One Georgian came to the Toronto Argonauts with considerable fanfare, the other player from the Peach State joined the team in next to complete anonymity.
Between Anthony Lanier II and Aaron Casey, the former is the more recognizable name to CFL fans. The defensive lineman became – after five years in the NFL – a terrific player with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. His best statistical season was 2022, when he recorded eight sacks.
Following a 2024 season that was not up to his lofty standards, the Savannah native signed with the Argos. Following a mass defection by members of the Grey Cup championship defensive line, a major retooling was needed, and the Argos were excited to land someone with Lanier’s ability.
While he brings size and physicality to the group, he told Argonauts.ca that his superpower as a player is located between his ears.
“Understanding my personnel as far as who I’m playing with,” explained Lanier. “Understanding people’s keys and techniques. Understanding their strong points and using myself as a sacrificial lamb to continue to make everything else work and fully function.”
Translation, if it takes him being double teamed to allow someone else on the defence to make a play, he’s all in.
So far, he’s been closer to his 2022 form than that of the player fans saw last season. He’s already set a career high with 20 tackles, added a pair of sacks, blocked a kick, and most importantly become an important part of an Argo group that virtually shut down the vaunted Winnipeg running game last week.
The D also got a pick six from Cameron Judge, who caught a football that had been tipped at the line by the 6’5” Lanier, who says the Blue Bomber game was an indication that the defence is starting to hit its stride.
“As you can see it took time because we needed to tweak so many things,” said the big d-lineman and apparent auto mechanic. “It’s just like building a brand new engine, sometimes you’re going to put a brand new bolt on there, and sometimes you need two more quarter turns to the right to make sure it fires up and you get that purr that you need.”
The newest cog in the Argos defensive engine is Casey, a native of Douglasville, Georgia, a short drive west of Atlanta. Unlike Lanier’s signing, Casey’s arrival in Toronto flew well under the radar unless you’re a fan of NCAA football. Those who do know all about him.
The 6’1”, 230-pound linebacker was a star at Indiana, capturing First Team All-Big Ten recognition two years ago. He compiled 244 tackles over his career, 109 of which came in his redshirt senior season, the same year he led the NCAA with 19 solo tackles for loss.
He wasn’t drafted, but the Cincinnati Bengals signed him, though he was released midway through his first training camp. After seeing him show off his skill and power in Toronto, it led Argonauts.ca to ask why he was let go by Cincy.
“They wanted to see a sense of urgency from the start,” he admitted. “It took me a little while to get going there. I believe that was my downfall, it just took me a while to get going. I didn’t want to bring that here to Canadian ball and just jump on things early.”
There’s little question he’s been able to make a strong early impression this time around.
While he hasn’t found himself in the starting lineup yet, he’s been impressive in the snaps that he’s taken. When the Argos go into a 3-4 formation they can have Casey, Wynton McManis, Cameron Judge, and Isaac Darkangelo on the field at the same time.
That quartet doesn’t miss a whole lot of tackles.
Though not a starter, Casey has four sacks in just five games, leaving him tied for second in the CFL, just a pair behind his Argo teammate Andrew Chatfield Jr.’s six.
Playing with those players has been a big help for Casey as he tries to acclimate himself to a new city, a new country, and a new brand of the sport in which he excels. He says he’s asking a lot of questions and getting more and more confident as the weeks progress.
The 25-year-old was known as a vocal leader during his days at Indiana. Upon his arrival in Canada, he had to decide whether he was going to be relatively quiet at first, gradually establishing his presence in the locker room, or would he come in with the same confidence and vocal leadership skills he exhibited with the Hoosiers?
“I’ve been more quiet here, we’ve got great vets in the room,” he explained. “I just wanted to come in and earn respect from my peers. I’m coming in, doing everything the right way, showing I’m here to play, not mess around, and get the job done.”
He’s already earned the respect of Lanier.
“I actually see him as one of the dominant linebackers in the CFL.”
High praise from someone who has returned to his form as one of the dominant defensive linemen in the league.