Heading into the 2016 season, everything should’ve been right for the Edmonton Eskimos who came off Grey Cup victory the previous year. The only problem was the man who led the charge, head coach Chris Jones, left for Saskatchewan nine days after the big win. In the process took all but one person from his coaching staff in Edmonton. That left first year head coach Jason Maas to pick up the pieces. The former Otttawa offensive coordinator did a good job posting a 10-8 record and making it to the Eastern Division Finals where they lost to the eventual Grey Cup Champion Redblacks.
The journey to get to that point was a roller coaster ride, with a weakness which lingered all season. It’s the same weakness the 2017 Edmonton Eskimos face going into the campaign, along with a hole in the lineup the size of a crater.
Defensive Problems
One of the most-used cliches in sports is “defence win championships.” The cliche is not entirely true in football because of the three different facets of the game. But in Edmonton’s case, the defence was the biggest factor holding them back from repeating their 2015 success.
Under Maas, the defence got worse in every major category compared to the year prior, when they were the most dominant defence in the CFL. They allowed an additional 155 points, had 16 fewer sacks, and made eight fewer interceptions. The lackluster performance forced Edmonton to overhaul their defence in a big way. Only three linebackers and three defensive backs from the 2016 roster were brought back to camp.
One of the linebackers they brought in hoping to provide stability was Canadian Corey Greenwood. Sadly, he suffered a torn ACL in training camp and is out for the entire year. Eskimos defensive coordinator Mike Benevides already has to shuffle his personnel before the season kickoff. A player who exemplifies everything Benevides wants to do is rookie defensive end Kwaku Boateng.
The 2017 draft pick has been very impressive in the pair of pre-season games, ranking up a sack and a fumble recovery. What’s more impressive was his ability to consistently put pressure on the quarterback. Boateng is an example of what this defence needs most this year: players who are younger, faster, and more aggressive. Of course there will be growing pains from bringing in so new many guys to learn Benevides’s system, but the potential upside is enormous.
No More Walker
While the defence took a step backwards, the offence – which was already powerful and efficient – managed to take another step forward under Maas. The unit put up more points, threw for an additional thousand yards, scored 10 more rushing touchdowns, and maintained about the same total in rushing yards. The Eskimos offence also allowed 17 fewer sacks and committed 13 fewer turnovers.
Edmonton does have most of their key pieces returning, including quarterback Mike Reilly, receiver Adarius Bowman, tailback John White, and four starters on the offensive line. Unfortunately, they’re missing wide receiver Derel Walker, who is gone to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the NFL.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aVAfn4ncu-U
In two seasons north of the border, Walker completely dominated. The two time CFL All-Star made 198 catches for 2,699 yards and 16 touchdowns. The 25-year-old ranked second in catches and third in yards during that span. He trailed only teammate Bowman in both categories and was behind Emmanuel Arceneaux in yards. The Lions’ receiver gained 17 more yards in six more games than Walker.
The Texas A&M product had a knack of making opponents miss their tackles, giving Walker a league-leading 662 yards after the catch. It’s hard to see one receiver making up for all those grabs and catches. In order to fill the crater Walker left, the Eskimos need a collective effort from personnel on their current roster. They do have a few wide-outs that can pick up the slack.
Roster Solutions
Vidal Hazeton was a dominant player for the Argonauts before being released late in 2016. In his rookie season two years ago, the 29-year-old made 70 grabs for 803 yards and three touchdowns. At one point he was considered Ricky Ray’s top target.
Brandon Zylstra will benefit greatly from Walker’s departure. Edmonton loves what he brings to the table for good reasons. Zylstra showed his potential in a short time, snatching 34 throws for 554 yards and three scores in just six games last year. The 24-year-old will find space and one-on-one coverage with defences double teaming Bowman.
D’haquille Williams is one of the biggest stories coming out of Eskimos camp. In the two pre-season contests the Auburn product has six catches, 182 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Even if it was during the pre-season he was making an impact, and that’s all you can ask from a rookie trying to learn the Canadian game.
Other roster highlights include Canadians Chris Getzlaf, Cory Watson and Shamawd Chambers.
This wide receiving crop may not contain the star power that other teams have, but they carry the depth needed to attempt to fill Walker’s massive production.
But no matter how many points the Eskimos offence scores, if their defence can’t stop the opposing offence from doing the same, we’ll see a repeat of the 2016 story line in Edmonton this season. Finding Walker’s replacement is a problem, but the defence is the top issue they need to address.
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