Recently released CFL defensive end Shawn Lemon is getting back on the horse, signing with the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, per sources.
Arguably Lemon’s best CFL season occurred in 2014 as a member of the Stampeders. He recorded 13 sacks and eight forced fumbles that year — helping the team set a CFL record in that category — and won the 102nd Grey Cup with the Stamps.
Lemon was released by the Edmonton Elks on Thursday, among the most surprising casualties ahead of the CFL’s roster cutdown deadline. He had originally signed a one-year contract for the 2021 season with the Elks in February.
The nine-year CFL veteran has 70 sacks and 22 forced fumbles over his 107-game career, but Elks general manager Brock Sunderland felt Lemon was “outplayed” by younger players like Canadian Mathieu Betts. Earlier in camp, head coach Jaime Elizondo had called out Lemon for not putting forward the same consistent effort as the 2019 third-overall CFL Draft pick.
Fans will now get to see Edmonton’s assessment put to the test, with Betts assuming the starting role in the City of Champions and Lemon looking to continue his prolific career across the province.
The University of Akron product began his career with brief stints in Winnipeg and Saskatchewan, before establishing himself with Edmonton in 2012. During that season, Lemon recorded six sacks in 12 games.
His performance with Calgary the next year drew interest from the NFL and Lemon spent the first half of 2015 as a member of the Pittsburgh Steelers and the San Francisco 49ers. Lemon returned to the CFL mid-way through the 2015 season, signing with the Ottawa Redblacks. He would record six sacks in his abbreviated nine-game season.
Lemon was named a CFL East all-star in 2016 as a member of the Toronto Argonauts. During that season, he recorded 14 sacks, 22 defensive tackles, and four forced fumbles.
The 32-year-old has been a consistent threat to quarterbacks in recent years, recording seasons of 14, 8, 11, and 9 sacks over the last four seasons split between the B.C. Lions and Argos.
In a 14-game season, Lemon provides the Stampeders with an instant pass rush boost and the ability to disrupt opposing game plans. If he can achieve a fraction of the success he had in his first stint in Calgary, it will make the Stampeders the team to beat in the West.