Robert Priester

Robert Priester

No. 19     Toronto Argonauts
Priester with the Toronto Argonauts in 2024
Born:	(1993-12-25) December 25, 1993 (age 30) Tampa, Florida, U.S.
Career information
Status	Active
CFL status	American
Position(s)	Defensive back
Height	5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
Weight	180 lb (82 kg)
College	Wyoming
High school	Robinson High
Career history
As player
2018	Winnipeg Blue Bombers
2019	Edmonton Eskimos*
2020	Tampa Bay Vipers
2021	Edmonton Elks*
2022	Winnipeg Blue Bombers*
2022–present	Toronto Argonauts
*Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career highlights and awards
2× Grey Cup champion (2022, 2024)
Career stats
Playing stats at CFL.ca

Robert Priester (born December 25, 1993) is an American professional football defensive back for the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League (CFL). He is a two-time Grey Cup champion after winning with the Argonauts in 2022 and 2024.

College career

Priester played college football for the Wyoming Cowboys from 2014 to 2017. ^[1] He played in 36 games where he had 139 tackles, one interception, one sack, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries. ^[2]

Professional career

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (first stint)

On May 22, 2018, Priester signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. ^[3] Following 2018 training camp, he was placed on the team's practice roster, but made his professional debut on September 8, 2018, against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Banjo Bowl, where he recorded three defensive tackles. ^{[2] [3]} He played in the team's next game against the Montreal Alouettes before returning to the practice roster and ultimately being released on October 16, 2018. ^{[2] [3]}

Edmonton Eskimos (first stint)

After the conclusion of the 2018 CFL season, Priester signed with the Edmonton Eskimos on December 17, 2018. ^[3] He retired following training camp in 2019, but returned to the team on September 16, 2019, and spent one month on the practice roster before being released on October 21, 2019. ^[4]

Tampa Bay Vipers

Priester played for his hometown Tampa Bay Vipers in 2020, where he started five games and recorded seven tackles, one sack, and one interception. ^[5] He had his contract terminated when the league suspended operations on April 10, 2020. ^[6]

Edmonton Football Team / Elks (second stint)

On December 30, 2020, Priester re-signed with the Edmonton Football Team. ^[5] He was part of the final training camp cuts by the newly-named Elks on July 29, 2021. ^[7]

Winnipeg Blue Bombers (second stint)

Priester signed with the Blue Bombers on March 28, 2022. ^[8] However, he was released before the start of training camp on May 9, 2022. ^[9]

Toronto Argonauts

On May 21, 2022, Priester was signed by the Toronto Argonauts. ^[9] Following 2022 training camp, he made the active roster and became the starting cover linebacker while Chris Edwards served a three-game suspension. ^[10] He played in 12 games, starting in six, where he had 28 defensive tackles, five special teams tackles, two pass knockdowns, one sack, and two forced fumbles. ^[11] He played in the team's East Final game where he had three defensive tackles and played in his first Grey Cup game, against the team that released him earlier that year, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. ^[11] In the 109th Grey Cup, he had one defensive tackle and one special teams tackle as the Argonauts won 24–23, as Priester won his first championship. ^[11]

In 2023, Priester played in just five games, starting in one, where he had three defensive tackles, while spending most of the year on the injured list. ^[11] He became a free agent upon the expiry of his contract on February 13, 2024. ^[12]

After remaining unsigned to start the 2024 CFL season, he re-signed with the Argonauts on July 1, 2024. ^[13] Following an injury to Quincy Mauger, Priester became the team's starting cover linebacker. ^[14] He played in 11 regular season games, starting in 10, where he had 28 defensive tackles, one sack, two pass knockdowns, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. ^[15] He was injured for the last four games of the regular season and also sat out both of the team's playoff games. ^[15] However, he returned to play in the 111th Grey Cup where he had one interception in the Argonauts' 41–24 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. ^{[15] [16]}

References

1. "Robert Priester". Wyoming Cowboys . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
2. "Robert Priester". Toronto Argonauts . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
3. "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
4. "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
5. "EE Football Team extends five, signs three". Edmonton Elks. December 30, 2020.
6. Condotta, Bob (April 10, 2020). "XFL suspends operations, terminates all employees, but Jim Zorn says he has hopes league will continue". The Seattle Times.
7. "Edmonton Elks announce full roster moves ahead of CFL's cutdown deadline". 3DownNation. July 29, 2021.
8. "Bombers reunite with DB Robert Priester". Canadian Football League. March 28, 2022.
9. "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
10. "Toronto Argonauts depth chart" (PDF). Canadian Football League . Retrieved August 11, 2022.
11. "2024 CFL Guide" (PDF). Canadian Football League . Retrieved August 12, 2024.
12. "Transactions – Football player trades and signings". Canadian Football League . Retrieved July 1, 2024.
13. "Argos Sign Three Americans; DB Robert Priester, DL Jay Person, DB Mark Milton". Toronto Argonauts . Retrieved July 1, 2024.
14. "Game Notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League . Retrieved August 12, 2024.
15. "111th Grey Cup notes" (PDF). Canadian Football League . Retrieved December 1, 2024.
16. "Play-by-Play, 111th Grey Cup". Canadian Football League. November 17, 2024.

External links

• Toronto Argonauts bio
• Media related to Robert Priester at Wikimedia Commons