Free Agency: Mass exodus in Ottawa

Big changes are coming for the Ottawa Redblacks as they release ten players, including QBs Jonathan Jennings and Will Arndt and RB Mossis Madu. New Head Coach Paul LaPolice obviously has a plan for this offseason, but what is it, and why are they make as many big changes as these? It seems that big changes are happening in the nation’s capital, all preparing for a completely new team.

Purge of the Quarterbacks

While the Redblacks had 7 QBs yesterday, only four of them were of starting calibre, however out of the quartet only Davis and Arbuckle remain. At first glance, it’s a bit surprising that the Redblacks released two of their backups; however, looking at these graphics by Marshall Ferguson gives a good idea of why the QBs weren’t offered a place for 2020.

Both QBs were extremely inefficient over 2019, with a completion rate of around 61% and twice as many interceptions as touchdowns. Ottawa struggled to lock down a starting QB over the season, but now that they have Nick Arbuckle to fill the position, they have little need for so many backups. It’s interesting that they chose to keep Dominique Davis, who had an equally unsuccessful 2019, but they may look to the Free Agency to get a secondary who has a history of success. Equally, with the skillset of Arbuckle, they may not need a good secondary as long as they’re able to keep their starter healthy.

RB Overhaul

Another key leaving member is Mossis Madu, who was Ottawa’s de facto starting RB for the 2019 season, as well as fellow RB Greg Morris. Their release means that another running back will have to pick up the slack, which will most likely be John Crockett. Crockett ran for 454 yards last year, and is by far the best option out of the Redblacks set of rookie running backs. However, Ottawa might look to another team to fill the role of starting RB – perhaps C.J. Gable is a likely pick. The Edmonton Eskimos have re-signed Shaq Cooper and have acquired Jordan Robinson from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, which gives a sign that perhaps Gable doesn’t have a future on the team. However, he’d make a strong addition to the Redblacks roster which is quickly gaining strength and potential as the off-season goes on.

Defence takes a hit

Four of the ten players that have been released play on defence – DB Maurice Fleming, LBs Jeff Knox and Nicolas Boulay and DL Cameron Walker. Ottawa has tried to limit the damage by signing defensive linemen Patrick Afriyie and Charles Williams, but this won’t be enough to boost the defence that allowed 564 points last season. A few key additions, such as Hamilton’s Ja’Gared Davis or Winnipeg’s Willie Jefferson could make all the difference in 2020, recharging a weak defence. It seems like the cogs are coming together for the Redblack’s offence, but Paul LaPolice still has some work to do on defence in order to stop the opposition from having such high possession and scoring next season. A statistical analysis by CFPerspectives shows increase of 6.9 points per game from 2018 and decrease of turnover differential by 23, indicating that the defence was simply not putting enough pressure on their opposition. Yesterday’s releases of defensive players shows that LaPolice recognises the weakness of Ottawa’s 2019 defence, which indeed will make a massive difference to the success of the team if large-scale improvements are made.