Former star Alabama QB Blake Sims cut by Argos, thanks to desire to add a vet?

The Canadian Football League can be a tough place for rookie quarterbacks, and we saw that again Sunday with the Toronto Argonauts' decision to release Blake Sims just nine days after they signed him. Sims, who shone with the Alabama Crimson Tide in 2014 and led them to an SEC championship and a berth in the inaugural College Football Playoff, looked like an impressive signing when the Argonauts picked him up on May 27, especially given his positional versatility and his performance at the college level. He seemed to be in a relatively good position, too, given the ongoing health issues of starter Ricky Ray and the team's lack of depth at quarterback, plus Toronto's decision to sign him to a three-year deal. Plenty of big-name NCAA QBs haven't panned out north of the border, but Sims' stats seemed to suggest he was worth at least a shot. However, it seems that his relatively late arrival and Ray's health issues may have both worked against him. This CFL video on Sims in camp illustrates that:

Milanovich says in there (as transcribed by AL.com's Mark Inabinett) that Sims was "behind the eight-ball" thanks to coming in later in the process than the team's other quarterbacks, but he also says "We'll be patient with him. We're not expecting too much too soon." That clearly wasn't the case in the end, but that may not have been entirely Sims' fault. Indeed, it may have been thanks to Ray's ongoing recovery from offseason surgery for a torn labrum; he's been barely throwing so far. Milanovich told media Sunday Sims was the odd man out with the team looking to add a veteran to provide more insurance for Ray's health:

In any event, Sims' quick departure is certainly curious. He reportedly signed a three-year deal with the Argos in May, which is longer than the minimum two-year rookie contract; that would suggest the team saw something in him, at least initially. His college stats would certainly support that too; Sims completed an impressive 64.5 per cent of his passes in 2014, and completion percentage is huge for success in the CFL game. He also threw for 3,487 yards with a 28/10 TD to interception ratio, and he ran 83 times for 350 yards and seven touchdowns; he was quick enough that there was talk he could go pro as a running back or receiver, and mobility can be a huge asset in the CFL (and also should have helped his chances of sticking around, as he provided the Argos with a very different short-yardage option and a different look in the pocket). One knock on him that may have kept him from getting a NFL shot (he was undrafted this year, and didn't receive a contract offer following minicamp tryouts with Green Bay and Washington) was his size; at 6'0'', 208 pounds, he's much shorter than most quarterbacks. However, most CFL passing records are still held by 5'10'', 178-pound Doug Flutie, so if any league's going to take a chance on a smaller guy, it's this one.

Now, it's worth noting that Toronto didn't have many options if they did want to create room for a CFL veteran quarterback. The Argos' first two spots were occupied by Ray and primary backup Trevor Harris (the likely starter if Ray isn't ready to go by the first game), so it came down to Sims, Middle Tennesssee product Logan Kilgore and Abilene Christian product Mitchell Gale. Neither Gale nor Kilgore had the college resume of Sims, but both have more time with the Argos, more time in the CFL and more time in Milanovich's offensive system. That may have helped them save their spots for now.

There are a couple of potential scenarios that could have happened here. One is that the Argos fully intended to give Sims just a short chance to move up the depth chart, and that he didn't show enough in practices to justify keeping him around over Gale or Kilgore. Even if Milanovich's comments about being patient with Sims and setting a low bar for him were accurate, perhaps he didn't clear that bar. Another option is that Ray's injury started looking worse after Sims was signed, forcing the team to change their plans and start looking for a veteran instead. From the outside, it's going to be hard to tell exactly what happened here. It seems unfortunate that Sims didn't get more of a chance in Toronto, though, as his college production and skillset could have made him an exciting CFL player; lots of big-name NCAA quarterbacks haven't been able to make the jump to the CFL, but Sims seemed like a good candidate. We'll see if he gets a shot with another CFL team or not.