In somewhat of a surprise move, the Ottawa Redblacks have opted to release Savon Scarver wide receiver. Scarver seemed to be building momentum toward a big role until this news. Could this be due to his disappearance in recent victories or his catch rate?

Who is Savon Scarver?

Scarver is a Utah State University alum having attended from 2017 to 2021. During that stretch he appeared in 55 games with 11 starts. He is a multitalented player who has value as a runner, receiver and return man. 

During his collegiate career he was more of a rotational depth piece than a full time contributor. His best season came in 2019 when he managed 24 receptions, for 271 yards  of total offense. He also had 22 kick returns for 613 yards, and 2 touchdowns. For his entire career he would rack up 10 carries for 39 yards, 55 receptions for 757 yards and 5 touchdowns, with 107 kick returns for 2,937 yards a 27.4 yard average and 4 touchdowns. 

Savon Scarver was a 2022 undrafted free agent in the NFL. Signed by the Chicago Bears after the draft, he only lasted three days before Chicago waived him. He sat on the free agency market until September when he signed with Ottawa. Scarver was essentially a rookie having not seen any game action last season. 

Scarver Sees His Chance in 2023

This year however he immediately was involved on offense. He had played in 5 games making 3 starts catching 7 passes for 69 yards, and 3 punt returns for 18 yards. Scarver did not see any targets against the Calgary Stampeders. In the week prior against Winnipeg, he was targeted 5 times catching just 2 passes for 25 yards. 

To his credit against Hamilton he caught all 3 of his targets. Scarver was nonexistent against the Elks as well. That being said, by chance Scarver accounted for just 5 targets and just 2 receptions total in three victories by the Redblacks. In 3 losses, he went 5 of 7 on his targets. For the season he had catch rate of 58.3%, he also wasn’t needed in the punt return game due to Brandin Dandridge and hasn’t been used in the kick return game either.  

I expect Scarver to see another opportunity somewhere, whether it ends up with the CFL, USFL, or XFL I am not certain. If another CFL team doesn’t come calling he should also consider finishing the season with the European League of Football. This is likely directly related to the Redblacks seeing the return of Shaq Evans from injury. 

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