The Argos have a lot of heavy lifting to do as free agency rapidly approaches a month from now. The team has several impending free agents and open positions to fill on their coaching staff. To that end, Toronto has announced the re-signing of DB Robertson Daniel and the signing of former Edmonton WR/KR Earnest Edwards. On Thursday, the team also officially announced the hiring of new defensive coordinator Corey Mace.

Corey Mace is one of the rising stars in the coaching ranks. And is a tremendous addition to Ryan Dinwiddie’s staff.

The two former Stamps assistants and CFL players are back together working prominent roles in the Six. Mace is taking over a defensive unit that took a committee approach in 2021 after Glen Young left the team. Former Argos ‘defensive consultant’ Chris Jones is back in Edmonton, and he has brought three other Toronto assistants with him in Stephen McAdoo, Jarious Jackson, and Markus Howell. So both Dinwiddie and Mace have their work cut out for them, assembling a strong support staff around them.

Mace, a stellar defensive line coach and a fine defensive lineman himself, not too long ago, should help stabilize and improve the Argos pass rush in 2022. An area that was one of the Boatmen’s weak points on defence in 2021. Under Mace’s guidance and tutelage, Calgary led the CFL in sacks on three separate occasions.

Both Daniel and Edwards, versatile players, should help bolster the Argonauts‘ depth on offence, defence, and special teams in 2022.

Robertson Daniel, 30, played only two games for the Boatmen in 2021 due to an injury and posted five defensive tackles and one interception. The 6’1, 205lb DB spent his first CFL season with Calgary in 2019, where he tallied 21 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, and three interceptions in eight games that season. The Virginia native joined Toronto via a pre-free agency trade with Calgary in 2021 that also saw the playing rights to Eric Rogers and Cordarro Law included in the deal. Daniel spent time in the NFL with various clubs, including Oakland, Green Bay, Baltimore, and Washington, between 2015 and 2019.

Earnest Edwards, 23, will be donning Double Blue again after doing so in college at Maine. As an American rookie in the CFL last year, Edwards played seven games for the Edmonton Elks, catching 15 passes for 168 yards and one touchdown while returning 30 kickoffs and punts for 299 yards. The Rochester, NY native was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Los Angeles Rams in 2020 but released at the end of training camp. The University of Maine product was an electrifying player in college, playing four seasons for the Black Bears (2016-2019), where he compiled 125 receptions for 2,370 yards and 23 touchdowns in 40 career games. Edwards also amassed over 2,000 rick return yards and four touchdowns in his career at Maine.

Toronto still has over two dozen pending free agents as free agency fast approaches on February 8th. GM Michael ‘Pinball’ Clemons, Director of Scouting Vince Magri, and the Argos front office are fast at work trying to whittle down the overall list.

The Argonauts have over a dozen starters from the 2021 season in the list below. Many standouts like McLeod Bethel-Thompson, John White, Henoc Muamba, Dexter McCoil, Cameron Judge, DaVaris Daniels, Eric Rogers, etc

You can check the full list, and all of the up-to-date Argos offseason moves in the tracker below.

Toronto Argonauts Offseason Tracker

2022 FREE AGENTS

Any player not listed above and on the Argos active roster (HERE) is under contract for the 2022 season.

Additions/Re-signings/Releases

Top 50 Argos Plays Of 2021

For those of you, Argos fans still reminiscing about the great season that was in 2021. X’s and Argos has complied a list of the Top 50 Argos plays last season. It’s a bittersweet journey, reliving what could’ve been. Nonetheless, it was a year filled with memorable moments.

Just missing the cut was Hamilton kicker Michael Domegala’s missed extra point that helped seal an Argos 17-16 victory over the Ticats at home. Play #51 could’ve been Dejon Brissett’s clutch third-down reception on Thanksgiving that led to Boris Bede’s game-winning 51-yard kick at the final gun in Hamilton. With so many big moments and great video highlights to choose from, Xs and Argos did a great job putting this all together.

If you get an opportunity, check out the video highlights below.