EDMONTON — The Edmonton Eskimos’ affection for Jermaine Reid was rather obvious by the attention they gave the non-import defensive lineman immediately following the opening of Canadian Football League free agency late Tuesday night.

At one point, Eskimos general manager Eric Tillman had the non-import’s agent on the phone while head coach Kavis Reed talked turkey with Reid himself.

“We didn’t want to lose the deal,” Reed said, chuckling after the fact.

But with free agency now into Day 3, attention starts to swing to bodies going out, as opposed to ones coming in. With 71 players currently on the Eskimos’ website roster, something has to give, and it will via upcoming trades and releases.

“Our work is definitely not going to be finished once it’s (free agency) done, because we’re trying to catch up to Montreal,” said Reed. “We definitely need to start, not in terms of cleaning house, but making some adjustments.

“It’s getting to the point where there’s a body in, a body out,” he added. “We pretty much have to list the guys that we feel are movable and guys we feel we can cut ties with, so that we can continue on doing what we need to do.”

Some are obvious, like the decision to not bring back free-agent receiver Kelly Campbell, although he is not included on the current roster, and troubled defensive lineman Adam Braidwood, who is also not expected back in 2011.

Tillman has obviously identified several players he’s willing to sign, although it will likely take until April or May as most of those recruits play the National Football League waiting game.

In the meantime, he needs to make room for the expected signings both body-wise and salary-wise.

“That’s the next big step. Quite frankly, it’s very difficult to make trades in January. There are too many unknowns in the variables. After free agency, people are able to see where they are as a team,” said Tillman. “What needs were not met? What damage did they suffer, if they were blindsided by a loss? That’s where legitimate trade talks begin. I think you’ll see trades around the league in the next four weeks as opposed to the four previous weeks.”

As for free agency, the rush is over for the Esks, who made Reid their targeted man, which left an impression on the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat.

“It was one of those things where I didn’t know how sought after I was,” said Reid. “I was taking a shot in the dark, trying free agency — considering my options. Edmonton came calling, along with a few other teams. I just was kind of intrigued by the new coaching staff and the opportunity to compete for a spot and I really couldn’t say no.”

“It was no rest for the weary (Tuesday) night,” Reed said. “Eric was very organized. It was more logistical versus anything. He attacked it with precision, to say the least.”

mannicchiarico@edmontonjournal.com

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