2022 Free Agency Recap (Day One)

The Ottawa REDBLACKS were well aware that they needed to make a splash in free agency not only in an effort to boost the team's talent but also to rebuild some faith in a fanbase that had been questioning the team's commitment to fielding a quality product in recent years. They seem to have accomplished both goals.

The comments below are copied from this Ottawa Sun article. They are all from General Manager Shawn Burke. I did not include returning players RJ Harris (WR), Davon Coleman (DT) and William Powell (RB), only the true new faces to the team.  

JEREMIAH MASOLI (QB): “To have a guy you’ve seen day in and day out for the better part of eight years — what he brings to the locker room, what the sport means to him, what family means to him and what teammates mean to him — meant a lot in making this decision. It’s about his work ethic, it’s about his quiet leadership and his passion and drive for the game. There’s a laidbackness thing going on, but there’s also a fire in him. It’s a great balance between the two and we’re excited to have him in Ottawa."

JACKSON BENNETT (RB): Bennett, 26, is a Cumberland product who has three CFL seasons under his belt, all with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In 40 regular season appearances, Bennett has 46 carries for 219 yards and a touchdown, 13 catches for 102 yards, and 20 special teams tackles. Over three seasons at the University of Ottawa, Bennett, then playing as a defensive back and linebacker, accumulated 89 solo tackles, 39 assisted tackles, one sack, and three interceptions, returning one for a touchdown. He moved to running back, the position he played in high school, in 2019.  

“(In Hamilton), he switched from safety and SAM linebacker to running back and it didn’t faze him. He’s gotten some quality snaps on the offensive side of the ball. And he’s a very good special teamer.”

Bennett played high high school ball with Sir Wilfrid Laurier and his university football with uOttawa. 

JAELON ACKLIN (WR): The 26 year-old Acklin comes to Ottawa from Hamilton, where he spent the first two campaigns of his CFL career. Acklin, who played college ball at Western Illinois, followed up a 708-yard campaign in 2019 with 678 yards and four touchdowns in 2021, while playing three fewer games. The Tiger-Cats reached the Grey Cup final in both of those seasons. Acklin caught 105 passes for 1,733 yards and 12 touchdowns, along with 21 carries for 255 yards, and four majors in 44 college games. 

“He was near the top of our board for receivers. He’s a playmaker, he’s got very good hands. Last year as the season went along in Hamilton, he became more and more of the go-to guy.”

DARVIN ADAMS (WR): A native of Canton, Mississippi, Adams arrived in the CFL for the 2013 season, signing with the Toronto Argonauts. He joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2015 and all told has racked up 4,928 receiving yards on 343 receptions along with 40 touchdowns through 91 career CFL games, earning CFL All-Star honours in 2017 and 2018. Adams, 32, has also been a key contributor to the two-time defending Grey Cup Champion Blue Bombers, appearing in four playoff games the last two seasons, recording 387 receiving yards, and the Cup-winning touchdown in 2021. 

“He brings a different energy and edge to our receiving corps. He’s a two-time Grey Cup champion. He’s got a background with Coach LaPo, which means he can hit the ground running.”

LLEVI NOEL (WR): Noel, 30, hails from Toronto where he has spent his entire five-year CFL career with his hometown Argonauts. A former member of the Canadian Junior Football League in Windsor, the 6-foot-2, 198-pound 30 year-old has 79 special teams tackles, in 74 career regular season games with the Argos. Though limited to just four games in 2021, Noel also has 82 catches for 869 career receiving yards and four touchdowns. Noel had a career year in 2018 when he hauled in 47 passes for 512 yards. 

“He’s had a 500-yard season. He got derailed a bit last year with a hamstring injury in Toronto. When we watched the tape, he looked like he’ll fit what we’re trying to do. Like Darvin, he brings an aggressiveness and size. What he can do with the ball shouldn’t be lost. On top of that, he’s a very high-end special teams guy.”

SHAQ JOHNSON (WR): Hailing from Brampton, Ontario, Johnson was drafted in the fourth round, 32nd overall by the Lions in 2016. The product of both McGill and Western broke into the league as a full-timer in 2017 and has since posted 127 catches for 1,749 receiving yards and seven touchdowns. The 28 year-old Johnson appeared in all 14 games for the Lions in 2021, tallying 30 receptions for 295 yards. 

“He’s a very athletic Canadian receiver, he’s had a couple of 500-yard seasons.. When you talk about playing two Canadian receivers, you likely need three with good ability so with him, Nate (Behar) and Llevi, we feel very good about that position group.”

