A Big Ol' Bunch of Redblacks Re-Signings!

The Drew Desjarlais signing was a big one but the team also brought back a number of players prior to it and since. We'll look at a few of those now.

January 23rd, 2023 - The Ottawa REDBLACKS...have re-signed national fullback Anthony Gosselin to a one-year deal.

“Hey RNation, I’m very excited to be back with the REDBLACKS,” said Gosselin. “I can't wait to get back on the field in front of our fans and get to work again with Coach Dyce and the rest of the team.”

Gosselin, 30, is heading into his sixth CFL season, all with the REDBLACKS. The Otterburn, Quebec native has long been a fixture in Ottawa's blocking schemes, as well as on Head Coach Bob Dyce's special teams units, recording 11 total tackles in 59 career games in the CFL. Gosselin has also notched 77 receiving yards on 13 career receptions.

The REDBLACKS selected Gosselin in the second round, 18th overall, in the 2017 CFL Draft.

January 27th, 2023 - The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced the re-signing of American linebacker Frankie Griffin.

Griffin, 27, returned to the REDBLACKS for his second CFL season in 2022, suiting up in eight games, and recording a career high 35 total tackles. A native of Spring, Texas, Griffin first signed with Ottawa on January 28, 2021.

Linebacker Patrick Nelson was also included in this announcement. He had been released in mid-November, presumably to take a stab at a job in the States. He turned 26 in October, played in five games, notching three tackles on defense and two on special teams. 

January 31st, 2023 - The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced today that they have re-signed American defensive back Money Hunter to a one-year contract.

Hunter, 27, was limited to 12 games in his first season with the REDBLACKS, but made the most of his time on the field. The Prosper, Texas native recorded 38 tackles, and a career high four interceptions, including two against the BC Lions in Week 4.

This was Hunter's fourth CFL season, first signing with Edmonton on February 6, 2018, and spending the 2018 and 2019 seasons there. The product of Arkansas State moved on to the Montreal Alouettes for the 2021 campaign, earning East All-Star honours, and joined the REDBLACKS via free agency on February 9, 2022.

February 1st, 2023 - The Ottawa REDBLACKS announced today that they have re-signed American defensive backs Brandin Dandridge, and Damon Webb, through the 2023 CFL season.

Dandridge, 26, has appeared with the REDBLACKS through the 2019, 2021, and 2022 seasons. After a breakout 2021 campaign, he spent time with the NFL's Kansas City Chiefs in 2022, before returning to Ottawa. In six appearances, this season, the Lee's Summit, Missouri native posted a career high 14 tackles, and two forced fumbles, one of which he ran back for his first CFL touchdown.

Webb, 27, began the 2022 CFL season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and appeared in two games before joining the REDBLACKS. The Detroit, Michigan, native played in nine games with Ottawa, recording a career-high 35 tackles altogether, and an interception against the Toronto Argonauts in Week 14.

February 2nd, 2023 - The Ottawa REDBLACKS have signed national receiver Tevaun Smith to a one-year contract extension, the team announced today.

Smith, 30, battled through injury in 2022, appearing in eight games, altogether. The Toronto, Ontario native hauled in 14 passes for 142 yards, 32 YAC, and a pair of touchdowns.

Drafted eighth overall by Edmonton in 2016, Smith spent time with the NFL's Indianapolis Colts, Oakland Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars, before making the jump to the CFL in 2019. After racking up 956 receiving yards, and six touchdowns through 2019, and 2021, Smith was released by the Elks, and signed with the REDBLACKS on May 21, 2022. 

I keep my own version of the roster. For one thing, the team is not particularly meticulous with theirs. Updates can be long in coming. Also, I add things like contract length out of interest, just to know what to expect come free agency.

I count 68 players at the moment. Of those, 44 were on the 2022 team. That doesn't include players like Dustin Crum who signed to the practice roster last year but did not see any playing time. 

That seems like a high level of retention for a team that went 4-14 and winless at home.

You don't need to start from scratch, obviously; it would have idiotic to not re-sign Lorenzo Mauldin, Devonte Demon and/or Money Hunter, given the opportunity. It's been established that these guys are indeed quality players. But 19 free agents have been brought back to this point. I find that total staggering and, frankly, discouraging.

That said, a few of those guys should be larger contributors in 2023, injuries notwithstanding. Dedmon, Webb and Dandridge were added late in the season and now are expected to be around for the bulk of it. Receiver Justin Hardy was inexplicably left off the roster as a healthy scratch following his return from injury, which border on criminal negligence, football edition. Hopefully the current coaching staff has enough sense to see what they have in that guy.

Bring on free agency and the draft. I'm dying for more new faces.