Ohio State football: J.T. Barrett signs with CFL
By Del Barris
Former Ohio State football player J.T. Barrett must certainly be a believer in the old adage “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.”. The Edmonton Elks (formerly Eskimos) of the Canadian Football League are giving Barrett a chance to try again.
He joins an Elks team that won just three of fourteen games last season and had the second-worst scoring offense in the league. Barrett is currently one of six quarterbacks on a roster that includes Taylor Cornelius, who started nine games in 2021.
Cornelius, formerly of Oklahoma State, completed just 58% of his passes and threw only nine touchdowns compared to thirteen interceptions. The team has signed former Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle and had to give the Argonauts a second-round draft choice as compensation.
What does all of this mean for Barrett? Considering they have a returning starter and a guy they gave up a second-round pick to acquire, it probably means there is only one remaining roster spot available for a quarterback. Barrett will battle three others, including former Arizona quarterback Khalil Mack, for that final opening.
After an ultra-successful career with the Buckeyes, Barrett has never quite found a firm foothold in the NFL. He went undrafted and signed as a free agent with the New Orleans Saints in 2018. After some time on their practice squad, he was eventually waived and signed by Seattle.
From there it was back to the Saints for a short stint before signing with Pittsburgh. He has not been on an NFL roster since the Steelers waived him in early August of 2020. Barrett was drafted by The Spring League and played well during his time there. It lead to a mini-camp opportunity with Dallas, but he was not offered a contract.
Barrett is the only Buckeye quarterback to go 4-0 against Michigan. He was also OSU’s first three-time captain and hold’s the school record for career passing yards (9,439), and touchdown passes (104)-which is a Big Ten record as well. The Wichita Falls, Texas native also rushed for over 3,200 yards, was a three-time Big Ten Quarterback of the Year, and the conference’s MVP in 2016.
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Hopefully, Barrett will be able to join receiver DeVier Posey (BC Lions), defensive back Damon Webb (Saskatchewan Roughriders), defensive lineman Tracy Sprinkle (Calgary Stampeders), and receiver Jalin Marshall (Hamilton Tiger-Cats) as former Buckeyes playing in the CFL.