Toronto Argonauts Sign 2023 Jacksonville Jaguars Draft Selection Derek Parish
The Argonauts Football Club officially announced on Monday the signing of negotiation rights player Derek Parish.
Parish, 25, was selected by the Jacksonville Jaguars in the seventh round of the 2023 NFL Draft and spent two months on the team's practice squad before being released in October.
The 6-2, 245-pound defensive lineman/fullback/tight end attended the University of Houston from 2017-2022 and recorded 158 tackles, 33.5 for loss, 17 sacks, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries in 51 collegiate games. The Texas native was second team All-ACC in 2021.
Welcome aboard, @ParishDerek 🌊 pic.twitter.com/CLcV8Ding5
— Toronto Argonauts (@TorontoArgos) January 22, 2024
Parish is now the fourth player Toronto has signed from their 10-man winter negotiation list, joining UCF running back Isaiah Bowser, Duke defensive back Leonard Johnson and Henderson State WR Xavier "Zay" Malone. The latter, like Parish, spent time with an NFL team during the 2023 regular season, making the Atlanta Falcons' active roster.
It's an impressive feat by the Argos front office to be able to land players who were recently on NFL rosters during a season. Typically, a CFL team's negotiation rights players serve as a wish list for the future.
It's rare to see a CFL team sign so many players on their list in such a rapid fashion as Toronto has.
Players on these lists frequently never make their way up north. But occasionally, a select few are lured to Canada and become difference-makers in the league.
In recent years, the Argos, in particular, have garnered great rewards from the CFL’s negotiation list. Toronto has utilized the hopeful CFL player process to land superstars like quarterback Chad Kelly through trade and dynamic kick returner Javon Leake.
Parish has a chance to be the next in line to make a similar impact. Parish doesn’t have the prototypical size to play on the line of scrimmage in the NFL, but his toughness and versatility are what got him in the door.
Notably, the Argos have Parish listed as a defensive lineman. The knock on him, despite a productive college career with the Cougars, was his inability to shed blocks at the line of scrimmage. However, in the CFL, with one yard of separation at the line, that might not be a deterrent for Parish.
On top of that, Parish's ability to play both ways if needed and on special teams gives him added value in the challenging aspect of making a CFL roster due to the ratio.
CFL Teams Benefiting From USFL-XFL Merger to Form UFL
You can find Mike Mitchell on X @ByMikeMitchell.
Catch up with CFL on FanNation on Facebook and X.
Mike Mitchell is a pro football writer/insider with decades of experience covering and following multiple leagues. He covers the New York Jets for TheJetPress.com at FanSided. He has also written for XFL Board and at Hub Publishing covering the CFL, XFL and USFL.