Sophomore receivers set to step up for Riders

The shoe is on the other foot for Shaq Evans.

One year ago, Evans showed up at the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp in Saskatoon without much of an understanding about the CFL. Nowadays, the 28-year-old product of Inglewood, Calif., and his fellow sophomore receivers are grizzled veterans — sort of.

“We were just talking about that during practice, just thinking about the position we were in last year and to think that we’re on the other side of it,” Evans said after Monday’s training-camp session at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus. “We’re the guys who they’re looking at for the answers. Guys are asking us questions.

“It’s a great way to look at it. The second-year receivers definitely have to step up this year. It’s a receiver-driven league, an offence-driven league, so we have to be the guys who set the tone.”

As a CFL rookie last season, Evans led the Roughriders with 785 receiving yards and was second on the team with 50 catches. Fellow freshman Kyran Moore was fourth among Saskatchewan pass-catchers with 475 yards and was fourth with 32 receptions.

Another rookie, Jordan Williams-Lambert, led the 2018 Roughriders with 62 catches and was second on the team with 764 yards. He signed in the off-season with the NFL’s Chicago Bears.

Veteran receivers like Naaman Roosevelt, Emmanuel Arceneaux, Patrick Lavoie and Cory Watson previously have proven their worth in the CFL, so it’s up to players like Evans and Moore to step up in 2019.

Receivers coach Travis Moore said the coaches aren’t “asking for anything special” from the two sophomores during camp. All that’s expected of them is to work hard.

“You can see the difference a year makes,” he said. “They understand the game, they understand the offence and so now they’re working on the next part of their game.

“I told those guys, ‘Once you have that blueprint and the defences know who you are, you have to be that much better year after year, game after game.’ ”

Receiver Kyran Moore is feeling more comfortable as he prepares for his second CFL season. (Photo courtesy of the Saskatchewan Roughriders)

K.D. Cannon, who played two regular-season games last season, also is looking for a bigger role in 2019.

Saskatchewan’s receiving contingent during camp also includes Regina-born Mitch Picton, global players Sebastien Olvera and Max Zimmermann, 2019 draft picks Brayden Lenius and Justin McInnis, and first-years Kyle Davis, Austin Ellsworth, Donald Gray, Brock McCoin and Paul McRoberts. None of those players has appeared in a CFL regular-season contest.

But the work of Cannon, Evans and Kyran Moore — and the newcomers as well — has impressed Roosevelt.

“We’ve got a group of great young guys and great talent,” the veteran slotback said. “It’s special to see. Every day when we come out on the field, somebody’s making a great play or making a spectacular move.

“It’s exciting to see, especially with those guys having a year under their belt and understanding the game a little bit more.”

The Roughriders finished the 2018 regular season ranked eighth in the league in pass attempts (545), completions (331) and passing yards per game (220.6), and ninth in touchdown passes (11).

Many believe there wasn’t enough chemistry between quarterback Zach Collaros and the receivers who were learning on the fly. The hope is that that’s going to change in 2019.

“I feel like we got better,” said Moore, a 22-year-old product of Bessemer, Ala., who played collegiately at Austin Peay University. “The majority of us were here last year, so we’re all comfortable and trust each other now. We have a year under our belt, so I feel like we can be way more relaxed.”

Travis Moore wants to see the offence be better in the red zone this season — Saskatchewan was ninth in the league in red-zone efficiency in 2018 — and he wants to see the receivers do more with the football after the catch.

Evans just wants to see more consistency.

“We had good games and we had bad games and we can’t do that,” said the UCLA alumnus. “We just have to put those good games together, three, four, five in a row. That’s the biggest thing.”

Monday’s Notes: Head coach Craig Dickenson had a number of health updates to offer Monday. That included McInnis (hamstring) and McRoberts (illness), both of whom are expected on the field next week … Linebacker Solomon Elimimian was expected to be a participant in Monday’s workout, but he wasn’t on the field. Dickenson said Elimimian — a member of the CFLPA executive who missed the first week of camp while discussing the new collective bargaining agreement with other teams’ players — has a calf injury that will keep him out for a couple of days. “He must have got it working out,” Dickenson said. “We don’t think it’s anything to worry about.” … Centre Dan Clark is slowly easing into training camp as he recovers from injuries suffered in a single-vehicle accident on May 7. “He wants to play this week,” said Dickenson, referring to Friday’s pre-season game in Calgary. “He’s not going to (play against the Stampeders), but we’ll get him going next week and see how he is.” … Dickenson said that defensive end/special-teamer Jordan Reaves already has started preparing for the season-ending knee surgery he faces. Reaves was hurt on Day 2 of training camp.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Wray Morrison