Training Camp Primer: The Defensive Side of the Ball

Part two of our 2017 Training Camp Primer. Miss Part 1? Read it here.
Secondary
The secondary was clearly a focus for the Tiger-Cats heading into free agency in 2017 and they managed to turn an area of weakness into what now appears to be a position of strength. They landed their number one target in Abdul Kanneh from the Ottawa Redblacks while also securing their own high profile free agent Emanuel Davis. Both players were East Division All-Stars last season and Kanneh also managed to snag a Grey Cup ring in the process. Assuming Kanneh occupies one of the corner positions and Davis locks down one of the halfback spots, the rest of the secondary appears to be wide open.
There is a wealth of experienced national talent in the Tiger-Cats secondary, including Courtney Stephen who played free safety last season but has experience playing cornerback as well. Craig Butler, a CFL All-Star at safety in 2015, is returning from an injury that saw him miss the entire 2016 season. Former Marauder Mike Daly has also started some games in his career at safety.
The Ticats could potentially start two Canadians in the secondary if they choose to go that route. However, with returning international players such as Demond Washington (who also missed the 2016 season due to injury), Dominique Ellis and Cleshawn Page, the influx of new talent in former NFLers Will Hill and Justin Rogers, and the trade acquisitions of Khalid Wooten and Ethan Davis, there’s no telling how this will unfold. And that’s not even mentioning the rest of the defensive backs coming to camp (22 total), of which, any could turn some heads starting on Sunday.
A likely scenario if the Tiger-Cats choose to start two nationals in the secondary could the 2015 model of Butler at safety and Stephen returning to cornerback. With three Canadians starting on the o-line, two in the secondary and potentially two on the d-line, that would open up the option of starting five international receivers.
 
Defensive Line
Anchored by CFL All-Star defensive end John Chick and perennial All-Canadian defensive tackle Ted Laurent, the Tiger-Cats boast one of the best starting units on the defensive line in the league. Adrian Tracy is also back and appears poised for another solid season after registering 56 defensive tackles in 17 games played in 2016.
The question is who will start at the other defensive tackle position with the departure of international Drake Nevis? One option is national Mike Atkinson, a veteran of 33 CFL games with five career starts. If this is the way things play out, the team does potentially have some depth among Canadians at defensive tackle to back up Laurent and Atkinson. Hamilton drafted two defensive tackles this year in Kay Okafor and Justin Vaughn, and Evan Gill is a former first-round pick of the Ticats in 2014. All three could factor in the mix in some capacity, although Coach Austin does think Okafor has the athleticism to convert to offensive line at some point. Okafor is relatively new to football and is touted as a hyper-athletic ‘uncarved block’ of sorts, with plenty of room to grow into a number of positions on the football field.
National defensive ends Justin Capicciotti and this year’s first round draft pick (fourth overall) Connor McGough will provide ratio flexibility at defensive end. In a pinch, Capicciotti also has experience as a starter.
There are also some talented international rookies on the roster, and like any other position, someone could win a job out of camp and change or dictate the mindset of how the team will deploy its’ seven national starters.
Linebackers
There are a number of returning players for the Ticats at linebacker, including one of the best all-around defensive players in the CFL the last few seasons, Simoni Lawrence. Lawrence has been named an East Division All-Star in three consecutive seasons (2014-16), and was named the East Division’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player and a CFL All-Star in 2015.
Larry Dean returns for his second season and will look to lock down the middle linebacker position that he occupied for most of the 2016 campaign. With a full 18 games under his belt, expect Dean to prosper in his second season in the league and first under Defensive Coordinator Jeff Reinebold’s new system.
Due to the abundance of national talent available at other positions, the Tiger-Cats do have the luxury of starting all international linebackers should they choose. However, national Terrell Davis made great strides in his rookie season and earned a start in the final game of the regular season against the Montreal Alouettes. The team also added Nick Shortill in the offseason and he has the potential to step into a starting role down the road if necessary.
A number of national linebackers were employed in special teams roles throughout 2016 and it is likely that a similar trend will continue this year. Expect Davis and Shortill to anchor this group out of the gate.
Matt Wells and recently signed NFL veteran Kavell Conner are also both in the mix, likely to open camp as Lawrence and Dean’s backups, respectively. Wells made his mark in limited action with the Tiger-Cats last season and Conner has 78 NFL games under his belt, including 46 starts at linebacker. Both will be interesting names to keep tabs on during training camp.
When all is said and done, the SAM position, which is generally listed as a linebacking position but technically is part of the secondary, could be occupied by one of the defensive backs coming to camp. Demond Washington could be a candidate and safety Will Hill took some reps there at the team’s mini-camp last month.
 
Specialists
Brandon Banks, who has served as the team’s primary punt and kick returner since 2013, is back for his fifth CFL season in Hamilton. “Speedy B” has been named a CFL All-Star twice (2014, 2015), an East Division All-Star in three consecutive seasons (2014-16), and won the 2015 John Agro Award as the league’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. Pushing Banks at camp will likely be newcomers Jalen Saunders, an undersized receiver in the mold of Banks himself, and a trio of defensive backs with impressive kick return resumes in V’Angelo Bentley, Richard Leonard and Justin Rogers. Although it’s unclear at this point who will actually be utilized in that role and given reps in camp.
As of today, the Tiger-Cats have yet to officially sign a placekicker for training camp. The team has had workouts with numerous prospects and will eventually finalize two, three or even four that will attend training camp. Stay tuned.