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The Saskatchewan Roughriders are expected to be busy announcing signings when free agency opens Tuesday.
Saskatchewan is trying to bounce back from a second straight season in which the CFL club missed the playoffs due to a seven-game losing streak to end its season.
“I think if you look through the roster and the players we have signed back, you can kind of predict some of the areas that we will be looking at through free agency,” Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day said before the opening of the negotiation window.
“After free agency is over, we will divulge a little bit more of the strategy that we had going into it and some of the things that we went through the window and once we got into free agency.
“You always have a plan. You actually have two or three plans and sometimes more: If you get this player in free agency and are able to obtain him, what that means to some of the other areas.”
They will do so with new head coach Corey Mace at the helm.
3DownNation’s Justin Dunk, who is also The Green Zone’s CFL insider, believes Mace is having a positive effect on the Riders’ free-agency efforts.
“I do like the direction and the players that Corey Mace has gone after. To the best of my knowledge, other than maybe you could argue with (offensive tackle) Jermarcus Hardrick, I don’t think they have overpaid to get these guys to come to Saskatchewan,” Dunk said.
“I think that’s a credit to Mace’s recruiting ability and also the trust of the scouting department there under Jeremy O’Day to say, ‘OK, if a guy isn’t going to come for our price point, like let’s say a Jamal Peters, we’re not going to overpay to get him here because we feel confident we can bring in other players to fill those roles.’ ”
The Riders already reportedly agreed to terms with a number of free agents during the CFL negotiation window. The deals cannot become official until CFL free agency officially opens at 11 a.m. Tuesday.
Reports say running back A.J. Ouellette has agreed to terms with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. (CFL/Submitted)
Offence
The Riders are set to add a couple of big names to their offensive side of the ball.
It started early in the negotiation window, with reports Saskatchewan had agreed to terms with Hardrick. The O-lineman was with the Riders in 2015 before joining the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2016, and he has played there since.
Hardrick was last season’s West Division nominee for the award as the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman. He will be tasked with protecting quarterback Trevor Harris, who suffered a season-ending knee injury last season. Harris was one of the Riders’ big signings in 2023 free agency.
Hardrick will be joined on the offensive line by Philip Blake and Logan Ferland, both of whom signed extensions this off-season, with Peter Godber returning for another season at centre.
Taking the handoffs from Harris this upcoming season is going to be A.J. Ouellette according to multiple reports.
Ouellette has played with the Toronto Argonauts since 2019 and is a two-time CFL all-star (2022-23). He won a Grey Cup with the Argos in 2022 at Mosaic Stadium. His 1,009 yards last season were a career high and marked the first time he has crossed the 1,000-yard threshold in the CFL. Ouellette was with Toronto during Mace’s time there as defensive co-ordinator (2022-23).
The Riders could still choose to add American receiver depth after agreeing to an extension with Shawn Bane Jr. Saskatchewan released slotback Jake Wieneke after an injury-plagued season in 2023.
“(Mace) is a high-energy guy and has changed the perspective around this time but also Trevor Harris is there – a bona fide No. 1 quarterback in this league,” Dunk said. “You have a solid core of Canadian offensive linemen, as well that receiving group is really intriguing considering they were able to re-sign Shawn Bane Jr. for a pretty solid contract for both sides.
“It wasn’t an overpay but Bane was able to get an upgrade in pay as he deserved to get for the season.”
The Riders have signed former NFL receiver Geronimo Allison to a contract this off-season. Canadian receiver appears to be a positional strength for the team, with Sam Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Brayden Lenius, and Mitch Picton all under contract.
Along with Harris, the Riders’ quarterback room does appear to be set with the team signing Mason Fine and Antonio Pipkin to contract extensions. Shea Patterson is also still under contract for 2024.
Jameer Thurman reportedly has agreed to terms with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. (CFL/Submitted)
Defence
Much like the Riders’ offence got an overhaul in 2023, the defence will see a number of new faces join the ranks.
At linebacker, the Riders appear set to move on from middle linebacker Larry Dean and weak-side Canadian linebacker Micah Teitz.
Dean was the Riders’ most outstanding player and top defensive player last season after accumulating 104 tackles.
The Riders have reportedly agreed to a deal with linebacker Jameer Thurman and signed Canadian Adam Auclair to a contract after the Ottawa Redblacks released him. Saskatchewan had reportedly agreed to a contract with Auclair during the negotiation window.
Thurman played four seasons with the Calgary Stampeders (2017-18, 2021-22) before joining the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last season. He recorded 98 defensive tackles, five sacks and two interceptions with the Ti-Cats in 2023. He has also spent time with the NFL’s Chicago Bears (2019) and the XFL’s DC Defenders.
Auclair was taken in the first round (sixth overall) of the 2020 CFL draft by Ottawa. The Saint-Georges, Que. product has 119 tackles, two sacks, and one interception over three seasons.
Saskatchewan will also have a new starter at the strong-side linebacker spot, with the team signing C.J. Reavis to a contract extension while releasing Derrick Moncrief.
A new face is expected to join the Green and White’s secondary with the team reportedly signing Jalon Edwards-Cooper to a deal. Edwards-Cooper had 36 tackles and one interception with the B.C. Lions last season.
“Jalon Edwards-Cooper I feel like is a very underrated signing. I will be curious how they deploy him in that secondary,” Dunk said. “I feel like he was underrated playing the field-side spot (in B.C.). It would be a big shift for him to go to the boundary but that is a possibility because he at least has some experience in this league.”
He is expected to come in and fill a void left by the departure of Nic Marshall, who was released after he was arrested on firearm possession in Georgia.
Defensive back Amari Henderson agreed to a new contract with the Riders and despite the fact Rolan Milligan‘s contract wasn’t up this season, he signed an extension keeping him in green and white through 2025.
The Riders have also reportedly agreed to a deal with defensive end Malik Carney. The Alexandria, Va., product has been with Hamilton since 2021, recording 13 sacks in three seasons.
He is expected to line up across from defensive end Anthony Lanier II, who has signed an extension with the club. The signing of Carney seems to indicate the team will be allowing Pete Robertson to test the defensive end market in free agency.
Saskatchewan Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther has signed a three-year contract extension. (Saskatchewan Roughriders)
Special teams
The Riders will be keeping things business as usual with their special teams in 2024. The team signed long-snapper Jorgen Hus and kicker Brett Lauther to contract extensions.
Hus is currently the longest-serving member of the Riders, joining the team back in 2015.
Lauther made 36 of 44 field-goal attempts last season.
Punter Adam Korsak will enter his second season in the CFL with the Riders. The Australian averaged 47.6 yards per punt in his rookie CFL season, when he was named the team’s most outstanding special-teams player and most outstanding rookie.
The Riders also signed returner Mario Alford to an extension.
Over the Roughriders’ 18 regular-season games in 2023, Alford returned 88 punts for 978 yards, 51 kickoffs for 1,181 yards and three missed field goals for 107 yards en route to being named a West Division all-star.
In 2023, he had three punt-return TDs to tie a Roughriders single-season record that had been set by Willis Jacox (1991) and matched by Curtis Mayfield (1999) and Corey Holmes (2005).