 31-year-old hasn’t been a dominant game-wrecker since 2019 and his struggles staying healthy are concerning. He was barely a factor in the seven games he played last season and has fallen into a more rotational role. The Ticats need an influx of young talent on the defensive line, with Casey Sayles serving as the building block. Simply bringing back veterans like Wynn or his long-time running mate Ted Laurent will only guarantee the same underwhelming results.
Calgary Stampeders: RB Ka’Deem Carey
Carey didn’t crack Ryan Ballantine’s list of Stampeders’ free agents that need to be brought back and I couldn’t agree with my Calgarian colleague more. The 31-year-old running back isn’t far removed from being the top rusher in the league but he has yet to play a full campaign over four CFL seasons and won’t be getting any younger. In just nine games last year, Carey averaged a relatively pedestrian 5.3 yards per carry. Backup Dedrick Mills averaged 5.6 and is four years younger, which makes the choice of who to keep pretty clear.
Saskatchewan Roughriders: SAM Derrick Moncrief
When Derrick Moncrief returned to Saskatchewan in 2022, he openly stated his desire to put down roots in the province long term. Unfortunately for him, the strongside linebacker might not have a say in that future after a 2023 season in which he played well below expectations. Not only did the 30-year-old not look like a former all-star, he was the active weak point in the Riders’ secondary at times. It is clear that the recently extended C.J. Reavis is the future at the position and Moncrief is merely in the way.
Ottawa Redblacks: DE Lorenzo Mauldin IV
Ottawa’s free agent list isn’t exactly swimming with names that people want brought back, so the slim pickings have produced perhaps my hottest take. Mauldin is just a year removed from a 17-sack season that won him the league’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player award, but did anyone see that guy last year? The 31-year-old saw not only his sack numbers but also his pressure rate drop dramatically in 2023 and now looks more like a one-hit wonder than a late bloomer. Ottawa has another budding star at defensive end in 25-year-old Bryce Carter and needs to allocate more of their resources in that direction, even if that means pricing out Mauldin.
Edmonton Elks: DB Ed Gainey
Naming 32-year-old defensive back Aaron Grymes here felt a little bit too obvious given that he hasn’t played in two seasons, so I’ll ruffle some feathers with another veteran player in the secondary. Ed Gainey remains a serviceable player at nearly 34 years of age, but he’s no longer a game-changer. With Edmonton’s young crop of DBs entering year two, they don’t need an elder statesman to manage them as thoroughly — at least not one quite so old. With several promising pieces in place, it’s time to add more talent to the Edmonton defence and trim some gray hairs.
