Tag Archives: ottawa redblacks

CFL, NFL, The Spring League, XFL

Saunders, Jalen

Card: Topps XFL 2020
Acquired: EBay, 2020

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Jalen Saunders played two years at Fresno State from 2010-’11.
  • He then transferred to Oklahoma for ’12 and finished out his college career there in ’13.
  • His sophomore campaign for Fresno was his best, as he caught 50 catches for 1065 yards and 12 TDs.
  • Saunders then had two back to back solid seasons for the Sooners, with 829 yards and 3 TDs and 729 yards and 8 TDs respectably.
  • Selected in the 4th round of the 2014 Draft by the New York Jets.
  • He’d see action with the Jets before being cut, then bounce on and off the rosters of the Cardinals and Seahawks before finally ending up on the Saints to conclude the season.
  • The following year in 2015, the Saints traded Saunders to New England for a conditional draft choice, but he didn’t make the 52.
  • Joined the Bears practice squad, but was suspended 10 games for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
  • Played in the Spring League in 2017.
  • Signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that year and had a breakout season, posting 1,170 yards on 76 receptions.
  • He was off to a great start in 2018, until an injury ended his season and then subsequently released in 2019.
  • The XFL20 Houston Roughnecks drafted him- but injured in camp, he wouldn’t see the field.
  • Returned to CFL and signed with the Redblacks, but never saw the field, retiring in ’21.
  • He came out of retirement in 2022 to play for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but was cut after he was accused of sexual assault.

NOTES:

I had a stack of cards of Saunders and thought I’d catch him at a game or at the team meet and greet before the season. Unfortunately that didn’t happen.

AAF, Arena, CFL, NFL

Philips, Ervin

CARD: Topps AAF 2019 Certified
ACQUIRED: 2019, Personal Break
FAILURE: TTM 2020, C/o Home

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Ervin Philips played WR at Syracuse from 2014-’17.
  • He caught 225 passes for 2070 yards and 16 TDs over his time for the Orangemen.
  • Was on the practice squad of the Buccaneers in 2018.
  • Selected by the Atlanta Legends of the AAF in 2019.
  • In 2 starts caught 9 passes for 96 yards.
  • Played for the Baltimore Brigade of the Arena Football League later that year.
  • Caught 12 passes for 84 yards.
  • After COVID, dressed for the Redblacks of the CFL in 2021, but didn’t see any action.

NOTES:

Wow. I so love this card of Ervin. It’s a great action shot of him. It’s a shame I couldn’t get his base card signed to match.

CFL

Brewer, Charlie

CARD: Sage 2023 GOLD (18/100)
ACQUIRED: Personal Break, 2023

CAREER SNAPSHOT:

  • Charlie Brewer played QB at Baylor in 2017-’20.
  • Named freshman of the year in 2017.
  • Threw for 65 TDs and over 9,500 yards in Waco.
  • Opted to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted by the COVID pandemic.
  • Played 3 games for Utah in 2021.
  • Transferred to Liberty for 2022 and was injured in the first game of the season.
  • Went undrafted in 2023.
  • Saw time briefly on the off-season roster of the Ottawa Redblacks of the CFL.

NOTES:

Brewer is part of a hotbed of quarterback talent from Austin, Texas, and he himself comes from strong football bloodlines. I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets lost in the shuffle of QB talent in camps this year, and would make a fantastic target for XFL developmental.