Duron Carter has a new CFL home. The uber-talented wide receiver has landed with the Toronto Argonauts after a few weeks as a free agent following his surprising release at the hands of Chris Jones and the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Carter has now been let go by two CFL teams, with the Montreal Alouettes being his first team. This could very well be his last chance to clean up his off-field and locker room antics, but it’s a risk the Argonauts needed to take to save their 2018 season, which is now very much on life support.
Duron Carter’s first game as an Argo?
Carter won’t be playing in the massive Labour Day Classic against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, nor will he play in the rematch the following Saturday at BMO Field. The Argonauts then have a bye week and play Carter’s old team, the Saskatchewan Roughriders on September 23rd. The Argos are rightfully taking it slow with Carter to let him get his bearings down in the Marc Trestman and Tommy Condell offence. When he suits up against Saskatchewan, he should be all systems go, which the Argonauts will need with a stretch of Saskatchewan, at Calgary, and at B.C. right after the bye week.
Perhaps the Argonauts feel as if their currently constructed roster could be good enough to beat Hamilton on Monday. The Argonauts head into Labour Day with a must-win against Hamilton. A win by Toronto and both teams head into the rematch at 4-6, putting the Argonauts temporarily in second. Should the Argonauts lose, Hamilton will be two games up heading into the rematch and with that tough stretch following the bye, the Argonauts could find themselves in some trouble trying to catch Hamilton. It’s too bad the Argonauts won’t have the services of Carter for both games against the arch-rival Tiger-Cats, but it’s a smart move.
Duron Carter filling an Argonauts need
Whenever anyone discusses the Toronto Argonauts and what’s ailing the reigning Grey Cup Champions on offence, they look right at the loss of wide receiver DeVier Posey. The Argos lacking firepower at receiver is looking like an extremely valid point. The Argos offence lacks a spark as S.J. Green and Armanti Edwards are constantly double-teamed, or the defence has tons of defenders in the area of Green and Edwards. Though the likes of Mario Alford and Rodney Smith have looked alright, they simply haven’t been able to get the ball thrown their way from McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
Carter should be able to instantly get himself open consistently enough for McLeod Bethel-Thompson but also free up space for S.J. Green and Armanti Edwards. This will help Bethel-Thompson conduct the offence once Carter gets started.
The last word
With the support systems Carter will have with former teammates S.J. Green and Bear Woods, as well as his previous relationship with Jim Popp, there are lots of familiar faces around for Carter to feel comfortable but also realize that if he acts out, he will hear about it rather quickly but also could face the consequences of losing his roster spot. With his talent level, the support systems around Carter, and the need for a third receiving weapon, the decision to sign Duron Carter has very little downside for the Argos. While Carter gets focused on learning the offence, the Argonauts must take care of business against Hamilton on Labour Day.
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