The Ticats have released running back Nic Grigsby, which is likely to surprise some people. I’m not one of them. Here are a few of the reasons I think the team has made this decision.

1. Grigsby had fallen behind Ray Holley on the depth chart at running back. Though Holley’s rushing numbers are uninspiring, he is a more versatile player than Grigsby, a guy who can catch passes out of the backfield, pass protect and return kicks. Michael Ford is a bigger body who can also play special teams, something Grigsby doesn’t do.

2. C.J. Gable will be back soon. It might be next week in Saskatchewan or the following week at home versus Toronto but the Ticats were never going to carry four American running backs through the season.

3. When Canadian running back Anthony Woodson returns from injury – again, in a week or two – the Ticats will likely only dress one American running back: Gable. That was the plan coming into the season and it likely remains the plan.

4. Here’s what it wasn’t: it wasn’t a money decision and it wasn’t because of locker room issues (which were reportedly a factor in his departure from Winnipeg last season.) Grigsby wasn’t making significantly more than either Holley or Ford, given that he was signed late in free agency and was seen as back up to Gable and, potentially, Mossis Madu.

More later.