Claude Wroten took his shirt off to meet the media after his first practice at Toronto Argonauts training camp on Monday, revealing a stomach emblazoned with a tattoo reading “Belly of The Beast”.
The 6-foot-2, 295-pound defensive tackle was meant to report to rookie camp on June 1, but he couldn’t get through customs from the U.S. to Canada because of some unpaid traffic tickets. He got that squared away, also took time to mourn the sudden death of his father and has now finally arrived.
On Monday, the sizable lineman wanted to show the Argos he was worth the wait.
“It was pretty exciting. I was shocked at what good shape he was in,” said head coach and general manager Jim Barker. “He brings size, quickness, speed. You saw him run down Chad Owens on the sideline. There are not many 300-pound men that can do that.”
Wroten impressed even himself in a drill by running down Owens, the speedy and dynamic Argos receiver and punt returner.
“It did look good, I’m going to check that out on film,” said Wroten after practice at The University of Toronto Mississauga. “The sideline seemed as it if it kept moving and moving away. I’m like ‘he’s not going to move out of bounds?’ I see that the field is way wider than an NFL field.”
The 27-year-old was drafted in 2006 by the St.Louis Rams in the third round after a standout NCAA career at LSU and played two seasons. But marijuana-smoking eventually ruined his NFL career. He played the 2009 season in the UFL.
The Argos took a good look at Wroten at the team’s spring mini-camp in Florida, where he impressed with his physical style. He has been working out at home in Bastrop, Louisiana since.
“It felt good to get out there today with [defensive tackle] Kevin Huntley and the rest of the guys,” said Wroten. “As far as playing football and defensive tackle, that’s second nature to me. I can do that in my sleep.”
More from Argos camp on Monday
As the competition heats up at the wide receiver position, the Argos released P.K. Sam on Monday.
The 6-foot-4, 220-pound veteran was in a tight competition with other receivers Brandon Rideau and James Robinson, and Barker said the Argos needed to cut down to two so they can better evaluate the smaller group.
“He’s a veteran player, and I want to give him an opportunity to catch on somewhere else,” said Barker. “It just never seemed to happen for him here. He’s a smooth receiver, probably the best of the receivers as a true receiver, but it’s about making plays, and he just do that.”
Sam came to the Argos in a trade with the Calgary Stampeders in the off-season. He said earlier in camp that he had actively sought a return to Toronto after the Argos had traded him away to Calgary in February of 2010 in exchange for Jeremaine Copeland.
The Argos also released non-import offensive lineman Nasser Jamal and import wide receiver Todd Lowber on Monday.
On the injury front, receiver and kick returner Sammy Tranks sat out Monday’s practice with a shoulder injury suffered in Saturday’s preseason game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Slotback Jeremaine Copeland did not take part in most drills due to a minor groin pull, and his status for Thursday’s final preseason game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is uncertain.
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