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February 6, 2020

Stampeders Add Four Defensive Linemen

The Calgary Stampeders have signed American defensive linemen Stefen Banks, J.T. Jones, Lenny Jones and Garrald McDowell.

Here is more information on the newcomers:

Stefen Banks
Defensive lineman
College: Savannah State
Height: 6.01
Weight: 230
Born: Mar. 4, 1997
Birthplace: Columbus, OH
American

Banks attended mini-camp with the National Football League’s Cleveland Browns in 2019. He played four seasons (2015-18) at Savannah State and earned all-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honours in 2016, 2017 and 2018 and all-American honours in 2017. In 41 career games for the Tigers, he recorded 226 tackles including 51.5 tackles for loss, 24.5 sacks, eight forced fumbles, six pass breakups and two interceptions.

J.T. Jones
Defensive lineman
College: Miami (Ohio)
Height: 6.03
Weight: 245
Born: Nov. 12, 1993
Birthplace: Milledgeville, GA
American

Jones signed with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons as an undrafted free agent in 2017 and attended Atlanta’s training camp in both 2017 before earning a spot on the team’s practice roster. He also attended the Falcons’ training camp in 2018. In 2019, he attended training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones also spent time with the Alliance of American Football’s Atlanta Legends.

In college, Jones played 49 games and made 38 starts over four seasons (2013-16) at Miami of Ohio. He earned second-team all-Mid-American Conference as a senior in 2016 and third-team recognition as a junior in 2015. Over the course of his career with the RedHawks, Jones recorded 175 tackles including 41 tackles for loss and 24.5 sacks. Upon completing his collegiate career, he ranked third in school history in both tackles for loss and sacks.

Lenny Jones
Defensive lineman
College: Nevada
Height: 6.03
Weight: 260
Born: Aug. 8, 1991
Birthplace: Oakland, CA
American

Jones signed with the NFL’s San Francisco 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2016 and he has also spent time with the Oakland Raiders, Los Angeles Rams, Dallas Cowboys and Cleveland Browns.

Prior to turning pro, Jones played 51 games and made 31 starts over four seasons (2012-15) at the University of Nevada. He recorded 152 career tackles including 32.5 tackles for loss for the Wolf Pack and added 20 sacks, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three interceptions including one returned for a touchdown. Jones was named a second-team Freshman All-American in 2012 and earned second-team all-Mountain West Conference honours as a senior in 2015.

Garrald McDowell
Defensive lineman
College: Louisiana-Lafayette
Height: 6.02
Weight: 259
Born: Nov. 18, 1994
Birthplace: Covington, LA
American

McDowell played his senior season (2018) at Louisiana-Lafayette after three years (2015-17) at Ole Miss. In his single season with the Ragin’ Cajuns, he recorded 50 tackles including four tackles for loss and added 0.5 sacks, four quarterback hurries and one pass breakup. McDowell played 25 games over three years at Ole Miss and accumulated 33 tackles including 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and one forced fumble.