Grant flying high with Argos

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This article was published 26/07/2024 (464 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

TORONTO — Toronto Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie isn’t going to tell you it took a whole lot of work to get Janarion grant on his roster.

The story certainly isn’t as thrilling as what we’ve seen from Grant this season, now a member of the Argos after years with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The dynamic returner has taken the league by storm, already with three touchdowns in six games for the Boatmen, with two coming off punts and the other a kickoff return.

Grant was a late addition to the Argos. He was brought in on the fourth day of training camp, at a time when teams have made most of their roster decisions outside of scheduled cuts.

We’ll let Dinwiddie take over from here…

“It was kind of out of sight, out of mind. I was just like, ‘Is he still free?’” Dinwiddie recalled following the Argos walkthrough practice Friday at BMO Field. “I didn’t really feel trust in the guys we had, that we brought into camp to earn that job.

“I just went to (general manager Mike) Pinball (Clemons) and was like, ‘Let’s go get Janarion Grant. He’s on the streets and I don’t know why.’ Maybe it’s because he had some injuries last year, but he’s a dynamic player, still got a lot left. We lucked out having him available at that stage.”

Those are tough words to swallow for Bomber fans, many of whom are looking at what Grant has done this season and comparing it to the futile return game currently brewing in Winnipeg. Grant was doing much of the same brilliant work while with the Bombers, where he spent four years before signing a one-year contract with Toronto.

While Grant leads the CFL in average punt and kickoff return yards, the Bombers are last and second last, respectively, in each of those categories.

The Bombers haven’t come close to returning a kick for a touchdown and are on their third return man, with Kody Case getting the nod for a second straight game. Meanwhile, Grant has three scores in his last three games, and if he’s able to get a fourth against the Bombers in their Week 8 matchup at BMO Field Saturday night, it would set a new CFL record for most consecutive games with a return TD.

“Stopping him is difficult, and everybody that’s been with us for a while recognizes that,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “They see what he did for us, and he’s continuing on in that vein. He keeps going like he is, he’ll be up there on the top lists in CFL history. He’s exceptional.”

There was a lot of controversy over the Bombers not re-signing Grant.

While money played a small role — Winnipeg was up against the cap following significant raises to players such as running back Brady Oliveira and receiver Dalton Schoen — it wasn’t the main motivating factor for the Bombers’ decision to move on from Grant. They felt they had younger options coming into camp and were concerned with Grant’s injury-riddled season in 2023.

If the Bombers wanted Grant, they could have paid around $80,000 for his services, which is what the Argos are currently giving him.

“We were discussing everything, going back and forth. But we just couldn’t come to terms,” Grant told the Free Press. “I just had to keep adjusting and making my movements.”

Grant said he was surprised that much of the league didn’t seem all that interested in him, adding he felt it was because of the ankle injury he suffered last year that kept him out half the season.

“It’s a business. It’s what happens,” he said. “Just got to take it and roll with it.”

As for the talk about him being difficult to reach over the offseason, Grant just smiled and said he spent a lot of his time working out in the gym, focusing on his mental health and spending time with family.

The ability to get off the grid and take time to yourself seemed to resonate with Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros. Collaros has faced some heat for an underwhelming start to the season, with just two passing touchdowns compared to seven interceptions in six games for the two-time most outstanding player.

“I love that about him,” the Bombers veteran pivot said. “I can’t share a lot about that, about him, with you, but I’m envious of that, for sure.

“It’s been awesome,” added Collaros, tongue firmly planted in cheek, when asked what it’s been like to watch Grant play this year. “I feel like every time the Argos are on you get a text saying, ‘You see what Janarion just did?’ From my dad, especially. Obviously, happy for him.”

Grant, who will be 31 in November, said he holds no ill-will toward the Bombers and he looks back fondly on his four years in Winnipeg. In 41 games with the Blue and Gold, Grant had seven punt return touchdowns and one kickoff return TD in the regular season, making him the club’s all-time leader, while adding two more in the playoffs.

Asked about Winnipeg’s slow start, with two wins in seven games after dominating the league for years, Grant sees a team just working its way through some early challenges.

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“They’re building the team,” he said. “Just got to trust their guys, make sure they fit the process and stick with the process.”

As for making league history with a return touchdown against his former team, Grant noted his philosophy doesn’t change regardless of who he’s playing. He’s always thinking about the end zone each time he touches the ball.

“(Scoring is) always the goal,” Grant said. “That’s always on my mind — nothing less. Because I know what I can do.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.