Incoming (and outgoing) Players on Day One of Free Agency

Looked like a pretty quiet first day of free agency for the RedBlacks but their work was done just before its official start, then in the early evening.

To begin, the very first trade in team history:

The Ottawa REDBLACKS of the Canadian Football League have made a trade with the Calgary Stampeders, acquiring defensive lineman and Stittsville native Justin Phillips and Calgary’s third-round pick (23rd overall) in the 2014 CFL Canadian draft. 

In exchange, the Stampeders receive Ottawa’s third-round pick (19th overall) in the 2014 CFL Canadian draft and the REDBLACKS’ third-round selection in the 2015 draft. 

Phillips (6-4, 240 lbs.) has spent the past seven seasons in Calgary, where he has accumulated 78 tackles and an additional 78 special teams tackles and four sacks, including a career-high two sacks last season. 

... 

The 28-year-old Phillips attended Sacred Heart High School in Stittsville and played youth football with the Bell Warriors of the National Capital Amateur Football Association (NCAFA) and university football for the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Knights, helping his team win the 2005 Vanier Cup. 

In his third and final season at Wilfrid Laurier in 2006, Phillips was named a first-team Ontario University Athletics (OUA) all-star and a second-team Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) All-Canadian. 

Phillips, selected in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2007 CFL Canadian draft, helped the Stampeders win the 2008 Grey Cup and had a career season in 2011, recording 31 tackles and 12 tackles on special teams, to go along with a sack, one forced fumbled and a fumble recovery.

Nice.  Including the two college draft choices from the spring (Kalonji Kashama and Connor Williams), we could potentially bring in seven non-import defensive linemen to camp.  Plenty of competition and some tough choices to be made there unless someone is able to change positions.  Good problem to have.  At least I assume so, I don't recall that kind of problem with the two previous franchises in this city.

During the afternoon, our only free agent, receiver Rory Kohlert, returned to Winnipeg.  No great loss there.  He had a lot of catches, for relatively short yardage, but he was selected only because Ottawa could not find anything appealing among the players Winnipeg made available that were not pending free agents. I doubt this came as a shock to anyone in the organization.  Moving along...

Late in the day, the RedBlacks announced three more signings (photography by Dale MacMillan).

The Ottawa REDBLACKS of the Canadian Football League signed the following non-import free agents today: linebacker Kevin Scott, slotback Matt Carter and kicker Derek Schiavone. 

Scott, a 6-foot-3, 232-lb. Ottawa native has played five seasons in the CFL, the past three with Hamilton. The 30-year-old graduate of Queen’s has 25 special teams tackles in his CFL career. 

Carter, a 6-foot-2, 199-lb. native of Kelowna, B.C., spent the past two seasons in Edmonton after playing three years in Hamilton. The 27-year-old has 52 career catches in the CFL for 738 yards and four touchdowns. 

Schiavone, a Western graduate from Fort Erie, last appeared in the CFL in 2011 with Edmonton. He went 39-for-45 on field goals in four seasons with the Eskimos.

Nowhere near the flash of other signings on the day, but some solid stuff there. Including Phillips, RedBlacks special teams got a lot of love today.  Phillips has 18 special teams tackles for Calgary.  Scott was the long-snapper for the Ti-Cats.  Schiavone also punted for the Eskimos in 2010, recording a 40.3 average.

There will definitely be more news tomorrow as the schedule is expected to be released.  Looking forward to sitting back and giving that a longer look.