Toronto Argonauts Face Great Uncertainty As Training Camp Nears
Yearly turnover is commonplace in the CFL. However, the Toronto Argonauts have seen excessive change since their history-making 150th season ended in demoralizing fashion against Montreal last year in the East Final.
The record-tying 16-2 Argos have been hit hard this offseason. The losses are plenty.
Their superstar defensive coordinator, Corey Mace. Arguably last year's most impactful defensive player, Adarius Pickett. The heart and soul of Toronto's offense, running back A.J. Ouellette. The team's most dynamic returner since Pinball in Javon Leake.
The Argonauts' two best cornerbacks in rookie revelation, Qwan'tez Stiggers and Jamal Peters, are also gone. To top it all off, the Boatmen were dealt a severe blow when the CFL's Most Outstanding Player, quarterback Chad Kelly, was lost to a half-season suspension.
Now more than ever, CFL coach of the year Ryan Dinwiddie and the Argos' entire staff will be tested to maintain the excellence they've achieved the past three seasons.
Toronto retained some of its core players from the past few years during the offseason, but there are still 59 new arrivals to the roster. As a result, the road to the regular season opener on June 9 takes on more magnitude.
What Toronto does at quarterback will be of the utmost importance — that is, if Chad Kelly doesn't appeal the CFL's suspension for violating league conduct and somehow buck the system. There's significant doubt about that occurring, as well as in Kelly being a good soldier and adhering to the league's mandated sensitivity training.
For now, Cameron Dukes will be the team's answer on the pivot. He'll get every opportunity to take charge of the role in his second season. The returning Bryan Scott will receive added reps behind Dukes in camp and during both preseason games, and new arrival Hunter Raquet will also get a shot to show his wares. But Toronto could very well be in the market for a more proven solution.
Some names thrown around are Edomton's Tre Ford and maybe Ottawa's Jeremiah Masoli if their teams want to deal them away.
No matter what direction at quarterback the Argonauts settle on sailing toward. It will be an uphill battle to recapture the magic the club has had over the past few years. Furthermore, the teams in the Eastern Division have gotten stronger than they were a year ago. Some of them fortified themselves by adding standout Argo players.
It was already a foregone conclusion that it would be impossible for Toronto to match last year's once-in-a-lifetime regular-season mark. But there's enough doubt in Double Blue land to wonder if the Argonauts will even be a championship-contending team in 2024.
2024 Toronto Argonauts Training Camp Key Dates
Date | Event |
|---|---|
May 8 | Rookie camp begins |
May 11 | Roster cut down to 85 players + non-counters |
May 12 | Official start of Argos 2024 Training Camp |
May 14 | Roster cut down to 75 players + non-counters |
May 25 | Preseason Opener |
May 31 | Preseason Game Two |
June 1 | Training camp ends, rosters finalized |
June 9 | Regular-Season and Home Opener |
MIKE MITCHELL