Dexter McCoil joins Chargers, but where will he play? And who will replace him?

Former Edmonton Eskimos' linebacker Dexter McCoil knows what team he's joined, but not necessarily what city he'll be playing in. McCoil signed a contract with the NFL's San Diego Chargers Wednesday, but the Chargers are currently in limbo, trying to negotiate a move to join the Rams in Los Angeles. At least McCoil will have some familiar faces around, though; former CFL players Dontrelle Inman of the Toronto Argonauts (who joined the Chargers in 2014) and Cordarro Law of the Calgary Stampeders (who joined San Diego last offseason) are currently still on the Chargers' roster. The big question for Edmonton is how they'll replace McCoil, who's been one of their best defensive players for the past couple of seasons.

McCoil joined the Eskimos in 2014 and made an immediate impact at the weak-side linebacker slot, earning the CFL's Most Outstanding Rookie award after an inaugural campaign where he notched 67 tackles, six interceptions, four sacks, two defensive touchdowns and seven passes defended. He followed that up with a strong 2015 season, posting 76 tackles, three interceptions and two sacks and playing a critical role in a dominant Edmonton defence that was vital to the Eskimos' Grey Cup win. He's been one of this league's best outside linebackers for the past couple of seasons, and it won't be easy to replace him.

In fact, it's interesting that McCoil was able to head south of the border after all. He had a contract dispute with the Eskimos this year over the same terms we saw in the Chris Williams case in 2013; McCoil signed a two-year contract with a team option in 2014, which would have kept him with the Eskimos through 2016 under normal circumstances. However, he protested that he wasn't offered the minimum one-year-plus-option contract, the same complaint Williams made. Fortunately for everyone, though, this wound up with a more sensible resolution than the Williams court battle (which led to a settlement that saw him going to the NFL anyway, just months after he should have been able to); Edmonton reached a settlement with McCoil and the CFLPA in December that gave him until May to pursue NFL options, but locked him into playing for the Eskimos in 2016 and 2016 if he didn't receive a NFL standard player contract for 2016. That seems to have worked out fine, giving McCoil the chance to chase his NFL dreams while retaining his rights in case that didn't work out.

Filling McCoil's shoes won't be easy for Edmonton, though. There aren't too many players who can instantly make as much of an impact as he did as a CFL rookie, so if they're looking for quick production, they may need to go with a veteran. Fortunately, they do have one promising veteran under contract, Deon Lacey, who was McCoil's backup at the weak-side linebacker slot in this year's Grey Cup. Lacey had a remarkable six sacks and four forced fumbles this year despite not always seeing consistent playing time, so he might be an excellent bet to take McCoil's spot. Backup middle linebacker Korey Jones (25 tackles in 2015) is also still under contract and could be an option, and there are also perhaps some possibilites on the free agent market. Still, McCoil will be missed. We'll see how well Edmonton general manager Ed Hervey is able to replace him.