According to the Canadian Press on Tuesday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed linebacker Nakas Onyeka of Brampton, Ontario. Onyeka has played the last three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts.
In 2019, Onyeka had 13 defensive tackles, 13 special teams tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. The two sacks and one forced fumble were the first sacks and forced fumble of his Canadian Football League career. Both of Onyeka’s sacks came in the same game–in a 39-9 Argonauts win over the Ottawa Redblacks on October 26, 2019. On each occasion, Onyeka sacked Redblacks quarterback William Arndt of Sandy Hook, Connecticut. Arndt is now a quarterback for the British Columbia Lions. Also in the Argonauts win over the Redblacks, Onyeka had a career-high four defensive tackles.
Onyeka’s forced fumble came in the Argonauts’s 2019 regular season opener. That was one of the only highlights for the Argonauts on June 22, 2019 as Hamilton clobbered Toronto 64-14.
Onyeka was initially drafted in the fifth round, 36th overall, by the Argonauts in the 2017 Canadian Football League Draft out of Wilfrid Laurier University. He was part of the Argonauts team that won the 2017 Grey Cup. In 36 career regular season games with the Argonauts, Onyeka has 30 special team tackles, 14 defensive tackles, two sacks, and one forced fumble. In 2018, Onyeka only played two games for the Argonauts because he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in a 41-7 Toronto loss to the Calgary Stampeders in week two of the CFL season.
Nakas Onyeka’s cousins are also in the CFL. Godfrey Onyeka is a defensive back with the Edmonton Eskimos and Kene Onyeka is a defensive lineman with the Ottawa Redblacks. Godfrey and Kene Onyeka are brothers.
