John Chick is happy to be in Edmonton, and the Eskimos are happy to have the big defensive end acquired over the weekend from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Chick was on the practice field Monday for the first time with his new team and is looking forward to beginning the next chapter of his career Friday night.
READ MORE: Edmonton Eskimos add John Chick to defence
“Change is always rejuvenating, good or bad it can be rejuvenating. It’s been a tough year so to have the record flipped is good. It’s about opportunity.”
The trade also included a fifth round draft pick coming to Edmonton while Hamilton will get the Eskimos second round pick in the 2018 Canadian draft.
Eskimos general manager Brock Sunderland said it’s a good add to the Eskimos lineup, and he is not concerned about Chick’s numbers this season.
“There’s a lot more to football than stats and what we have viewed on film – he is the same guy. If we didn’t think he was going to be highly productive – whether that’s sack numbers, tackles or disrupting the quarterback and creating plays – we have full confidence he will be the John Chick that he has always been.”
Forty-two sacks since the beginning of the 2014 season and 69 sacks in 117 career games with the Riders and Ti-Cats, that’s the Chick Sunderland feels the Eskimos have acquired.
In eight games with Hamilton this year, Chick has two sacks and 16 defensive tackles. Playing on a much better team and in a rotation with Odell Willis and Kwaku Boateng, those numbers should increase.
Willis and Chick have combined for 77 sacks since the start of 2014. Throw in 25 sacks in that time frame from Almondo Sewell, and that is a pretty intimidating defensive line.
Injury update
There is good and bad news for the Eskimos on the injury front.
It appears after missing one game, DT Almondo Sewell will return from his upper-body injury suffered in Ottawa two weeks ago.
Also on the field today and looking to return were R Brandon Zylstra and DB Arjen Colquhoun. R Adarius Bowman and LB Adam Konar also both practised today but both still have one more game to serve on the six-game injured list.
No sign of DB Brandyn Thompson and R Vidal Hazelton, who were among those that left the game in Winnipeg last Thursday.
The Eskimos host the Saskatchewan Roughriders Friday night on the Brick field at Commonwealth Stadium. Game time is 7:30 p.m. and coverage on 630 CHED starts at 6 p.m.
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