The 34-year-old, 11-year CFL veteran was runner-up for league most outstanding defensive player last season with the Calgary Stampeders after wracking up 14 sacks
The B.C. Lions’ pass rush will be bolstered by Lemon-aid this coming season.
The Lions announced Sunday that they had signed free-agent defensive lineman Shawn Lemon to a one-year deal. The 34-year-old is coming off one of the finest seasons of his 11-year career in the CFL. He was a runner-up to Ottawa Redblacks defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin for the league’s most outstanding defensive player and an a member of the all-star team after finishing second in the circuit in sacks (14) and tied for first in forced fumbles (5) for the Calgary Stampeders.
He was No. 24 on the top-30 free agent list put together by the CFL’s website in mid-January as a precursor to free agency opening on Valentine’s Day. He was No. 1 on 3DownNation’s list of free agents remaining available on Feb. 15.
The 6-foot-1, 242-pound Lemon, who’s from Waldorf, Maryland and played collegiately at Akron, has bounced around the CFL. He’s played on six teams and this is his third stint with the Lions, the last coming in 2019 when he produced eight sacks in 10 games. He had 10 sacks in 13 games with B.C. in 2018.
He was traded to the Lions by the Toronto Argonauts in 2018 and signed with Toronto as a free agent that off-season only to be traded again to the Lions that season. He signed with Calgary as a free agent before the 2021 season and played the past two years there.
He has registered 92 sacks in 135 career regular seasons games. He has 22 sacks over his past two seasons and he played in 17 of Calgary’s 18 games last season, so there’s reason to believe there’s still plenty of gas left in the tank.
“He’s had good years. We feel that he still has good years before him,” Lions co-general manager Neil McEvoy said Sunday. “We feel that we have a good team and we’re adding to it. We’re adding key pieces that we think will help us compete for a championship.
“We’ve had him here before. We’ve played against him. We’d much rather be with him than against him right now.
“He’s someone with experience who we think can help lead our defensive line the right way.”
Calgary general manager and coach Dave Dickenson was asked on Feb. 16 if there was still room for Lemon with the Stampeders and he told 3DownNation: “It’s a tough question because he is still out there. I did have communication with Shawn and I understand there’s some disappointment, but we will have to cross that bridge if and when that happens.”
The Lions finished 12-6 last year, marking their best record since 2016. They beat the Stampeders in the Western Division semifinal before losing to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the West final.
This off-season B.C. has also added centre Michael Couture, formerly of the Blue Bombers, in free agency. They’ve also brought in quarterback Dane Evans from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in a trade for a conditional 2024 CFL Draft fourth rounder.
The Lions have lost quarterback Nathan Rourke to the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars, receiver Bryan Burnham to retirement and the trio of running back James Butler (Hamilton Tiger-Cats), left tackle Joel Figueroa (Hamilton) and centre Peter Godber (Saskatchewan Roughriders) to CFL free agency.
The Lions open the regular season against the Stampeders on June 8.
