TORONTO — The wait continues for the Toronto Argonauts.
Canadian receiver Jared Wayne was reportedly waived Tuesday by the Houston Texans as NFL teams finalized their 53-man rosters ahead of the regular season. Wayne had a 19-yard reception during the pre-season.
Wayne signed as an undrafted free agent with the Texans before being selected in the second round, No. 16 overall, by the Argos in the 2023 CFL draft. Toronto made the selection knowing it would have to wait for the six-foot-three, 210-pound Wayne, a native of Peterborough, Ont.
If a team selects Wayne, it would have to move him on to its 53-man roster. Should Wayne clear waivers, then he'd be an NFL free agent and able to join any team's practice roster.
On Monday, the Jacksonville Jaguars waived quarterback Nathan Rourke of Victoria. Rourke was the CFL's top Canadian last season with the B.C. Lions.
And on Saturday the Detroit Lions released veteran Canadian defensive lineman Christin Covington, 29, of Vancouver. The six-foot-two, 305-pound Covington — the son of Canadian Football Hall of Fame defensive end Grover Covington — is an eight-year NFL veteran, having appeared in 102 games with the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Los Angeles Chargers.
The B.C. Lions own Covington's CFL rights.
Wayne had 146 catches for 2,308 yards and 13 touchdowns in 41 games at the University of Pittsburgh. The Canadian had 60 receptions for 1,063 yards and five TDs last season as the school's top receiver.
Other Canadians or former CFL players released include:
— Cornerback Tevaughn Campbell, of Toronto, by Jacksonville. Campbell, 30, has played in the NFL with the New York Jets (2019), Los Angeles Chargers (2020-2022), Las Vegas Raiders (2022) and Jaguars (2022). Before that he was in the CFL with Calgary (2015), Saskatchewan (2016-2017) and Montreal (2017-18).
— Tight end Nikola Kalinic by the Los Angeles Rams. The six-foot-four, 253-pound Toronto native began his pro career with the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2019, 2021) before joining the Indianapolis Colts last year. He was waived May 4 before signing with the Rams on July 14.
— Safety Jonathan Sutherland, of Ottawa, was waived by the Seattle Seahawks with an injury designation. The former Penn State star signed with Seattle as an undrafted free agent. The Montreal Alouettes selected Sutherland in the first round, fifth overall, in the '23 CFL draft.
— Outside linebacker Luiji Vilain, of Ottawa, was waived by the Minnesota Vikings. Vilain signed with the Vikings last year as an undrafted free agent, appearing in three games. Toronto owns Vilain's CFL rights after selecting him in the third round of the of the 2021 draft.
— Former CFL rush end Shane Ray was released after reaching an injury settlement with the Buffalo Bills. Ray, a '15 first-round pick by the Broncos, spent last season with the Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts before signing with Buffalo in the off-season.
Ray suffered a hamstring injury in a pre-season contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Aug. 19.
— Kicker Brett Maher, who spent time in the CFL with Ottawa and Hamilton, was let go by the Denver Broncos. Maher played for the Dallas Cowboys last year but missed four straight converts in the NFC wild-card game against Tampa Bay, becoming the first player in league history to miss that many.
— The Philadelphia Eagles waived American offensive lineman Julian Good-Jones. The six-foot-five, 313-pound Good-Jones spent the two previous seasons with the CFL's Calgary Stampeders.
— Linebacker Samuel Eguavoen was waived by the New York Jets. He signed with New York earlier this month after spending four seasons with the Miami Dolphins. Equavoen went to the NFL following three seasons with the CFL's Saskatchewan Roughriders.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2023.
The Canadian Press