In a surprise move on Tuesday, the Ottawa Redblacks released running back Ryquell Armstead and defensive back Elijah Blades and signed running back Jamal Morrow and defensive back C.J. Coldon to the practice squad.
Ryquell Armstead is five foot eleven and weighs 230 pounds. The 27-year-old from Millville, New Jersey, re-signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on November 28, 2023. In 2024, Armstead had 125 carries for 623 yards, 3 touchdowns, and 35 catches for 284 yards in 11 games.
The Jacksonville Jaguars drafted Armstead in the fifth round (140th pick) in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played three seasons in Jacksonville with 50 carries for 188 yards, 17 catches for 160 yards, and two touchdowns in 18 games. After Jacksonville, Armstead had stints with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, and Green Bay Packers.
The D.C. Defenders drafted Armstead in the sixth round (48th pick) of the 2023 XFL Draft. He had 63 carries for 217 yards, four catches for 37 yards, and one touchdown in eight games. Then, he signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on June 26, 2023, and spent a month on the practice squad. He was released on July 19, 2023.
Collegiately, Armstead played four seasons at Temple (2015-18) with 573 carries for 2,812 yards, 34 touchdowns, 29 catches for 175 yards, and two kick returns for 38 yards in 47 games for the Owls. He was named to the All-American Athletic Conference Third Team by Phil Steele in 2016.
Elijah Blades is six foot two and weighs 185 pounds. The 25-year-old from Pasadena, California, was drafted by the Houston Roughnecks (XFL) in the 2023 XFL Combine Draft. The Roughnecks were not included in the XFL and USFL merger which formed the United Football League (UFL) but the brand went to the Houston Gamblers.
Then, Blades was drafted by the D.C. Defenders in the 2024 UFL Dispersal Draft. The Defenders released him on March 10, 2024, and he later signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on April 8, 2024. He appeared in two preseason games before the Redblacks released him on May 15, 2024. Blades re-signed with the Redblacks on July 2, 2024, and was placed on the practice squad.
Collegiately, Blades played two seasons at Arizona Western Community College (2017–18) with 39 tackles (24 solo, 15 assists), one interception for 54 yards, one touchdown, nine pass breakups, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one blocked punt in 21 games for the Matadors where he was ranked the No. 4 JUCO player.
Next, he transferred to Texas A&M (2019-20) with 19 tackles (15 solo, 4 assists), 2.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and three pass breakups in eight games for the Aggies. Then, he transferred to Florida in 2021 with three tackles (2 solo, 1 assist) in three games for the Gators. Blades concluded his collegiate career at Buffalo in 2022 with 27 tackles (22 solo, 5 assists), 1.5 tackles for loss, and four pass breakups in eight games for the Bulls.
Jamal Morrow is five foot eight and weighs 205 pounds. The 29-year-old from Menifee, California, was set to sign with the Calgary Stampeders on July 8, 2024, but he failed a physical and was never signed.
Morrow went unselected in the 2018 NFL Draft and had tryouts for the Seattle Seahawks and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In 2019, he signed with the Orlando Apollo (AAF) but was released before the season began.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders signed Morrow as a free agent on April 15, 2019. He spent the 2019 season on the practice squad. In four seasons, Morrow has 337 carries for 1,614 yards, seven touchdowns, 82 catches for 744 yards, two touchdowns, and 48 kick returns for 1,031 yards in 36 games.
In 2023, Morrow had 202 carries for 907 yards, four touchdowns, 36 catches for 349 yards, one touchdown, and five kick returns for 87 yards in 16 games.
Collegiately, Morrow played four seasons at Washington State (2014-17) with 305 carries for 1,765 yards, nine touchdowns, 196 catches for 1,713 yards, 14 touchdowns, 24 kick returns for 476 yards, and 22 punt returns for 200 yards in 48 games for the Cougars. He was named two-time All-PAC 12 Conference Honorable Mention.
C.J. Coldon is five foot ten and weighs 186 pounds. The 26-year-old from Belleville, Illinois, signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on January 29, 2024. He played in two preseason games making three tackles and one tackle on special teams. The Roughriders released him on June 1, 2024.
The Minnesota Vikings signed Coldon as an undrafted free agent in 2023 and was placed on the practice squad. He made two tackles (2 solo) and one pass breakup for the Minnesota Vikings against the Arizona Cardinals in a preseason game in 2023.
Collegiately, Coldon played four seasons at Wyoming (2018-21) with 112 tackles (78 solo, 34 assists), 6.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, 17 pass breakups, two fumble recoveries, and one touchdown in 24 games for the Cowboys.
Then, he transferred to Oklahoma in 2022 with 43 tackles (25 solo, 18 assists), two tackles for loss, four interceptions for 32 yards, and ten pass breakups in 12 games for the Sooners. He was named an All-Big Ten Honorable Mention after the season.
