Week 8 of the CFL season has arrived, and The Argos (3-3) started their first day of preparation for division rival Montreal this Friday by adding two new players to their injury-plagued roster. One is a familiar face in the CFL; the other is a prominent NFL player who has finally jumped on board the Boatmen’s ship.

The Argos are dealing with several injuries as they began practice today at Lamport Stadium.

Argos Injury Report 9/20

Toronto began their work week on Monday with several starters missing practice and some practicing in a limited fashion.

• Quarterback Nick Arbuckle was limited today with a hamstring injury. It’s an injury that he sustained back in training camp, that caused him to miss two starts at the open of the season. Arbuckle finished last Friday’s game, not looking hampered at all. But it’s possible that his hamstring tightened up on him when he resumed activities today. This latest hamstring issue is something to monitor closely as the week progresses. McLeod Bethel-Thompson who started Toronto’s first two games, could be in line to get the call again if Arbuckle’s condition doesn’t improve during the week.
• Starting offensive linemen, Dariusz Bladek was limited all of last week with a chest and hip injury. He was given a veterans day off today.
• Shane Richards who has started the last two games at guard, missed Monday’s practice with an ankle injury. With Philip Blake out on the injured list, and Peter Nicastro moving to Centre. Richards has been inserted into the interior of Toronto’s line. If he misses Friday’s game, Dylan Giffen or Theren Churchill could be making their first CFL starts.
• WR Devaris Daniels also has a hamstring injury just like his quarterback. He practiced in limited fashion on Monday. Daniels running mate Ricky Collins has been nursing a knee injury for a couple of weeks now. The team is taking a cautious approach with him.
• The Argos linebacking corps is extremely banged up. The team will be trotting out new starters on Friday and will be making additional roster moves to go along with their recent signing of Alexandre Chevrier.

Argos Sign Alex Chevrier To Shore Up Linebacker Depth

We can’t do tackling drills at this point, we are too beat up”

Argos Head Coach Ryan Dinwiddie on improving his defense’s tackling after Friday’s loss to SSK.

The Toronto Argonauts have signed young veteran CFL linebacker Alex Chevrier. The 28-year old Quebec native has four years of playing experience with the Roughriders (2017-2020), and he most recently spent time with Montreal earlier this season. Chevrier played in four games with the Alouettes and recorded two special teams tackles before being released on September 14, 2021.

The addition of Chevrier to the Argonauts roster is coming off the heels of two significant injuries to the team’s linebacking corps.

Double Injury Update For Double Blue’s Starting Linebackers

Although, the Toronto Argonauts haven’t announced it officially. The expectation is that linebacker Cameron Judge will be missing an extended period of time after injuring his foot against Saskatchewan this past Friday in the Argos 30-16 loss against the Riders.

Linebacker Cameron Judge remains in a walking boot. On Monday, Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie told Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun that testing to Judge’s foot revealed no structural damage. The diagnosis of Cameron Judge’s injured foot is a bad sprain. The initial fear was that the injury would be season-ending, but it looks like there is a chance that he could return before the season ends. For now, Judge figures to be out for at least the next six games.

Linebacker Henoc Muamba suffered a hamstring injury during Week 7’s Riders game. The good news on Muamba’s injury is that his hamstring is not torn. The bad news is that he will likely miss Friday’s game at BMO Field versus Montreal.

In the meantime, Toronto does have Dexter McCoil, who has played the most defensive snaps of any Argo this season despite not being listed as a starter. Vontae Diggs missed last week’s game with an illness. His return would be a welcome sight. It’s unknown if Jack Cassar and Bear Woods are inching close to a return. Woods has been playing the role of an assistant coach while he has been on the injured list.

The Argos have a bye in Week 9. It’s possible that Henoc Muamba could be back to play Ottawa at home on Wednesday, October 6th. The extra time off will help the Boatmen recover for the final stretch of the season. There are several Toronto players currently on the six-game injured list. Some like defensive linemen like Drake Nevis and Cordarro Law could be inching closer to making their season debuts. They both practiced on Monday in a limited fashion.

As for who will be coordinating the Boatmen’s defensive players in Week 8. For now, the team hasn’t officially named an interim defensive coordinator while Glen Young is on personal leave from the team. Rich Stubler and Kevin Eiben teamed up last week to handle the game planning and play calling. A little birdie says that Chris Jones has been quarantining in Toronto, waiting to join the team once all protocols are completed.

WR Kendall Wright Officially Joins The Argos

Although it’s been reported for quite some time, Toronto officially announced the activation of WR Kendall Wright from their suspended list to their practice roster. The Baylor standout and former first-round draft pick signed with Toronto early in 2021 but did not show up for training camp due to transportation issues.

It’s worth noting that Kendall Wright has a former teammate in CFL rookie RB DJ Foster. Both spent time together with the Arizona Cardinals a few years back. So it’s possible that Foster gave Wright a great review of his experience in Toronto playing in the CFL so far. They are now teammates once again with the Argos.

Kendall Wright reported to the team last week but had to go through the COVID protocol process before officially joining Toronto’s roster.

With a bye week upcoming, it’s possible that Kendall Wright could be a few weeks away from donning an Argos uniform in a regular-season game. The NFL veteran would bring a lot of experience and a great set of hands to the Boatmen’s lineup. Wright has 339 career receptions for 3,858 yards and has scored 19 touchdowns throughout his pro career.

The Texas native, Wright, 31, hasn’t played pro football since a brief stint with the Arizona Cardinals in the fall of 2018. So it might take him some time to shake off the rust. But with Juwan Brescasion and Daniel Braverman on the shelf due to injuries. There could be an opening for Wright to contribute. The receiver who wore two shades of Blue for Tennessee in the NFL is now a member of the original Double Blue.