TORONTO — Henoc Muamba knows a thing or two about being one of the best players in the CFL.
The two-time CFL All-Star and 2022 Grey Cup Most Valuable Player has recently retired from the game to take over a full-time role as a football analyst. That gives him unique perspective on some of the nuances of the game, including TSN’s list of Top 50 players.
There are a lot of talented players in the league, which means there will always be a player or two that inevitably don’t make the list. A player that Maumba feels is among those is former teammate DaVaris Daniels, who was also part of the Argonauts squad that won the 109th Grey Cup.
“I’ve got DaVaris Daniels on my list as a snub, absolutely,” Muamba told Donnovan Bennett in this week’s edition of The Waggle Podcast. “You’ve talked about the fact that he’s been on a great offence and I think probably being on an offence that did so well last year and didn’t necessarily have to play as much as he could have to pad his stats. Maybe that played a factor into that, but I still think he should have been recognized.”
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Daniels went over 1,000 receiving yards for the first time in his career in 2023. He did so with an impressive 19.4 yards per reception average, headlining an explosive aerial offence for the Double Blue that also featured names like Damonte Coxie (787 yards, five TDs), Dejon Brissett (594 yards, five TDs), David Ungerer III (579 yards, three TDs) and Cam Phillips (561 yards, one TD).
Another player that caught the attention of the former champion is 2022 Most Outstanding Defensive Player Lorenzo Mauldin IV. The REDBLACKS edge rusher led the CFL in sacks in 2022 with 17, but had to deal with injuries that limited him to only five quarterback takedowns in 2023.
“I have got a couple of guys that rush off the edge like Lorenzo Mauldin IV, who I truly believe is still a game changer and affects every single game that he plays,” said Muamba about who else he feels could have been included on the list. “Maybe his injuries and ailments throughout the season cost him quite a bit, but I still believe he should be on there.”
Another REDBLACK that Muamba believes should’ve made the cut is wide receiver Dominique Rhymes. The veteran returned to Ottawa in the off-season after three years with the BC Lions but is coming off a season in which he appeared in only 10 games, registering 535 receiving yards and six majors.
“The other name that I truly believe belongs on the list because of the playmaker that he is. He’s got a new home in 24. Dominique Rhymes.
“He’s a guy that can put numbers and that when you play defence, you have got to know exactly where he is. Rhymes is going to have a huge season this year, and he is probably going to prove a lot of people wrong.”
Other than players that Muamba feels could’ve made the Top 50 list, there are those he believes could have been ranked higher, like Stamps’ linebacker Cameron Judge, who came in at No. 25.
“I think in my opinion he belongs a little big higher. Yes the performance of the Calgary Stampeders wasn’t necessarily top tier but when you look at Cam Judge, the amount of turnovers that he created, the amount of impact that he had as a defensive player. He just filled up every stat on the sheet and to me in my opinion 25 is a little too low for a guy like him.”