Martell Mallett is back in the CFL with the Stampeders, an unusual landing spot

The Calgary Stampeders are apparently very good at adding depth to positions of strength. On Tuesday, their signing of quarterback Adrian McPhersonbecame official, and it also emerged that they're bringing in veteran running back/kick returner Martell Mallett. That news was first reported by TSN's Farhan Lalji and later confirmed by Scott Mitchell of The Calgary Sun:

It's interesting to see Mallett back in the league. He had a tremendous start to his CFL career, picking up 1,240 rushing yards, 342 receiving yards and 225 kick return yards in 2009 with B.C. and earning the CFL's rookie of the year award for his efforts, but then jumped to the NFL. He never really established himself there, though, bouncing around from Philadelphia to Cleveland to Philadelphia again to New York with the Giants through 2011 and 2012 before returning to the CFL with Hamilton in 2012. That signing carried plenty of promise, and led to the Tiger-Cats releasing incumbent Avon Cobourne, but Mallett then tore his Achilles tendon in training camp. That led to Hamilton bringing Cobourne back in a time-sharing agreement with Chevon Walker for 2012. Both Cobourne and Mallett were cut before the 2013 season, though, so Mallett hasn't actually played a CFL game since 2009, and he carries injury question marks. However, he's still just 27 (he turns 28 in May), so he could have some good years left, and his one CFL season was full of impressive displays, so it makes sense for someone to take a chance on him.

Mallett's decision to sign with the Stampeders is more curious, though. They appear to already be set at both running back (with league Most Outstanding Player and Lou Marsh Award winner Jon Cornish) and kick returner (with 2013 league return yardage leader Larry Taylor), so there isn't a clear fit for Mallett. Thus, it's a little odd that he didn't sign with a team with more potential openings. However, he could still be a very useful piece for the Stampeders, serving as a change-of-pace back for Cornish, giving Taylor some kick-return competition (it's notable that Mitchell also reported Tuesday that Stamps' practice roster kick returner Clifton Smith seems headed to Saskatchewan) or just being a capable replacement in case of injury to one or the other. It's possible he didn't have a lot of other options, either; he doesn't appear to have played anywhere last year, so perhaps the rest of the CFL wasn't all that interested. Regardless, it seems worthwhile for the Stampeders to at least take a look at Mallett and see if he can still be a valuable contributor at the CFL level. This could be a nice acquisition for Calgary, even if it doesn't appear to fill a huge need.