The Argos continue to add pieces to their roster, signing American RB Javon Leake just one week before the 2022 CFL & Global Draft.  

Toronto currently has 94 players on their roster. That’s not counting the players selected on May 3rd’s Global and CFL Draft. Additional roster activity will be coming in waves for the Boatmen and CFL teams in the coming weeks.

CFL rookie camps open on Wednesday, May 11, and rosters must be reduced to 85 players by Saturday, May 14.

Training camps officially open on Sunday, May 15, and teams need to reduce their rosters to 75 players by Tuesday, May 17.

Preseason games return to the CFL for the first time since 2019. The Argonauts’ first exhibition tilt will be on Friday, May 27th, at the Ottawa REDBLACKS. Followed by a second preseason contest a week later at BMO Field, when the Double Blue squares off with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The Argos will face their Eastern rivals, the Ticats, four times in five weeks during the 19-week regular season.

Another unique aspect in the drive towards the 2022 CFL Regular Season is that Toronto will immediately have a bye in week one to start their campaign. The benefit is that the team will have added time to reset and reassess their roster before the season begins.

A full training camp and the preseason should aid players like newly added RB Javon Leake to make the team’s roster.

The Newest Argo RB/KR Javon Leake

On the surface, RB Javon Leake appears to be a long shot at making Toronto’s active roster when the season starts. After all, the Argos already have the legendary Andrew Harris, American standout D.J. Foster, and AJ Ouellette at the halfback position. And there is a strong likelihood that Toronto could add another runner through the daft to aid with the newfound ratio composition due to Harris’s signing.

However, the 23-year-old former All-Big Ten RB/Returner Javon Leake brings a lot to the table. The Maryland star was an electrifying player for the Terps in college. Particularly on special teams as a return specialist. In 2019, Leake led the Big Ten, finishing third in the nation with 804 kickoff return yards, a 26.8 kick return average on 30 returns with two touchdowns, and was voted the Rodgers-Dwight Return Specialist of the Year by coaches and media members of the conference.

Since declaring for the NFL Draft in 2020, Leake has bounced around the fringe of three different rosters down south. The Detroit Lions, Washington, and the New York Giants. The three-star recruit and North Carolina native, originally born in New York, hasn’t broken through the glass ceiling yet as a pro. Leake’s workout results hurt his draft stock in 2020. He ran only a 4.6 in the 40 at the NFL combine, hence why he went undrafted.

But the Argos will allow him to shine in camp and preseason games. The 6’0 206lb tailback is no slouch as a running back. Leake was third among all FBS backs in his junior season, averaging  7.22 yards per rush. He posted 736 yards on 102 carries while scoring eight touchdowns. But the area where Leake can really stand out is returning kicks, and it’s an aspect that produced mixed results for the Boatmen during the 2021 season. The Argos recently released WR/KR Daniel Braverman. So an opening has been created for competition.

ARGOS INK AMERICAN RB JAVON LEAKE

TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club announced today the signing of American RB Javon Leake.

Leake, 23, spent time with the Detroit Lions in 2021 after playing one game for the Washington Commanders in 2020. The 6’0, 206lb RB was signed as an undrafted free agent in April of 2020 by the New York Giants after three years at the University of Maryland, where the running back ran for 1,144 yards and 17 touchdowns while returning kicks for 1,445 yards and three touchdowns in 30 career games for the Terps. The North Carolina native was First-Team All-Big Ten in 2019 and was named Big Ten return specialist of the year that same season.