The Toronto Argonauts have signed offensive lineman Darta Lee and moved wide receiver J.J. Arcega-Whiteside to the retired list on Wednesday.
Darta Lee is six foot three and weighs 313 pounds. The 25-year-old from Alief, Texas, spent time with the Arlington Renegades (XFL), and later signed with the Memphis Showboats (USFL) on May 9, 2023, and appeared in one game before spending the rest of the season on injured reserve.
Collegiately, Lee played one season at Illinois in 2016 playing guard in six games for the Fighting Illini. He was the first Illini true freshman to start on the offensive line in the season opener in at least 20 seasons. Next, Lee transferred to Kilgore College in 2017 finishing the season averaging 368.1 yards per game, 268.4 rushing yards per game, 199.7 passing yards per game, and 26.2 points per game.
Then, Lee transferred to UTEP (2018-20) playing left tackle in 30 games for Miners. In 2020, UTEP’s offensive line helped pave the way for a rushing attack that scored 16 touchdowns and surpassed 1,000 yards on the season.
J.J. Arcega-Whiteside is six foot two and weighs 237 pounds. The 27-year-old from Inman, South Carolina, signed with the Argonauts on January 8, 2024. In 2023, Arcega-Whiteside made six catches for 86 yards in three preseason games for the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons signed Whiteside as a free agent on May 22, 2023.
Before Atlanta, the Philadelphia Eagles drafted Whiteside in the second round (57th pick) of the 2019 NFL Draft. Whiteside played three seasons in Philadelphia with 16 catches for 290 yards and one touchdown in 40 games with the Eagles. In 2022, the Eagles traded Whiteside to the Seattle Seahawks.
Collegiately, Whiteside played three seasons at Stanford (2016-18) with 135 catches for 2,219 yards and 28 touchdowns in 36 games for the Cardinal. He was named Second Team All-Pac-12 in 2018.
