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At a time when the Edmonton Eskimos have been circling every wagon possible in the face of injuries this season, the release of healthy starting tackle Tony Washington came as a surprise Monday.

Especially for a unit that has already lost four starters in the past three games.

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“We have a couple guys in house that we feel can get the job done and decided to move on,” said head coach Jason Maas. “Nothing more than that, there was nothing personal with it. I have a good relationship with Tony.

“And Tony’s done some great things for us and this organization. We won a Grey Cup with him and I, personally, won another Grey Cup with him in Toronto. So I wish him nothing but the best and I know our whole organization does.”

The Eskimos cut ties with the starting left tackle from its 2015 Grey Cup championship at the same time the first wave of healthy bodies are coming off the six-game injured list.

The group includes American offensive lineman and former NFLer Colin Kelly, an off-season acquisition who previously played under Maas, Eskimos general manager Brock Sunderland and O-line coach Mike Gibson during their time with the Ottawa RedBlacks.