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Can the Eskimos’ defence survive the losses of J.C. Sherritt and Aaron Grymes?

Andrew Bucholtz

Most of the Edmonton Eskimos' issues this season have centred around their inability to move the ball: while their defence hasn't been great, it's been in the middle of the pack in most categories, and it's far from the main reason for their 1-5 record to date. However, that defence just lost a couple of crucial components. Reigning CFL most outstanding defensive player J.C. Sherritt, the team's starting middle linebacker and the heart and soul of its defence, was declared out indefinitely (likely for two to six weeks) Tuesday following surgery on his broken thumb during the bye week, and the news broke Wednesday that defensive back Aaron Grymes suffered an internal injury thanks to a collision during Tuesday's practice. Both of those players are going to be difficult to replace, but the Eskimos do appear to have plans in place. From Chris O'Leary of The Edmonton Journal:

If Tuesday’s practice was any indication of the Eskimos’ plans, Joe Burnett went from one corner in the secondary to the other to fill Grymes’ spot. Chris Rwabukamba, who filled in for Burnett the last two games while he was dealing with a hamstring issue, went back to Burnett’s re-vacated spot.

That's not a bad plan. Rwabukamba made some headlines this offseason as a free-agent signing, as he's a Canadian playing the traditionally-American position of cornerback, but he's proven to be quite capable for the Eskimos thus far. Using him as a starter opposite Burnett also gives Edmonton ratio flexibility if an American player is needed elsewhere. Grymes has been quite good this year, and he recorded his first pick of the season in their last game against Hamilton, so he won't be easy to replace, but Rwabukamba is capable and somewhat proven. To replace the even-more-essential Sherritt, though, the Eskimos are going with a player with far less CFL experience. From The Edmonton Sun's Con Griwkowsky:

Rennie Curran, the former NFL third-round draft pick, gets his chance to step into the starter role after being Sherritt’s understudy this season.

Curran, who’s written a book about the ups and downs of his time in the NFL, feels for his teammate.

“It’s definitely tough to see JC go out,” said Curran, a former All-American with the Georgia Bulldogs. “He’s the heart and soul of our defence, pretty much, and he’s a selfless individual.

“Even when he did hurt his thumb, he was trying to get back in to help the guys win.”

At the same time, Curran is ready to write another chapter in his pro football career.

“My biggest thing is just to come in and make sure there’s no beat missed,” said Curran. “I’ll try to provide the best I can in the leadership role and the playmaking ability that he did. I’ve been preparing week in and week out, just watching him and making sure I know my assignments.

“I’m definitely excited for the opportunity, but not excited about what happened to JC. Getting an opportunity by a guy getting hurt — I wouldn’t wish that on anybody.”

Curran was a high-profile NCAA player, of course, but he didn't get too far in the NFL. (The aforementioned book about his trials and tribulations there is available through his website.) Tennessee took him in the third round in 2010, but released him in September the next year, and he didn't make it through the offseason with Tampa Bay in 2012. He then didn't play high-level football until Edmonton signed him this offseason. At 24, he still has plenty of time and potential, but he'll have to adapt to the Canadian game, and the middle linebacker's role in particular.

The middle linebacker is usually crucial to reading plays and organizing the defence, and that's going to be a difficult task for the rookie Curran. It gets even harder when you consider that he's replacing one of the league's best middle linebackers. Of course, Sherritt became a starter at MLB himself pretty quickly as a rookie in 2011 and impressed in his first year, so it's not inconceivable that Curran could follow suit. Both of these defensive changes are going to provide extra challenges for the Eskimos, though, and for a team that's already 1-5, that's far from good news. When you consider that the defence has been one of the few Edmonton units to be even close to average thus far, that bodes poorly for Eskimos' fans.