The Ottawa Redblacks signed offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek to a one-year contract and re-signed linebacker Frankie Griffin to a two-year contract extension through the 2025 season on Wednesday.
Dariusz Bladek is six foot five and weighs 303 pounds. The 29-year-old from Clifton, New Jersey, did not see action for the Toronto Argonauts in 2023. The Argonauts signed Bladek as a free agent on February 11, 2020.
He played two seasons in Toronto playing 27 games for the Argonauts. In 2022, he played 17 games helping them win the East Division with an 11-7 record.
Toronto beat the Montreal Alouettes in the East Semi-Final before upsetting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 109th Grey Cup in Regina, Saskatchewan, by the final score of 24-23. It was Toronto’s 18th Grey Cup title in franchise history.
Before Toronto, the Saskatchewan Roughriders drafted him in the second round of the 2017 CFL Draft. He played three seasons in Saskatchewan playing 45 games, of which 22 were starts.
Collegiately, Bladek played four seasons at Bethune-Cookman University (2012-15) playing 34 games for the Wildcats. He was named to the 2015 SBN Black College All-America Team.
In 2015, the Wildcats’ offensive line paved the way to lead the MEAC in several statistical categories, including scoring offense (31.4 avg/g), total offense (445.0 avg/g), rushing offense (191.8 yds./g), pass offense (253.2 avg/g), and pass efficiency (164.1 efficiency).
Frankie Griffin is six foot and weighs 203 pounds. The 28-year-old from Spring, Texas, made 75 tackles, four tackles on special teams, and one interception in 14 games for the Redblacks in 2023. In 2022, Griffin made 34 tackles and one tackle on special teams in eight games. He signed with Ottawa as a free agent in 2021.
In three seasons, Griffin had made 117 tackles, 10 tackles on special teams, and one interception in 30 games. Before Ottawa, Griffin signed with the Green Bay Packers but was released during training camp in 2020.
Collegiately, Griffin played four seasons at Texas State (2016-19) with 258 tackles (153 solo, 105 assists), 30.5 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, four pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries, and one blocked kick in 44 games for the Bobcats. Griffin was named 2018 All-Sun Belt Honorable Mention, and 2017 Third Team All-Sun Belt Conference by Phil Steele.
