Hogan: Elite Speed in the Secondary

It was not exactly a transaction that rocked the CFL landscape.

2024-07-01 TOR Milton, Mark DB A Baylor ADD Practice Roster.

Translated, on July 1 of this year, the Toronto Argonauts signed American defensive Mark Milton, a former Baylor Bear, and he would be added to the practice roster.

He had been released by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 19^th after playing just one game this season.

Eventually he would find himself starting at the boundary halfback position in Toronto, paired on that side of the field with Benjie Franklin, giving the Argos elite speed on that side of the field.

Milton was a member of Baylor’s 4×100 track team and was recognized with an All-Big 12 selection in track, to go along with his Honourable Mention All-Conference in football.

Franklin was clocked in the 40-yard dash in a blazing 4.28 seconds and is one of, if not the fastest player in the CFL.

Who would win a race between the two over 40 yards right now?

“Right now, he got it,” a smiling Milton told Argonauts.ca. “If we get an off-season and I get my training down, I’ll get him.”

Having that kind of speed on the boundary side is huge, and there has been marked improvement in coverage since the beginning of the season. That’s resulted in the team improving from the bottom of the league in net yards against to second, trailing only Winnipeg.

The improved coverage has also been massive for the pass rush, which has soared to the top of the league with 47 sacks. The defensive backs have given the linemen time to do their thing.

Milton, a native of Houston, Texas is thrilled to have the opportunity to play alongside someone even faster than he is.

“It’s a blessing,” Milton said, sporting an even bigger smile. “I can say ‘Benjie, take that, take that,’ and he can go high and I’ll go low, or he can go low and I’ll go high. It’s interchangeable, so as long we’re on the same page we can’t really be wrong.”

Franklin, also from Houston, has taken his game to another level. He made a splash in his only CFL game last year, the season finale in Ottawa where he had an interception and a 34-yard fumble recovery. After winning the starting job at corner following a fantastic training camp, Franklin struggled a bit at first, mostly due to communication, or lack of same.

As he’s gotten more familiar with the other players on defence, most importantly Milton, his game has taken off. He has a couple of interceptions and is the CFL co-leader with 11 pass knockdowns.

While his speed and cover skills are what first catch your attention, the more underrated element of his game is the physicality he brings. He’s laid out multiple ball carriers with huge open field hits and is tied for second in the CFL with three forced fumbles to go with his league co-leading 3 fumble recoveries.

Should people be surprised by this aspect of his game?

“Not really,” Franklin told Argonauts.ca. “Because I come down and put my head in there whenever there’s time to make a play and be aggressive. I don’t think that should be surprising because every time I’ve been asked to come down and make a play, I’ve put my body in there for the team at any cost.”

It’s a good time for the pair. Milton is loving life as an Argo and having fun living in Toronto.

“I had the optimism,” he confessed. “When I went home, I kept on training. This game is always ‘next man up’, so I knew sooner or later I’d get a call. I just put my faith in God and made sure that when my number was called, I’d be ready for it.”

What he likely didn’t expect was to be moved inside.

“I’ve always been a corner,” said Milton. “Even at Hamilton I was the boundary corner, but when I got here, they wanted to try me out at boundary half. The defences over the years; college, pros, etc., I’ve been in really difficult defences so they knew when I got here that I’d be able to learn multiple positions. Me and Benjie kind of clicked so it was a good fit.”

Franklin will be as his usual boundary corner spot when the Argos host Edmonton on Friday, but Milton will flip over to the field side.

The duo will no doubt be reunited when the Argos host Ottawa in the Eastern Semi-Final on Saturday, November 2. It’s a 3:00 kickoff at BMO Field.