The Calgary Stampeders promised splash moves in the CFL off-season.
So far, they’ve cannon-balled …
And at the most pivotal of positions, to boot.
A couple of explosive transactions have brought them big-league QBs Vernon Adams Jr. and P.J. Walker to quickly infuse positive vibes into what’s been a sinking franchise.
“But that’s just one (area of the team),” cautioned Stampeders GM/head coach Dickenson, after Tuesday’s acquisition of Adams.
“We’ve got to make some change, and we’ve done that,” continued Dickenson. “Obviously, we had to change some things across the board in our organization. And now here’s a piece of the puzzle when it comes to personnel.”
Indeed, there’s plenty of making-waves work ahead at all the other positions to help leave behind 2024’s ugly five-win record and the six-victory debacle of 2023.
The first decision to be made is to determine which of the 30 pending free agents — announced Thursday by the CFL — will be asked back by the Stampeders.
Included on that list are a number of big names, such as 2023 all-star linebacker Micah Awe, veteran defensive backs Branden Dozier and Tre Roberson, global punter Cody Grace, clutch receiver Marken Michel, running backs Dedrick Mills and Peyton Logan and all four quarterbacks who appeared on last year’s active roster.
Many of the 30 won’t return to the Red and White. For instance, don’t expect Jake Maier — the starter of the last two-plus seasons — to be back, especially after the acquisitions of Adams and Walker.
In fact, Adams is expected to help attract a new batch of talent to the team. One of his top traits is his ability to bring players along with him when joining a new franchise.
“He has a reputation of obviously being a good recruiter, a guy that people want to play with,” confirmed Dickenson. “But I think we’ve got to be careful and not get ahead of ourselves. That’s kind of our job (as a recruiting staff) first.
“And be honest, most people who play, they want to get paid. But I do think they want to go to a place that can win. They do respect people, though, that have the leadership, and every person I talked to that’s worked with Vernon is just really impressed with who he is as a man and as a leader and what he stands for and how he holds himself up. And those are things, obviously, that carry a lot of weight in our room.”
There were players who made their way to the Lions to play alongside Adams, with top running back William Stanback the most notable.
“Vernon was a tremendous help to us, both on and off the field,” said Lions GM Ryan Rigmaiden during his news conference Tuesday announcing the trade of Adams to the Stampeders. “He was a great recruiter in helping us get players like Stanback and some others.”
Stanback, a top running back in the CFL for several years who posted the second-most rushing yards — 1,175 — in the league in 2024, is one of the Lions’ pending free agents.
So is last year’s leading receiver, Justin McInnis, who rolled up 1,469 yards and is Canadian.
Remember that Jalen Philpot is a pending free agent and could well want to return home to play in BC or join his twin brother, Tyson, with the Montreal Alouettes. And fellow Canadian receiver Cole Tucker, the Stamps’ first-round pick in 2023, retired from football last week.
Another pending free agent of the Lions is defensive back T.J. Lee, who played with Adams when both starred with the NCAA’s Eastern Washington Eagles.
“I do want to build a good team around me …” said Adams, during his meet-the-press day Wednesday. “Get some good players in here and try to change the culture up a little bit.”
Also helping the Stamps in trying to rebuild is their reward for finishing last overall in the CFL standings in 2024. That’s getting the first overall selection in the 2025 CFL Draft come spring.
But first, it’s about tending to their own free agents-to-be.
Players are slated to become free agents, provided they do not come to terms with their respective clubs before the opening of free agency, on Feb. 11 at 10 a.m.
And the Free Agency Communication Window, in which teams can openly speak with pending free agents or their CFL Players’ Association-registered designates, opens Feb. 2 at noon and closes Feb. 9 at noon.
“We do need to keep rolling,” added Dickenson. “We need to keep rolling. We need to keep making changes and keep bringing in good football players, and we need a positive vibe going into 2025.”
Stampeders’ free agents-to-be
• Awe, Micah | LB
• Bonner, Logan | QB
• Crawford, Aaron* | LS
• Demery, D’Antne | OL
• Dozier, Branden | DB
• Grace, Cody^ | P
• Graham, Elliot* | DL
• Howsare, Julian | DL
• John, Rysen* | WR
• Konar, Adam* | LB
• Langlais, William* | RB
• Logan, Peyton | RB
• Maier, Jake | QB
• McEwen, Sean* | OL
• Michel, Marken | WR
• Middlemost, Tyson* | WR
• Mills, Dedrick | RB
• Odoms-Dukes, Tre | WR
• Paredes, René* | K
• Philpot, Jalen* | WR
• Roberson, Tre | DB
• Saxelid, Kyle* | OL
• Shiltz, Matt | QB
• Statz, Nick* | DB
• Stevens, Tommy | QB
• Teitz, Micah* | LB
• Thompson, Malcolm* | DB
• Williams, Darius | LB
• Williams, Kobe | DB
• Williams, Zack* | OL
— *denotes national player
— ^denotes global player