Article content continued

“I’ve been continuing to talk to a few of those players’ agents. Hopefully, they will make a decision on whether the NFL dream is still there. If it’s not there, we can get into some serious negotiations.”

Hufnagel said he would ideally like to know which of the players will be returning to the team by the end of January, although conversations with Davis’ agent may begin much sooner than that.

Davis finished tied with Micah Johnson for second on the team in sacks behind Charleston Hughes and likely would have won the league-wide sack title had injuries not kept him out of the lineup at several points during the season.

Getting him back would be a huge boost for an already deep defensive line.

“(Davis) had one or two workouts — I’ve been in contact with his agent,” Hufnagel said. “Hopefully, I can get back into talks with him when I get back from these meetings.”

NO GOOD NEWS

Unfortunately, Hufnagel didn’t have any good news regarding two Stampeders who missed the entire 2017 season.

While the team had been optimistic that all-star linebacker Deron Mayo would be able to recover from a gruesome leg injury at some point last year, the 29-year-old never made it back into the lineup.

“Deron is still having problems with his knee,” Hufnagel said. “He had another procedure and is awaiting results on what the length of the rehab would be.

“I’m hoping Deron can get back on the field, but it’s been a tough battle for him.”

Similarly, Hufnagel didn’t have good news about offensive lineman Pierre Lavertu.

The former first-overall pick in the 2014 CFL Draft missed all of last year and most of 2016 due to injury, and Hufnagel had no update on whether he might ever return.

“It’s a really sad story — no question about it,” Hufnagel said. “He’s supposed to have gotten a second opinion when he went home to Montreal, but I’m not quite sure that has been done yet. I need to talk to Pierre, in fact, I’ve reached out to his agent.

“It was tough for him, both for him and for Deron, being off the field for the whole year.”

daustin@postmedia.com

http://www.twitter.com/DannyAustin_9