On the heels of an early free-agent splurge, where they opened their corporate wallet to the tune of more than half a million dollars, the Ottawa RedBlacks are done. Almost.

There have been rumblings attaching the RedBlacks to free-agent linebacker Rennie Curran, who played for the Edmonton Eskimos the past two seasons (53 tackles last year after 70 with two sacks and two interceptions in 2013) after being a third-round pick of the NFL’s Tennessee Titans in 2010. But, as it turns out, you can’t always believe chatty social media circles, which suggested the RedBlacks were one of four teams in on the Curran bidding at more than $150,000 per year. The RedBlacks are not in on Curran; they never were.

"We’re not done, by any stretch of the imagination. But what we have left to do is maybe just in terms of depth, defensive backs, specifically cornerbacks," said RedBlacks GM Marcel Desjardins Wednesday. "If there’s one guy left we’d like to sign, it’s our own guy — Moton Hopkins (who played for the RedBlacks last season)."

Hopkins, a 28-year-old defensive tackle, got a look from the Minnesota Vikings in December and is still holding out hope for an NFL look.

"I’m still weighing those options," said Hopkins. "Everything is up in the air right now. But (if an NFL deal doesn’t happen), I’d love to get back to Ottawa. It’s a beautiful city and it’s definitely in consideration."

In the opening two days of free agency, the RedBlacks made four significant moves, signing receivers Ernest Jackson, Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli along with offensive lineman SirVincent Rogers. While the RedBlacks still have some wiggle room under the $5.05-million salary cap, it’s not likely they will splurge on any one significant contract.

One newcomer they’re excited about is running back Shawn Johnson, coming into a CFL camp directly out of Montana State. The RedBlacks had heard about him, then added him to their neg list in January.

"He’s listed at 5-foot-9, 175, but he’s more like 5-10, 200," said RedBlacks assistant GM Brock Sunderland. "He runs a legit 4.3 (40-yard dash). He was not the every-down back (at Montana State). Kick and punt returns were his forte. Running-wise, one cut north-south and he can run away from the field. There are guys that are Steady Eddies, then there are guys who are a threat to score from 90 yards out – that would be him."

The RedBlacks football operations guys are feeling good about where the team stands — certainly with a better handle on what they have than they did a year ago.

"We were extremely disappointed (in last season’s 2-16 record)," said Desjardins. "We should have been better than that for a number of reasons. We live and breathe this; this is everything to us. Yes, you take it personally. (Before last season), everyone was asking, ‘How many games are you going to win?’ You can’t put a number on that. Were we competitive? Yes."

"How far we’ve come, Twitter is a good example," said assistant GM Brock Sunderland. "As cliché as it sounds, the best team’s players care about each other. You look on Twitter and now our players are tweeting back and forth. They can’t wait to see each other. It’s tough when you bring 100 people together and they’ve never worked together."

With their roster currently at 80, the RedBlacks have time and flexibility before training camp to make more moves. And while they’re anxious to be more competitive in the standings, the time will be put to good use.

"(Training camp) will be here before we know it, there’s no sense accelerating it," said Desjardins.

ANOTHER KICK AT IT

Kicking was a problem for the Ottawa RedBlacks last season.

While Brett Maher was among the CFL’s best as a punter (with a 45.4-yard average), he was shaky booting three-pointers, connecting on 27-of-37 field goals.

The RedBlacks will have Zack Ramirez, who finished 2014 on their practice roster, in camp. They also hope to have Johnny Mark, whose rights they acquired from the Saskatchewan Roughriders in exhange for a conditional 2016 draft pick. A year ago, many considered Mark (who played for the Calgary Dinos) to be the country’s top kicking prospect going into the draft.

"We hope to have (Mark) under contract so he can come in here and compete for the job," said RedBlacks GM Marcel Desjardins. "Will he be able to displace Maher in any of the three phases of the kicking game? That’s to be determined.

"We thought (Maher) would be good at all three phases, but there was one element where he wasn’t. Remember, it’s not always on the kicker."

Twitter: @timcbaines