Redblacks sign former Lions kicker/punter Richie Leone

The Redblacks have signed kicker and punter Richie Leone to a one-year deal.

Leone, a two-time CFL all-star punter, led the three-down league in punting average in 2015 and 2016 (49.5 and 49.3). He saw time as a field goal kicker with B.C. too, hitting 65-of-90 three-pointers (72.2 per cent).

After the 2016 CFL season Leone inked a deal with the Arizona Cardinals, but he was waived among the final roster moves before the regular season on September 2 and he was a free agent until finding a job in Ottawa. The 26-year-old went unselected in the 2014 NFL draft out of the University of Houston, but he went to training camp with the Baltimore Ravens.

The Redblacks needed a kicker after Brett Maher signed with the Dallas Cowboys last week and Leone fills that void well.