Riders rookies battle for open left tackle spot at training camp

The battle for the left tackle position is already heating up as Saskatchewan Roughriders rookies get ready for the start of main camp on Sunday.

Head coach Corey Mace said the left tackle position is an open competition after Brandon Council and Eric Lofton departed the team.

“There’s a few people jumping out here at that left tackle spot. That’s something we got to keep a close eye on,” Mace said. “Trevor Reid has done a great job, (D’mitri) Emmanuel has done a great job. I’m really looking to see as the other guys come into camp what that looks like.”

Those words of encouragement from Mace were music to the ears of Reid.

“I started licking my chops, man,” he said when asked about what it was like to know there are spots on the left side available for grabs. “I’m just ready to go out there and compete – it’s the only thing that I know.”

He’s confident that he’ll be able to continue to impress his coach once the veterans hit the field on Sunday for main camp at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.

“I know I can scrap any guy down out here,” he said. “Me just knowing what I have to do.”

Reid played his college football at Louisville, before signing with the Philadelphia Eagles after he went undrafted in 2023. He was cut by the Eagles and signed with the Atlanta Falcons that same season before his journey took him to Saskatchewan.

While working out in Philadelphia, Reid said he got to brush shoulders with Pro Bowl centre Jason Kelce.

He thinks spending time poking the brain of Kelce along with (Lane) Johnson helped him develop as a football player.

“Spending time with Jason Kelce and Johnson helped me a lot,” he stated. “He (Kelce) kept the young guys up under his wings, so he talked to us a lot.”

He added the biggest thing he learned from Kelce is just how important it is to get to know everybody’s position.

“I’m just trying to get to that level,” he said. “It was fantastic just to be in the room with those guys. It was a blessing.”

Jordan Tucker is another tackle hoping to find a spot on the roster – he’s in his second rookie camp with the Green and White after signing with the team last season. He had to leave camp early last year because of an injury he suffered.

He’s said he’s ready to battle for a full-time spot in the CFL.

“That’s just exciting. It breeds competition. I saw we signed a lot of tackles this year – a lot more than last year,” Tucker said. “That just lights a fire under you as a tackle because (if) you want to be the best then you have to be the best at practice every single day and that’s my goal – whether that’s left tackle, right tackle, right guard, left guard, it doesn’t really matter – if they can see me play, I want to play.”

Tucker mentioned his mindset going into main camp now is to continue to get better every day.

“There’s little stuff I’ve been working on since grade school that I still got to work on,” he explained. “Whether that’s my hands and pass protection, conditioning, whether that’s knowing the plays or bringing a brother along with me and building that competitive nature in our team and O-line.”

Tucker thinks the competition he’s seen not just from the offensive line, but the other positions as well at rookie camp will help the Riders down the road.

“I think it went well. I think we have a lot of people who can play on this team. I think the coaching staff brought an energy that’s way different from last year. It does feel like a complete 180 from last year,” he explained. “It feels like we’re moving and they expect more from us because we’re professionals and I think that’s what we need to win games and win that Grey Cup.”

Main camp gets underway at Griffiths Stadium at 8:30 a.m. Sunday.