On Wednesday morning, the Canadian Football League announced its team winners for the Most Outstanding Player Awards, which were voted on by the Football Reporters of Canada (FRC) and the league’s head coaches.
*denotes unanimous selection.
Most Outstanding Player: Justin McInnis
Most Outstanding Canadian: Justin McInnis*
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: Garry Peters
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: Jarell Broxton*
Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: Sean Whyte*
Most Outstanding Rookie: Ayinde Eley
McInnis- it was truly an ‘outstanding’ breakout year for the Arkansas State product as he notched career highs in receptions (92), yards (1,469) and touchdowns (seven). His yards total is the second-highest in one season for a Canadian Lion behind Matt Clark (1,530 in 1991) and the eighth-best in CFL history. McInnis is on track to become the first Canadian to lead the CFL in receiving yards since Andy Fantuz in 2010.
Peters- earns a second defensive nomination in the last three seasons after an impressive campaign which saw 55 defensive tackles, one sack, one interception and a forced fumble. Peters also appeared in all 18 regular season games to bring his ironman streak to 104 consecutive appearances since joining the Lions before the start of 2018.
Broxton- the big left tackle is honoured with the team award for a second straight year. Despite a knee injury limiting him to 14 games, Broxton was a steady force in the run and pass-blocking units, earning the team’s highest Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade on ten occasions this season.
Whyte- a second straight nomination after another spectacular season for the ageless Whyte as he entered week 21 as the CFL’s most accurate kicker with a 94.1 success rate on field goals (50/53). Whyte made good on his first 29 field goal tries of the season to set a new franchise record of 47 straight dating back to last season. He also tied the single-game franchise record by making seven field goals in a week five win over Saskatchewan.
Eley– the rookie AKA ‘Ace’ emerged as one of the more impressive training camp newcomers and parlayed that into a starting role after injuries at the linebacker position. Eley recorded 66 total tackles (60 defence, 6 special teams) and a forced fumble across 17 games.
The CFL will announce the West and East Division finalists for these awards on Thursday, October 31 with the hardware handed out in Vancouver on Thursday, November 14 at the Most Outstanding Player Awards Show.