Evan Daum
Edmonton Journal
Hugh Charles isn’t about to release the reins of the Edmonton Eskimo running game.
A day after the Eskimos reached a verbal agreement with former Toronto Argonauts running back Cory Boyd, who was let go by the Boatmen on Sunday, Charles reacted to the news after Monday’s practice.
While bringing in the Canadian Football League’s leading rusher may seem like an indication that Charles is in for a fight to hold on to his spot atop the depth chart, the first-year Esk doesn’t think so.
“It leaves me here in the same spot. I didn’t get traded. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll still be the featured back,” Charles said. “I think it’s good that we added another guy such as Cory Boyd, because our depth at the running back position is really slim.”
Calvin McCarty, who filled in at fullback after rookie Peter Thiel was banged up in Friday’s game against Saskatchewan, was the only other healthy running back.
Eskimo head coach Kavis Reed made a point of reassuring Charles Sunday when signing Boyd became a possibility. “This is a franchise and a manager that knows what they’re doing,” Charles said. “I feel comfortable where I’m at and where this team is going.”
As for his initial reaction to Boyd being released by Toronto, count Charles among the many who were shocked to see the CFL all-star cut loose, seemingly out of the blue.
“I was super surprised. In the morning, I had found out through talking with one of the DBs (defensive backs) in the training room and I didn’t think anything of it, but I knew we needed some depth at running back,” Charles said.
Reed said it’s possible a Charles-Boyd combination could soon make its debut.
“We have the roster flexibility, we have the ratio flexibility, so we’ll look at it and see where Cory is and how he fits, but for us, at worst-case scenario, we got a very, very good security blanket,” Reed said.
“There’s many ways in this offence that we can be utilized together,” Charles said . “It’s not a big deal to me. I’m keeping my head up. I don’t feel like I’ve done anything wrong and I’m going to look ahead and keep winning games.”
