Positional Previews: RBs and LBs

Brandon Whitaker returns to the Double Blue after re-signing with the club this off-season. After spending the majority of his career with the Alouettes, Whitaker made his Argos debut in 2015, starting in 15 games last season.

In 15 contests last season, the Baylor product racked up 636 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 121 carries (5.3 YPA), adding another 440 yards and three scores on 53 receptions (8.3 YPC). After eclipsing 1,000 total offensive yards for the fourth time in his seven-year career, Whitaker earned his first East Division All Star honours.

Whitaker enters his second season with the Boatmen looking to build on one of the best seasons of his career, topped only by his 2011 season with the Als.

Chad Kackert made a return to football with the Argos last season, playing for the first time since the ankle injury suffered in practice ahead of the 2013 Eastern Final. In his fourth CFL season – all spent with the Argos – Kackert finished second on the team in rushing, carrying the ball 39 times for 235 yards while adding 76 yards on 10 receptions.

Along with his offensive contributions, Kackert was a valuable part-time contributor on special teams, returning eight kickoffs for 175 yards between the regular season and playoffs.

Kackert showed off his abilities in a Week 20 win over the Blue Bombers, when he eclipsed 100 total yards, rushing for 89 yards on 10 carries and adding another 18 yards receiving on four catches. The native of Simi Valley, California will enter his fifth season with the Boatmen in 2016 looking to build on his successful comeback last season.

After dressing for seven of the Argos first nine games, Missouri product Henry Josey spent the remainder of his first CFL season on the team’s practice roster. In the seven games he dressed in, Josey recorded 30 yards on 16 carries and 15 yards on four receptions, chipping in on special teams with 234 yards on 11 returns.

Edwin Baker and Dillon Campbell enter training camp as the club’s only rookie running backs, both having signed with the Boatmen in January.

Baker, a product of Michigan State, has spent time with four NFL teams since being drafted in the seventh round of the 2012 NFL Draft by the San Diego Chargers. Most recently with the New Orleans Saints, Baker recorded 230 total yards on 51 touches in six career NFL games.

Campbell arrives in Toronto via Wilfrid Laurier University, where he returned after being drafted 39^th overall by the Argos in the 2015 CFL Draft. In his final season with the Golden Hawks, the native of Whitby, Ontario ran wild for 1,115 yards and five touchdowns on 186 caries to lead the nation in rushing. During his five seasons at Laurier, Campbell became the school’s all-time leading rusher with 3,598 yards and 24 touchdowns on 547 career carries.

Fullbacks:

Along with three-year man Alexandre Dupuis, the Argos added another fullback through the 2016 CFL Draft, selecting former McMaster Marauder Declan Cross in the fourth round.

Dupuis, a fellow fourth-round selection in the CFL Draft (2014), has played in 33 games across the last two seasons for the Double Blue. Seeing action as both a fullback and tight end, Dupuis has registered 10 receptions for 141 yards the last two seasons. The native of Montreal notched his first CFL special teams tackle –and five more – in 2015, finishing eighth on the team in the category.

Cross comes to the Argonauts following a four-year career at McMaster, where he had 118 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, and 107 receiving yards and one touchdown on 21 catches. The native of Oakville, Ontario was a member of the Marauders’ 2012 Yates Cup-winning squad.

Linebackers:

The Argonauts boast a wealth of Canadian depth at linebacker, with four experienced national linebackers returning to the team in 2016.

Cory Greenwood made eight starts at weak side linebacker in 2015 and was number one on the depth chart when healthy in his first full CFL campaign. In those eight contests, the former Concordia Stinger averaged 4.5 tackles per game (36 total), adding three special teams tackles and a forced fumble.

In the team’s Eastern Semi-Final bout with the Ticats, Greenwood made his presence felt, recording a team-high nine tackles on defence.

Behind the gritty Greenwood, the team features a pair of talented national linebackers in James Yurichuk and Thomas Miles.

Yurichuk started on the weak side in four contests last year, dressing for every regular season game in his third season in the Double Blue. The Brampton, Ontario native recorded his second-highest single-season defensive tackles figure with 21 while finishing second on the team with 15 special teams tackles.

Manitoba native Thomas Miles re-upped with the Boatmen in the off-season after starting in six games in 2015. In his second season with the club, Miles notched 50 defensive tackles, five tackles for a loss, a forced fumble and a pass knockdown.

Miles started his first career game against Ottawa in Week 14 and started the remainder of the team’s games down the stretch in the regular season.

Other than Miles, the team’s only returning player with CFL experience is national Herve Tonye-Tonye, who dressed as a backup at the position in all 18 contests in 2015.

In his third season with the Boatmen, after being selected in the fourth round of the 2012 CFL Draft, Tonye-Tonye finished third on the team in special teams tackles, registering 13 on the season. The native of Yaounde, Cameroon picked up two defensive tackles and two forced fumbles during the season as well.

Finally, Curtis Newton, the team’s lone national rookie at linebacker, will stay right at home on the Guelph campus for training camp, after spending four seasons (2012-15) with the Gryphons. The 2015 second-team OUA All-Star is coming off of an impressive year at Guelph, notching 40 tackles, six tackles for a loss, three sacks, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble and two interceptions in his senior year. Across his career with the Gryphons, the London, Ontario native and 2014 CIS All-Canadian recorded 139 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, four interceptions, three fumble recoveries and six pass breakups.

When it comes to international linebacker talent, Argos veteran and last year’s starter at the strong side linebacker position, Brandon Isaac, returns to the fold, while a number of international rookies will compete for roster spots as well.

Isaac started 14 games in his second career stint with the Argonauts last season. In his sixth CFL season, the Blackville, South Carolina native recorded a career-high 48 defensive tackles, adding three tackles for a loss and a pass knockdown as well. In the team’s playoff contest, which Isaac started, the veteran registered six defensive tackles.

There are a number of international rookies hoping to grab roster spots in this year’s camp, including Kanorris Davis, Thomas Gordon, Marcus McFadden, and Marquis Spruill.

Davis, born in Perry, Georgia and a product of Troy University, enters camp having last played professional football in 2013 as a member of the New England Patriots practice squad. During his four seasons at Troy (2009-12), Davis amassed 207 defensive tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, 10 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and six pass knockdowns.

Gordon, a native of Detroit, Michigan and former Michigan Wolverine, arrives in Toronto after spending parts of the past two seasons on the New York Giants practice roster. At Michigan, Gordon played in 47 games over four seasons (2009-13), recording 229 tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, six interceptions, three sacks, four forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries.

McFadden, a native of Lamar, South Carolina who remained in his home state to play at South Carolina State, joins the Double Blue after spending the majority of the last four seasons in the NFL. In 10 games with three different teams, McFadden notched seven tackles. During his time with South Carolina State, the now-26-year old linebacker played in 37 games across four seasons (2006-10), recording 208 tackles, 16 tackles for a loss, three sacks and three interceptions with the Bulldogs.

Spruill, born in Hillside, New Jersey and a former member of the Syracuse Football program, signed with the Argos on April 1. Formerly a fifth round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft by the Atlanta Falcons, Spruill finished his collegiate career with 243 tackles, 41 tackles for a loss, three forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and four pass knockdowns with the Orangemen.