Shawn Lemon (9) of the BC Lions before the game against the Edmonton Eskimos at BC Place Stadium in Vancouver, BC on Thursday, August 9, 2018. (Photo: Johany Jutras / CFL)
The west coast winter forecast also includes some Lemon Drops. The BC Lions announced today that American defensive lineman Shawn Lemon has returned to the team as a free agent.
“Shawn is an excellent addition to our football team, said co-GM/head coach Rick Campbell.
“Getting to the quarterback is a big key to playing good defence and that is Shawn’s specialty.”
The 34-year-old Lemon is back for a third stint in orange after spending the last two seasons with the Calgary Stampeders.
Lemon’s 2022 campaign was the finest of his illustrious career to date as he recorded personal highs in defensive tackles (29) and quarterback sacks (14) while earning both a CFL All-Star selection and the West Division nod for Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
Lemon originally came to the Lions in a trade with the Toronto Argonauts in July 2018 and would immediately bolster the Leos’ pass rush, finishing with 16 defensive tackles and ten sacks in 13 regular season games.
After returning to the Boatmen as a free agent in February 2019, Lemon was once again traded to the Lions in August of that season and went on to register 19 defensive tackles, a team-leading eight sacks and three forced fumbles in ten games.
A Grey Cup champion with Calgary (2014) and Toronto (2017), Lemon has appeared in 135 regular season contests. His 92 sacks are the highest total amongst active CFL players while he also registered a total of 221 defensive tackles, 29 forced fumbles and one interception.
Lemon’s pro experience also includes NFL training camp stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers and San Francisco 49ers in 2015, Arena Football League stops with the San Jose SabreCats and Orlando Predators and time with the Sioux City Storm of the Indoor Football League.