By Jesse Wood
Appalachian State legend and former Carolina Panther Armanti Edwards has signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Canadian Football League.
Edwards, 27, has been out of football for the past year. He was drafted in 2010 by the Panthers with the 89th overall selection in the third round and saw limited action as a wide receiver and kick/punt returner before being cut in 2013. He also signed with Cleveland Browns and Chicago Bears but nothing stuck.
In the CFL, Edwards will get a chance to prove his skills at quarterback, something that he wasn’t afforded in the NFL.
“Switching and doing different stuff is always a task, but I feel it’ll be easier switching back to quarterback than when I had to switch to receiver. I played quarterback all my life, so that’s still kind of second nature to me compared to switching to a position I had no clue about,” Edwards told the Regina Leader-Post, a Canadian publication.
At Appalachian State University, Edwards led the Mountaineers to back-to-back FCS national championships in 2006 and 2007 and became the first quarterback in Division 1 history to throw for 10,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards by the time his college career ended in 2009.
Edwards told the Regina Leader-Post that he had the itch to play football again after sitting out last year, where he was a real estate agent in the Charlotte area.
“I didn’t play at all this past season, so it’s something that has been lingering; I’ve wanted to get back on the field,” Edwards said. “After discussing things with my agent, we threw my name out there for the CFL. That’s how I got on with Saskatchewan.”
The paper noted that Edwards could be No. 2 on the depth chart at quarterback, and Edwards said that he’s coming to the CFL with no expectations, except to improve and get better everyday.
“I’m just like any other guy; I’ve got to put in the work and show that I can play,” Edwards said. “I’m up for the competition, but I’m not expecting anything. I’m going to do what’s asked of me and hopefully I get better every day.”
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