The Edmonton Eskimos had a big hole to fill this off-season when middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt retired after eight years with the green and gold.
But on free agency day, the team inked a man that will easily fill those shoes in Larry Dean. The veteran linebacker spent the last three years in Hamilton.
Eskimos defensive co-ordinator Phillip Lolley coached Dean in Hamilton and said he knows the culture he’s bringing to Edmonton.
“All great leaders are different,” Lolley said. “Larry’s verbal, but Larry’s very sharp — very smart. He don’t ask everybody else to do something, he does it first; they see it.”
READ MORE: Edmonton Eskimos linebacker J.C. Sherritt retires
Lolley also coached Sherritt during his two-year tenure in Edmonton in 2014 and 2015.
“J.C. and I stayed in touch,” Lolley said. “He said, ‘Coach, that Larry Dean is something else,’ and I said, ‘Well, he plays a lot like you.'”
READ MORE: Edmonton Eskimos Training Camp Day 11: Injuries creating opportunities for hopefuls
Watch below: Some videos from Global News’ coverage of the Edmonton Eskimos’ 2019 training camp.