Rider Dohnte Meyers catching on in first CFL season

Dohnte Meyers is making sure to appreciate the ride during his first CFL season.

“It’s been a dream come true. The (Saskatchewan Roughrider) fans are so unbelievable. They make this experience everything a kid could ever dream for. To finally be out here and playing on game day, you just have to embrace it, embrace the moment and enjoy the ride. Take it one day at a time,” the 24-year-old pass-catcher said.

Meyers, who made the team following a strong training camp and preseason, had to miss the first portion of the season as he recovered from a wrist injury.

“It’s just a blessing to be out there with the guys and work to a common goal whether it is in practice or on game day. Just keep the same approach and not get too high or too low — just go out there and do my best,” Meyers said.

But he has now dressed for the past four games for the Riders and has earned the praise of quarterback Trevor Harris.

“Work ethic is a big thing,” Harris said. “He knows his assignment, he knows his adjustments, he knows the way we want to run routes. He’s very intricate with his details, and someone I have enjoyed working with.”

‘You realize it’s bigger than you’

Meyers was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., but grew up in Georgia. Originally from New York, Meyers grew up a Giants fan with Odell Beckham Jr. being one of his favourite players to watch.

He went on to play two seasons at Presbyterian College in Clinton, S.C., where he had 54 catches for 671 yards and seven touchdowns. He spent the 2021-22 seasons at Delta State University playing for the Statesmen. In 24 games there, he caught 120 passes for 1,542 yards and 13 touchdowns.

He went undrafted in 2023 but attended Atlanta Falcons rookie camp — an experience he will never forget.

“Playing for the hometown team, to even put the jersey on and have your last name on the back of the jersey, you realize it’s bigger than you. All the hard work got you to this point and then understanding that after that time has passed, the work continues. Success or failure, the work continues. You just have to put your head back down and go to work and live with the result and hope you reach some of those goals,” Meyers said.

But when that didn’t lead to a contract, Meyers would wait for his next opportunity — which would come in the CFL when he signed with the Riders in December 2023.

“My agent mentioned it pre-draft just keeping all the options open being a (division-two) player and trying to make it pro. My trainer back home constantly reiterated it — it being an opportunity to play professional football and just keeping all the options open. Atlanta being a hub where they had workouts, the stars aligned,” Meyers said.

Meyers’ first Labour Day Classic

While he didn’t know much about the CFL, he did know a couple of the nuances about the game. That included knowledge of the rouge, which was the deciding point in the team’s 20-19 loss last week to the Toronto Argonauts.

“My little league coach constantly told me about the rouge, and how you’ll be surprised about how (many) games where the rouge factors in,” Meyers said. “When it happened, I was a little upset because it was a missed field goal but it was a rouge so you have to factor those little key elements and it’s different than ball down south.”

But he has caught on quickly to the game, recording 19 catches and 263 yards in his first three starts.

“I love it. It’s very explosive and very fast-paced and the field is so much bigger with so much space. I feel like it gels well with my game and the opportunity and ability to be explosive,” Meyers said.

He will get a chance to experience another first as he is in the lineup for his first Labour Day Classic today against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m.

“Everybody around here keeps raving about it. They say the Labour Day Classic means a lot not only to the players but the community and the whole province. They keep saying the stadium is going to be packed,” Meyers said.

In order to help showcase the importance of the game, earlier in the week head coach Corey Mace brought in some Rider alumni to explain the importance of the game and organization to the community.

“Me being a first-year player and being a rookie — especially from the States — you just cling to the tradition and how much it weighs. You understand the value it holds and what it means to put on a jersey and what it means to go out and perform against a rival. You just cling to those experiences and take them as your own because you’re wearing the green and white just how they used to,” Meyers said.

Today’s game also has major importance in the standings, as the winner of the annual Riders (5-5-1) and Bombers (5-6) showdown will be in first place in the CFL West Division.

“I feel like we all need to seize the opportunity and seize the moment. Not get too high or too low, be disciplined, assignment-sound and go out there and play our game. What is in the past is in the past and we can control our destiny going forward,” Meyers said.

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