Earlier this week it was reported that the Toronto Argonauts worked out former 2nd-round draft pick of the Kansas City Chiefs, Dexter McCluster. McCluster played four seasons with the Chiefs before a two-season stint with the Tennessee Titans and one-year tenure with the San Diego Chargers (now Los Angeles Chargers). With Anthony Coombs on the six-game injured list, McCluster makes a ton of sense for the Argonauts to bring in.
Toronto Argonauts Need More Offensive Weapons
It’s been well noted by many that the Argonauts are missing a spark on offence despite the win last Saturday over the Edmonton Eskimos in James Franklin’s first start of the season. The absence of Anthony Coombs, someone who is primarily a running back but can also be a swing guy on offence and play the slot as well is a major reason for that. That’s where a potential addition of Dexter McCluster would make a ton of sense for the Argonauts.
McCluster was drafted by the Chiefs as a running back though it was known he’d never be a feature back in an offence. He would be a very similar weapon as Coombs is for the Argos. He’d often line up at running back in shotgun formation and end up rolling out to the slot to catch dump off passes. The former Cheif did have his occasional set to be a true running back but he’s not much of a blocker in passing plays.
McCluster’s NFL Career
McCluster’s best season running the football was in 2011 when he carried the ball 114 times for 516 yards and one touchdown. In 2013, his last season with the Chiefs, McCluster had 53 receptions for 511 yards and two touchdowns. The issue with McCluster which really prevented him from sticking around for overly long in the NFL was a tendency of fumbling. He fumbled the ball 13 times in his seven year career. That simply isn’t good enough to stick in the NFL – or the CFL for that matter.
A Potential Speical Teams Impact
The one aspect of McCluster’s game that makes him even more intriguing of an option to sign for Toronto would be his ability to return kicks. About a year ago to date, current kick and punt returner Martese Jackson made his electric CFL debut for the Argos against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Jackson returned one punt for a touchdown, had a kick return called back on a penalty (remember Karen?) and almost returned a second punt for a touchdown. Jackson was a spark on special teams for the Argonauts in 2017 but has yet to do much in 2018.
The Last Word
It’s entirely possible that Dexter McCluster could fill in for Anthony Coombs for the next little while until Coombs gets healthy. He would play Coombs’ role in the Argo offence and be a safety net for James Franklin. McCluster could also supplant Martese Jackson as the primary returner for the Argonauts. The Argos would be smart to bring in McCluster and it will be on him to do something he couldn’t do in the NFL: protect the football. If he does, he could be a big weapon for the Argonauts should they sign him.
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