UCAMBRE WILLIAMS (OL): Williams, 29, has spent his entire five-season CFL career with the Calgary Stampeders, where suited up for 63 career regular season games. The Alabaman has played right tackle and right guard but moved to centre in 2017 and started at the position when the Stamps won the 2018 Grey Cup. The 6-foot-3, 298-pound product of the University of South Alabama was a CFL West All-Star, the Stamps’ top lineman and the West Division nominee for best offensive lineman. 

“He’s a leader, he’s tenacious, a good pro and he’s got a lot of flexibility – he’s played right tackle, left tackle and centre. We’ll be looking at him as a tackle. People will say he doesn’t have the tackle size. But if you look at the film, he can play. He loves the game of football.”

DARIUS CIRACO (OL): Ciraco, 25, spent the first three seasons of his CFL career with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. In three campaigns, the Burlington native and University of Calgary product dressed for all but 8 games. The 6-foot-4, 292-pound lineman was drafted with Hamilton’s sixth-overall pick in the 2018 CFL Draft, and was named the Ti-Cats’ Most Outstanding Rookie in 2018. 

“He’s a former first-round pick that’s transitioned from guard, he’ll play centre for us. He had a bit of the injury bug last year in Hamilton. He has a volume of work already with Jeremiah.”

HUNTER STEWARD (OL): Steward, 30, is a seven-season CFL veteran who has spent his entire career with the BC Lions. The 6--foot-6, 315-pound from Calgary has 89 games under his belt as he makes the trip east to Ottawa. Steward was selected in the first round and sixth overall by the Lions in the 2013 CFL draft and made his debut with the club in 2014. He played college ball at Virginia's Liberty University.  

“We evaluated him and decided he was a guy we really wanted to chase. As his career has gone on, he’s been more and more available. He was a guy we felt could come in and help us win football games.”

KWAKU BOATENG (DL): Boateng, 26, brings athleticism and a penchant for getting at quarterbacks to Ottawa. The six-foot-two, 257-pound Wilfrid Laurier product had 25 sacks in his four seasons with the Elks. His nine-sack effort in 2018 is his personal best. Boateng also has 82 career tackles and a pair of forced fumbles on his short but impressive resume. A fifth-round selection by the Elks in 2017, Boateng quickly showed that he could play at the pro level, and had three tackles in the Elks’ Western Semi-final showdown with Winnipeg. Boateng was twice (2018 and 2019) named the team’s top Canadian player. 

"He had his most productive season with (defensive co-ordinator Mike) Benevides (in Edmonton) and that wasn’t lost on him. He’s coming off a bit of a down season and he’s hungry. It makes sense for us, it gives us a ton of flexibility ratio wise to have another Canadian of his skillset.”

LORENZO MAULDIN IV (DL): Mauldin IV, 29, is a former third-round pick of the NFL’s New York Jets, who spent the last two seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The 6-foot-4, 259-pound Sacramento native has 13 defensive tackles, 12 special teams tackles, four sacks, and a forced fumble in 17 regular season CFL games. Mauldin made his NFL debut with the Jets in 2015, and went on to record 33 tackles, 6.5 sacks, a fumble recovery, and an interception. 

“He had a bit of an injury bug last year with the hamstring. He embraced his role as the third defensive end and did a great job on special teams. He wants an opportunity to be given a chance to start; we think he can compete with the guys we have. He’s a big, physical player, a former third-round (NFL) pick.”

PATRICK LEVELS (LB): Levels comes to Ottawa after two years with the Montreal Alouettes, and a pair of seasons with the Calgary Stampeders. The Dallas native has played 55 regular season games over four years, recording 164 defensive tackles, eight sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and a touchdown. Though limited to 12 games last year, Levels still put up 42 defensive tackles, three sacks, one pick and one touchdown. He won the Grey Cup in 2018 with the Stampeders.    

“Much like I talked about about Darvin, in terms of energy, physicality and intensity, (Levels) brings that to the defensive side.”

TY CRANSTON (DB): Cranston, 27, hails from Winnipeg but played for the University of Ottawa before being drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the seventh round in 2017. In three seasons with the Alouettes, Cranston has recorded 38 defensive tackles, 24 special teams tackles and an interception in 34 regular season games. Cranston played 30 regular season games with the Gee-Gees from 2013-2017, recording 133 , defensive tackles, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. 

“He got a lot of playing time in Montreal. The more and more we talked about him, the more it made sense. He’s got a longer body, it gives us a different body type. When he wasn’t starting in Montreal, he was an above average special teamer. Safety is going to be a group that we’ve added some depth with and we’re excited to see them compete.”

ALDEN DARBY (DB/LB): “The more we talked through it, it made sense from a versatility standpoint; he’s played four different defensive backfield positions – SAM backer, boundary half, boundary corner and safety. Everything we’ve heard about him, he’s an energetic guy, he brings communication to the defensive backfield.”