B.C. Lions co-GM Neil McEvoy says: ” … This workforce is a household and we’d like everybody to purchase in. We each felt right now it was greatest to maneuver on.”
Article content material
Jonathan Kongbo went from marquee acquisition to noteworthy deletion with the B.C. Lions in seemingly the blink of a watch.
Commercial 2
Article content material
The Lions introduced Monday morning that that they had traded Kongbo to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a conditional 2024 CFL Draft choice, dealing away the 27-year-old defensive lineman from Surrey a mere 15 days after trumpeting his signing as a free agent.
Article content material
To open up cap and roster area for Kongbo, the Lions had lower veteran defensive lineman Shawn Lemon, 34, who had been certainly one of their extra celebrated additions when CFL free-agency opened in February, coming off of his stellar 2022 marketing campaign with the Calgary Stampeders.
The Lions kick off the 2023 common season Thursday, visiting the Stamps. Their home-opener is June 17, with the Edmonton Elks offering the opposition at B.C. Place.
Lions co-general supervisor Neil McEvoy defined that Kongbo “wasn’t a match.”
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
“As I’ve at all times stated, this workforce is a household and we’d like everybody to purchase in. We each felt right now it was greatest to maneuver on,” McEvoy continued.
TSN’s Farhan Lalji tweeted Monday morning he was instructed that Kongbo “was not a match within the room.” A Twitter feed below Kongbo’s title and with over 16,000 followers took exception, replying to Lalji on Twitter that it was “as a result of I referred to as out star gamers not exhibiting up for follow, and guys not eager to work out. Tradition issues, it’s referred to as professional soccer for a cause.”
The identical feed tweeted Sunday that “profitable is a dedication.”
These had been the primary tweets from that feed since March.
Commercial 4
Article content material
Commercial 5
Article content material
The 6-foot-5, 255 pound Kongbo spent final season with the Denver Broncos, stepping into three video games. He was credited with one deal with. He helped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to Gray Cup championship seasons in each 2019 and ’21. In 26 video games over two years with Winnipeg, he had 28 tackles and 4 sacks.
The Bombers made him the fifth total decide within the 2019 CFL Draft out of the College of Tennessee. He starred in highschool at Surrey’s Holy Cross.
McEvoy pegged the commerce as a testomony to the depth of the Lions’ defensive position as effectively. B.C. rotated gamers extensively on the road final season. That might appear to be the plan once more this 12 months.
Lemon has but to signal elsewhere. McEvoy stated Monday that there aren’t any plans to deliver him again or add another veteran pass-rushers.
Commercial 6
Article content material
“We really feel now we have a very good group,” McEvoy stated.
In the meantime, Taquan (Smoke) Mizzell, 29, seems to have gained the beginning working again spot, as he’s the lone ball service left on the energetic roster with Antonio Williams, 25, agreeing to a follow roster spot on Sunday, in keeping with a Lions’ information launch.
The Lions went into coaching camp with 5 gamers vying to take over the working again duties left vacant by James Butler signing with the Ticats within the low season as a free agent. Raymond Calais, Buddy Howell and Vance McShane had been the others initially within the hunt.
The 5-foot-11, 185 pound Mizzell was a collegiate standout at Virginia from 2013-16. He’s the one participant in Atlantic Coast Convention (ACC) historical past with over 1,500 profession speeding and 1,500 profession receiving yards.
Commercial 7
Article content material
He acquired into 9 video games with the Chicago Bears in 2018 and most lately was on the follow roster of the New York Giants in 2021.
B.C.’s director of participant personnel, Ryan Rigmaiden, provided up this Mizzell scouting report going into coaching camp: “He has a Nic Demski-type talent set. He’s gonna do this working again/large receiver hybrid stuff. He’s a returner, and when it comes to cease, begin quicks and simply burst and juice, he’s the very best of the bunch.
“He’s acquired actually good imaginative and prescient. He’s performed large receiver and working again within the NFL. The one factor — and I’m not saying he can’t begin as a result of he actually can — however he doesn’t have the dimensions … that among the different guys do.”
-
Roughriders head coach, GM each have rather a lot driving on 2023 CFL season
-
B.C. Lions coaching camp: A journey of orange jerseys and pineapple pizza for Michael Couture
Spring subscription sale: Our in-depth journalism is feasible due to the help of our subscribers. For a restricted time, you will get full on-line entry to the Vancouver Solar and The Province, together with the Nationwide Put up and 13 different Canadian information websites, for simply $40 for one 12 months or $1 every week for 52 weeks. Assist our journalism by subscribing right this moment: The Vancouver Solar.
Feedback
Postmedia is dedicated to sustaining a full of life however civil discussion board for dialogue and encourage all readers to share their views on our articles. Feedback could take as much as an hour for moderation earlier than showing on the positioning. We ask you to maintain your feedback related and respectful. Now we have enabled electronic mail notifications—you’ll now obtain an electronic mail in case you obtain a reply to your remark, there’s an replace to a remark thread you observe or if a person you observe feedback. Go to our Group Tips for extra data and particulars on how one can regulate your electronic mail settings.
Be a part of the Dialog