The Toronto Argonauts continue to stay active ahead of open free agency, signing their second player off their ten-man negotiation list and re-signing two more pending free agents. The Boatmen are bringing WR Tommy Nield and DB Jamie Harry back on board and, at the same time, adding American import rookie running back Isiah Bowser.
The newest addition to Toronto is Central Florida Running Back Isaiah Bowser. The 6’1, 220-pound power back had a productive 2022 campaign for the Knights after struggling to be featured at Northwestern before transferring to UCF.
In his final year, the team captain, Bowser, accounted for 984 yards from scrimmage with 16 touchdowns in 14 games — rushing for 799 yards and catching 14 passes for 185 yards. He signed with the Buffalo Bills as an undrafted free agent but was released this summer.
The Argonauts have three All-Star running backs tentatively set to hit free agency in February. A.J. Ouellette, Javon Leake, and Andrew Harris. Depending on who returns to the Six. Bowser could be prominent in the team’s running back rotation in 2024.
Toronto has now signed two players on their 2023 Winter Negotiation List. And the signings have come almost immediately after the list was unveiled. In case you missed it, the team also added rookie WR Xavier Malone, who has seen NFL action in 2023 with the Atlanta Falcons.
It’s rare that CFL teams check off multiple names off what is a defacto wishlist. But the Boatmen’s recent success with American imports has opened eyes and minds for players to immediately make the leap to Canada. Bowser was a player most recently selected by the XFL’s Houston franchise in their off-season rookie draft. So he’s a player who is in high demand.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS 2023 WINTER NEGOTIATION LIST
- Jason Bean | QB | Kansas
- Isaiah Bowser | RB | Central Florida- Signed 12/20/23
- Nolan Henderson | QB | Delaware
- Leonard Johnson | DB | Duke
- Xavier Malone | WR | Henderson State- Signed 12/20/23
- John Matocha | QB | Colorado School of Mines
- Derek Parish | DL | Houston
- John Rhys Plumlee | QB | Central Florida
- Jason Poe | OL | Mercer
- Matt Sluka | QB | Holy Cross
The Toronto Argonauts football club has a busy new year awaiting them. The team started its rampway toward the offseason with 32 pending free agents. They’ve re-signed five of them. But there’s a lot more work to be done.
The two latest re-signings are WR Tommy Nield and DB Jamie Harry. Both could have critical roles in 2024.
In the case of 24-year-old Tommy Nield. He is coming off a breakthrough campaign for Double Blue in 2023. The fourth-round draft choice by the Argos in the 2021 CFL Draft out of McMaster University had only ten receptions before last season. He played on special teams but mostly provided Canadian ratio depth behind Toronto’s national receivers.
Nield had a career year in 2023, posting 32 receptions for 384 yards in nine games. The 6’3 pass-catcher proved to be a valuable asset in the ground game as one of the league’s best run blockers.
Jamie Harry is also an original draft pick by the Argos, 5th round selection in 2019, but his road to productivity in Double Blue took a detour. The 6’2 Quebec native didn’t make the cut with Toronto and ended up playing for the B.C. Lions and Edmonton before making his way back late last season. The Argonauts signed Harry to their practice roster in August. He would eventually see action in five games, recording 12 tackles.
The 29-year-old has played mostly on special teams throughout his CFL career, but there’s uncertainty on the back end of Toronto’s defense for 2024, with the team having five key defensive backs set to hit the open market.
Change is not only coming, but it has already arrived.
Defensive backs coach Joshua Bell is edging toward joining former Argonauts defensive coordinator Corey Mace in Saskatchewan. There’s no doubt that Bell and Mace will team up to recruit prominent Argos free agents to the Riders like Robertson Daniel, Adarius Pickett, and Jamal Peters, among others.
Toronto is likely to go in-house for their Mace replacement. They are going to need to push to retain some of their best players.
TORONTO ARGONAUTS PENDING 2024 FREE AGENTS
- Brandon Barlow | DL | Boston College
- Boris Bede | K | Laval
- Dariusz Bladek* | OL | Bethune-Cookman
- Dejon Brissett* | WR | Virgina
- Isiah Cage | OL | Wisconsin Eau Claire- Re-Signed 12/11/23
- Maurice Carnell | DB | North Alabama- Re-Signed 12/8/23
- Jack Cassar* | LB | Carleton
- Darius Ciraco* | OL | Calgary
- Damonte Coxie | WR | Memphis
- Robertson Daniel | DB | BYU
- Dylan Giffen* | OL | Western- Re-Signed 12/8/23
- Brian Harelimana* | LB | Montréal
- Andrew Harris* | RB | Nanaimo Raiders Jr.
- Jamie Harry* | DB | Ottawa- *Re-Signed 12/21/23
- Dewayne Hendrix | DL | Pittsburgh
- Trevor Hoyte* | LB | Carleton
- Jonathan Jones | LB | Toledo
- Javon Leake | RB | Maryland
- Benoît Marion* | DL | Montréal
- Wynton McManis | LB | Memphis
- Henoc Muamba* | LB | St. Francis Xavier
- Tommy Nield* | WR | McMaster- *Re-Signed 12/21/23
- Shawn Oakman | DL | Baylor
- AJ Ouellette | RB | Ohio
- Jamal Peters | DB | Mississippi State
- Cameron Phillips | WR | Virginia Tech
- Adarius Pickett | LB | UCLA
- Robert Priester | LB | Wyoming
- Shane Richards* | OL | Oklahoma State
- Tigie Sankoh^ | DB | London Warriors
- Richard Sindani* | WR | Regina
- Trevon Tate | OL | Memphis
ARGONAUTS ADD RB ISAIAH BOWSER
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club announced today they have signed American RB Isaiah Bowser.
Bowser, 24, most recently played with the Buffalo Bills after being signed as an undrafted free agent by the Western New York team in May. The University of Central Florida alum played two seasons for the Knights (2021-2022), recording 1,502 rushing yards and 25 touchdowns in 22 games while being named Second Team All-AAC as a Senior. Before his time at CFU, the Ohio native played at Northwestern University from 2018-2020, tallying 1,300 yards and seven majors in 23 games for the Wildcats.
ARGONAUTS RE-SIGN WR TOMMY NIELD AND DB JAMIE HARRY
TORONTO – The Toronto Argonauts Football Club announced today they have re-signed Canadian WR Tommy Nield and Canadian DB Jamie Harry.
Nield, 24, had a career year in 2023 after posting 32 receptions for 384 yards in nine games. The fourth-round draft choice by the Argos in the 2021 CFL Draft out of McMaster University has spent three years with the Boatmen, totaling 575 yards on 42 catches with one touchdown.
Harry, 29, played five games with the Argos last season, recording 12 tackles after being signed in August. The 6’2, 217lb defensive back was an original draft choice of the Boatmen in 2019, 38th overall, but was released and signed by B.C. that season, playing in one game for the Lions. The UOttawa alum would play ten games for B.C. in 2021 and two in 2022 before being released and signing with Edmonton, where he would get in nine games for the Elks. For his career, Harry has tallied 37 defensive tackles and two special teams tackles over four seasons.
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