The Riders finally made some gains in free agency on Thursday with the signing of Canadian offensive lineman George Hudson.
The losses are offensive tackle Wayne Smith and middle linebacker Rey Williams. Those losses are significant for different reasons. Smith was a good a player before running into injury trouble in back to back years. I talked to him today and he is frustrated to leave the Riders after that took place. He would have liked to have played and stayed with them.
Williams said the Riders didn’t make a serious offer, which is to be expected. He’s a great player, but there wasn’t a spot for him among the linebackers. He’ll fit in well with the Tiger-Cats. The good news is the Riders will only have to face Hamilton twice during the regular season.
Hudson had some other offers, but none as good as the one from the Riders. He’s a veteran of 12 CFL seasons and has been impressed with what has taken place in Riderville.
He’s also looking forward to playing again with Alex Gauthier and Dan Goodspeed. The o-line is a little long in the tooth, but you need experience there and the Riders have a nice blend now.
General manager Brendan Taman said he’s hourly contact with Sean Lucas’s agent, so there may or may not be a re-signing there.
Taman is sorry to lose players to free agency, but understand that’s the business. There aren’t any hard feelings from either side during this process. At least it appears that way.
That’s it for now. More on all of the free-agency frenzy online later or in Friday’s Leader-Post.
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