Philip Blake back with Riders for ninth CFL season

A big veteran presence is to be back on the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offensive line in 2024.

Philip Blake has signed to play in a ninth CFL season after the club announced it had signed the Toronto product to a one-year extension.

Blake was eligible to become a free agent Feb. 13.

The 6-foot-3, 310-pounder suited up for only six games with the Riders last season after suffering a torn pectoral muscle in the team’s second pre-season game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 2.

The 38-year-old was taken by the Montreal Alouettes in the third round (23rd overall) of the 2011 draft. Blake was selected by the NFL’s Denver Broncos in the fourth round (108th overall) of the 2012 NFL draft.

The former Baylor Bear started his pro football career down south. He was on the Broncos’ practice roster in 2012 and then the Arizona Cardinals’ PR in 2013.

He waited for opportunities in the United States but when none came to fruition, Blake joined Montreal in 2015.

With an ability to play any of the five positions along the line, Blake has been a big contributor since coming to the CFL.

He played in 57 games with the Alouettes from 2015 to ’18. He was traded to the Riders during the 2018 season, with him and Patrick Lavoie coming to Saskatchewan for wide receiver Joshua Stanford and a second-round pick in the 2020 CFL draft.

Blake suited up for 11 games with the Riders in 2018 and ’19, missing a majority of his second season with the team with a broken leg.

He joined his hometown Toronto Argonauts as a free agent in 2020 and remained with them until 2023.

Blake played 11 games for the Argos in 2021 and then started 17 games in 2022, helping the Argos raise the Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium that season. He was named a CFL East Division all-star for the first time in 2022.

He rejoined the Riders during 2023 free agency.

The Riders also announced a signing on Wednesday with American linebacker Mark McLaurin joining the fold.

The Collins, Miss., product played four seasons at Mississippi State, playing 51 games there.

McLaurin, 26, was with the New York Giants in 2018 and ’19 after signing as an undrafted free agent.

He joined the Edmonton Elks in 2022. McLaurin played 11 games — mostly at strong-side linebacker — in 2023, recording 48 tackles, one interception and one forced fumble in that time.