Bombers receiver has tall order to fill

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This article was published 14/07/2022 (1203 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When Carlton Agudosi walks into the room, you can’t help but be taken aback by his size.

Standing at 6-6, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver is the tallest person on offence.

After spending all of last season on the practice roster, Agudosi will now have a chance to put his height to use as the second-year Bomber is starting tonight at slotback against the visiting Calgary Stampeders (4-0).

With receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange on the six-game injured list, the door opened for Agudosi to make his first CFL start.

“It means a lot. I’ve become a better person, a better player since I’ve arrived here which was my goal since the beginning,” the 28-year-old from New Jersey told reporters after Thursday’s walkthrough practice.

“I think this is the best time, the right time. This is the best I’ve been mentally, physically and I’m just ready to go out there and show what I can do.”

It’s been a long journey for Agudosi to get to this point. Agudosi spent 2017 with the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent out of Rutgers. He’d go on to sign with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2019, but was one of the team’s final roster cuts. From there, Agudosi took his talents to the XFL and played five games for the St. Louis BattleHawks before the league folded owing to the pandemic. After learning the Canadian ropes in 2021, Agudosi had a shot to make the Bombers this year, but that plan got derailed after injuring himself in training camp after laying out to catch a pass. He was released before getting signed to the practice squad on June 30.

“It’s been beautiful,” said Agudosi on the ups and downs of his career.

“At different times, it’s been harder than others. But the one consistent thing is the work. You really have to self reflect to see where you can get better. It’s easy to say ‘Poor me’ but the better thing to do is to look at what you can do to be ready when you get your number called.”

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea has been a fan of Agudosi’s for a while and is excited to see what the big man can do with the opportunity.

“He took what the coaches gave him to work on in the off-season and showed back up in training camp and had made great strides in what they asked him to do,” O’Shea said.

“Unfortunately he got nicked up and it’s hard to keep a guy on the P.R., when he’s not practising, especially since we dropped our numbers compared to last season. But he stuck with it. He’s a guy we really like and we want to see what he can do.”

Helping Agudosi’s transition to the CFL and Winnipeg has been his former college teammate, Janarion Grant. The Bombers kick returner and Agudosi were dorm roommates at Rutgers. Tonight will be the first time they play together since 2016.

“It means a lot for both of us to be out there in the same game doing what we love,” said Grant. “It’s just a great moment… We have that brotherhood.”

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DICKENSON AND MITCHELL ON MARINO SITUATION

The Free Press asked Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson to comment on the backlash his brother Craig Dickenson, the head coach of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, has received for his handling of the Garrett Marino incident. Craig defended Marino and said they will not be releasing him.

“I’m just gonna talk about us. I’m a fan of the league and I’m a fan of my brother, too. I know he’s a great person. To be honest, he’s the salt of the earth,” said Dave moments after arriving in Winnipeg.

“He’s trying to do the best he can and he gives a damn. He’s a very caring person so he’s trying to do what’s right. Sometimes words can maybe confuse true feelings or what you’re trying to express. But I’m just trying to worry about our game. He’ll handle it. He’ll be fine. But that’s certainly a situation I’m sure that overall hasn’t been much fun trying to handle.”

Stampeders quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was also asked about the hit and the league’s decision to suspend Marino for four games.

“If he would’ve done that to me, you would’ve had to hold me back from taking my helmet and hitting him with it,” Mitchell said.

“That’s the thing, we have to find a way to get those things out of the game. I don’t know if it’s possible. I think guys at any point could do that to a player if they wanted to. I don’t know if any amount of discipline all of sudden changes his stripes and takes away from the player he’s been in high school, college, and the pros. I’m not super happy with it, but they’re doing something about it and that’s all I can control.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

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