Cue the acquisitions over the past few days …
With the biggest being Damon Webb.
With the Ottawa Redblacks last year, the 30-year-old Detroit product earned league all-star honours after posting five interceptions, 68 defensive tackles, one special-teams stop, two sacks, one forced fumble and seven knockdowns. Two of those INTS were returned for touchdowns — a league-high for Webb. And eight of his tackles were for losses, which was the second-best count in the CFL.
“In my head, I’m the best DB in the CFL,” the American Webb said Wednesday, when meeting the media. “So I’m going to come here and do the same thing I did in Ottawa. I’m going to tackle and make big plays — interceptions, sacks, forced fumbles, pick-sixes …
“I know I’m going to come in and put my fingerprint down.”
Adrian Greene joins the Red and White, hoping to make his mark, as well.
A fourth-round selection by the BC Lions in the 2022 CFL Draft, Greene played 42 games on the West Coast over the past three seasons. He’s rolled up 42 defensive tackles, 18 special-teams tackles, three interceptions, one forced fumble and five knockdowns.
Last year, Greene had 14 starts with the Lions, sharing the team lead with two interceptions, including one that he returned 50 yards in a Week 18 game against the Stampeders. Greene also established a new career high with 26 defensive tackles and also had five special-teams tackles, one forced fumble and four knockdowns.
And he’s feeling like the new-look Stamps secondary can work wonders.
“When you’re in room full of great players and great people, you can’t help but think that,” Greene, a 29-year-old Toronto native, said Wednesday. “In B.C. for the start of my career, it was a great opportunity for me to grow and get better as a player. Ultimately, part of sport is continuing to grow, so now this an opportunity for me …
“And I’m taking it.”
For depth in the secondary, the Stamps brought in fellow CFL veteran Godfrey Onyeka, a free-agent signing announced by the Stampeders early Wednesday.
The 30-year-old native of Nigeria is known as more of a special-teams ace, with 33 special-teams stops during 60 games in Edmonton and Saskatchewan.
Just ahead of free agency, they also inked 28-year-old American DB Marloshawn Franklin Jr., who played eight games for the Edmonton Elks in 2023, making starts at both safety and strong-side linebacker.
And last week, they brought in Anthony Cook, a 24-year-old Texan who starred at defensive back for the NCAA’s Texas Longhorns and went on to appear in two pre-season games with the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs.
“I feel like we have a lot of playmakers back there,” added Webb, when asked what he likes about the Stamps secondary that returns — among others — the likes of Bentlee Sanders, Ben Labrosse, Tyler Richardson and Bailey Devine-Scott and is now run by former Redblacks defensive coordinator Barron Miles.
“I know B-Miles, he’s gonna get us right. He’s a great coach. And I’m just excited to get together in camp and see what we’ve got and get better each and every day.”