I expect 2022 pick OL Sage Doxtater to be available sometime this off season. Has been released by two NFL teams this year. Looks like his best position in the CFL will be at Guard going by his scouting report.
Left tackle with great size and poor athleticism. Doxtater displays above-average lower body power to drive opponents in the run game. He lacks foot speed to pass protect on an island and shows poor technique and leverage. Doxtater projects as a camp body due to his size, who has too many holes to stick on a practice squad.
Sage is going to play for XFL's Houston. Maybe a good thing as he hasn't played much the last couple of years. Don't see him starting right away with the Argos. Maybe he will get another crack at the NFL again first, which could mean he doesn't come to Toronto until September.
That's what the NFL scouting report says about him. Which means he plays Guard in the CFL. The good rush ends in the CFL would tie him in knots. Starting to wonder if the plan for the offensive line is to go with 4 Nationals again by signing another proven starter in Ciraco.
Maybe down the road McKellar and/or Churchill could be a starting Tackle. Richards was tried at right tackle a few times in 2022 with mixed results to be kind. Churchill is from Saskatchewan and Richards is from Calgary. Don't they all go home eventually. I believe Doxtater will eventually make his way to the Argos.
According to the 3Down guys Sage Doxtater has accepted a minicamp invite with New Orleans where he spent some time last year on their practice roster. So he did get to start and play 5 games at LT in the XFL but was then injured and didn’t play the other 5 games. So he may go to training camp again with the Saints and possibly end up on their practice roster again for a while. More frustration for the Argo fans like me. The CFL teams waiting for these borderline Canadian NFL players kind of reminds me of that old Country song “Pick me up on your way down when you’re blue and all alone”. Mean while the Argos have a LT on their roster Isaiah Cage who IMO is a better player than Sage but because his Mother isn’t Canadian and he didn’t play 4 years for a OUA team he may not make the starting lineup because of the ratio numbers game. But I don’t think Ciraco was signed to be a backup. Maybe Hunter moves to LT and Ciraco plays LG to give them 4 Nationals starting on the OL. Now if Cage was the Nationalized National that would give them a better OL, for he is IMO the best one in camp. But he has had concussion issues so we’ll see how it goes in TC.
With Churchill being dealt to Edmonton it opens up a spot IMO for another Canadian Offensive Lineman. Sage Doxtater could be on his way. Haven’t seen any evidence that he was signed by New Orleans after attending their recent mini camp.
The Argos still have a huge collection of Canadian O-lineman for TC - even if Doxtator does not show up; plus they have some import OTs and may pencil-in 2 starters there. Hunter, or Richards, or MacKellar (all-Canadian OT in the AUS) or drat pick Vandal (3 straight years a Q all-star OT), might all be able to win an OT starting job, as Doxtater might, if it was open competition; but not if it’s pencilled-in imports only - which I suspect it will be ? Still that would leave CFL starter experienced Ciraco, Bladek, Hunter & Nicastro to fight for the 3 interior starting jobs, and does one of those guys just become a back-up?; and then there are several other former Argo draft pick O-linemen to figure a spot for ?
A CFL team in O-line need might be advised to sniff around Argo TC for O-line cuts or maybe try to swing a trade deal ?
Churchill didn’t exactly bring a big return from Edmonton which kind of tells me his stock has fallen from being a #1 draft pick with potential to start. And the feeling could also be they expected him to sign as a FA back home this coming off season. So get something for him now. The only Canadian I see possibly playing tackle is Hunter with maybe Ciraco sliding into LG backed by Mackellar. Ciraco can also play Center if needed to back up Nicastro. If the League does go ahead with this Nationalized Canadian format, Cage would be eligible to be that guy and play LT. That would be the strongest scenario IMO. But if Hunter can slide over and Doxtater arrives to back up there I can see that happening as well. We will see what they think of the five extra Canadians at cut down day. Will they be let go or placed on the injured list for depth.