Matt Webster (born April 25, 1992) is a Canadian former professional football defensive back who played in the Canadian Football League (CFL). He was drafted in the fifth round of the 2014 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders and played with the team for three seasons. He won his first Grey Cup championship as a member of the Toronto Argonauts in 2017. He played CIS football for the Queen's Gaels.

Matt Webster
No. 20
Webster before a Toronto Argonauts game in 2018.
Date of birth (1992-04-25) April 25, 1992 (age 32)
Place of birthCalgary, Alberta, Canada
Career information
StatusActive
CFL statusNational
Position(s)DB
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight195 lb (88 kg)
Canada universityQueen's
High schoolWestern Canada
CFL draft2014 / round: 5 / pick: 39
Drafted bySaskatchewan Roughriders
Career history
As player
20142016Saskatchewan Roughriders
20172020Toronto Argonauts
Career stats

Amateur career

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Webster played high school football for the Western Canada Redhawks. From 2010 to 2013, he played college football for the Queen's Golden Gaels.[1] In Week 4 of his senior year at Queen's, Webster suffered a season-ending broken collarbone.[2] Prior to his injury, Webster had recorded 16.5 defensive tackles and two interceptions in the 2013 season.[3]

Professional career

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Saskatchewan Roughriders

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Webster was picked in the fifth round of the 2014 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders with the 39th overall pick. He was released from the team near the end of training camp, but was later added to the practice squad.[4] Webster went on to play in eight games in his rookie season as a result of injuries to other players.[5] He recorded two tackles and eight special teams tackles in 2014.[3] Webster played in all 18 games in 2015, and made his first professional start on September 6, 2015 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.[6] Following the 2015 season, Webster re-signed with the Roughriders on December 21, 2015.[7] He played in 11 games for the Roughriders in 2016, recording two defensive tackles and eight special teams tackles.

Toronto Argonauts

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On February 17, 2017, Webster signed with the Toronto Argonauts as a free agent. He played in all 18 regular season games, recording three defensive tackles, ten special teams tackles, and one forced fumble. He played in both post-season games, including the 105th Grey Cup game where he recorded one special teams tackle en route to his first Grey Cup championship. He dressed in 14 games in 2018, missing four due to injury, but also started the last four games of the season at safety. He recorded 13 defensive tackles and five special teams tackles in the regular season as the Argonauts failed to qualify for the playoffs that year. In the following offseason, he signed a two-year contract extension through to the 2020 CFL season on December 14, 2018.[8]

References

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  1. ^ "Matt Webster". Queen's University. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  2. ^ Mingo, Rita (13 May 2014). "CFL Draft: Calgarian Matt Webster triumphs over injuries, gets picked by Saskatchewan". Calgary Herald. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  3. ^ a b "Matt Webster". Saskatchewan Roughriders. Archived from the original on 24 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  4. ^ McCormick, Murray (4 June 2015). "Webster accepts praise from Roughriders head coach Chamblin Video". The Leader-Post. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  5. ^ Gasson, Joel (5 September 2014). "Injuries open the door for Canadian Rider rookies". CJME. Retrieved 24 June 2015.
  6. ^ Gameday preview - Bombers at Riders
  7. ^ "George, Webster sign extensions". December 21, 2015.
  8. ^ "Webster one of four extended by Argonauts". December 14, 2018.
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