After the Winnipeg Blue Bombers spent much of the early parts of winter putting the band back together for another run to the Grey Cup, the main storyline over the last couple of months had surrounded the kicking game.
How else could you explain the excitement surrounding every drafting and signing of a kicker over the last while?
Most notably was the inking of Chandler Staton, an unknown in these parts but an intriguing kicker out of Appalachian State that had fans quickly Googling his name, hoping he might be the answer over incumbent Marc Liegghio. Liegghio struggled at critical times over the 2022 season, including in the Grey Cup against the Toronto Argonauts, where he missed a one-point convert and had a 47-yard field goal blocked with less than a minute remaining in a 24-23 loss.
Mike Deal / Winnipeg Free Press
Kicker Chandler Staton is in the mix when it comes to earning a job with the Big Blue.
Then, just days before training camp opened, the Bombers made another significant splash, signing kicker Sergio Castillo to a one-year deal. Castillo, back for a third stint with the Blue and Gold, was a key factor in the Bombers’ Grey Cup victory in 2021, finishing the game five-for-five on field goals in a 33-25 overtime decision, before playing last year with the Edmonton Elks.
Castillo is almost guaranteed, barring injury, to start the season on the roster, ultimately ending any real place-kicking battle at training camp. Stranger things have happened and Staton isn’t about to surrender the role without a honest fight.
“If you want a really good special teams program, you’re going to bring in competition, it’s going to be very competitive, with guys that know what they’re doing, have been in these situations and I think that’s what we’re doing here,” Staton told the Free Press on Day 2 of rookie camp Thursday. “I didn’t even know about them signing him, but it doesn’t change anything that I’m doing. I heard about it right before I came out today, but it’s one of those things where, you know, I kick a football. It’s on me to do what I do and that’s all I’m really worried about.”
It’s clear Staton didn’t just come here to be an extra body and a number. He’s as hungry as they come, especially after spending all of last season waiting for an opportunity.
In his senior season at Appalachian, Stanton was near perfect, connecting on 20 of his 21 field-goal attempts and nailing all 57 of his extra points, resulting him being named an all-American. That turned into an exciting but brief workout with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, with Staton spending all of 2022 as a free agent.
It wasn’t until he entered a kicking showcase for NFL teams in the U.S. that he was recruited by the Bombers scouting staff. To get there, he first had to qualify, which he did while kicking in Arizona, and then finished second.
Not long afterward, he spoke with Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea.
“I’d say a week or so later, I got a call and within a couple days it was just all going,” Staton said. “Now I’m here.”
He said he didn’t know much about the CFL but was definitely open to it. At 26, he felt he was at a crossroads in his career and had started to move on with life, even getting a job at a place that specialized in wellness and recovery.
The fire still burned inside him and so he continued to train and work out, just in case an opportunity came. He also made it clear that if it wasn’t for the sacrifices made by his wife, Maria, whom Stanton referred to as the clear breadwinner in the family, he wouldn’t be able to continue to pursue his dream.
“You look at it from both sides, like wow, I’m 26, but I’m also only 26 and as a kicker you get a little more leeway,” he said. “But to put things into complete perspective, there’s zero chance that I would have been able to keep doing this if it wasn’t for her stepping up into that role.”
As little as Staton knew about the CFL, he even knew less about Canada. In fact, he said when he signed with the Bombers, the first thing he did was search on videos of the country on YouTube.
A native of Gainesville, Ga., he was amazed by the fact Canada has a population less than the state of California, but the country is bigger than the U.S. He seemed ashamed by his ignorance but now has a greater appreciation for the country and hopes to learn more.
“It was really cool seeing all of it and just being in a different country to play football,” Staton said. “It’s something you don’t really think about or appreciate fully until you’re here.”
As for how he’s doing at camp, it’s hard to tell, though early signs are positive. Kickers take reduced reps when the rest of the team is on the field, doing much of their work in the early morning when no one is around.
So far, the reviews are good, according to O’Shea. With a calm demeanour, an appreciation for the chance to play pro football and a work ethic to match, if Staton does stick around, he’ll certainly fit in.
“What you notice about him right away is that, basically, the ball flies the same every time off his foot. It looks the same,” said O’Shea, likening his kick to a smooth golf swing. “He’s got the same swing over and over and the ball flies the same over and over. He’s got a calmness to him, a bit of a sense of humour. We’ve only known him for a few days here, but certainly at that combine he showed a lot of confidence and he just made kicks, all looking pretty much the same every time.”
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
