Britton Gray: A look at options for the Riders’ backup QB spot

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are reportedly running it back with Trevor Harris.

Reports say the CFL club has signed the veteran quarterback to a contract extension to keep him in green and white for the 2025 season.

While I believe bringing Harris back is the best win-now option for the Riders, as it keeps things consistent at the position and he was playing at a high level, football teams always need to keep an eye on the future.

Harris threw for 3,264 yards, 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions en route to being named a West Division All-CFLer last season. But he will be 39 years old by the time the 2025 CFL season gets underway, has suffered injuries to both of his knees, and is closer to the end of his playing career than the start of it.

Harris also hasn’t dressed for 18 games in a season since 2015 when he was a member of the Toronto Argonauts.

Vernon Adams Jr. was traded to the Calgary Stampeders to be the starter there, and Davis Alexander signed an extension to keep him with the Montreal Alouettes, where Cody Fajardo remains under contract.

Those are a few options that are off the table for the Riders.

But there are a few options that the Riders could choose to bring in as a backup quarterback in 2025 and possibly groom to be the starter in years ahead.

Shea Patterson

The 27-year-old Shea Patterson earned the backup spot in 2024 after a strong training camp showing, beating Mason Fine for the spot.

Patterson improved in the offseason leading into that camp, and another step forward for the Toledo, Ohio, product would help him cement his case as the next starting pivot for the team. Patterson is currently set to become a free agent come February, so the Riders would need to sign him to a contract extension.

Shea Patterson earned the backup spot in 2024 after a strong performance at training camp. (Submitted/Saskatchewan Roughriders)

Patterson started seven games for the Riders, though his last start came in the final week of the regular season in a game that ended up meaning nothing for the Riders in the standings.

During Harris’ absence due to a knee injury, Patterson threw for 1,558 yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions over six games. He went 2-3-1 in that stretch as the team’s starter.

Patterson spent most of the season as the team’s short-yardage quarterback and added seven rushing touchdowns.

Now, Patterson will need to be the one to continue to show improvement to hold off challengers to the backup spot.

Jack Coan

One of those challengers, who we expect will be at training camp, is Jack Coan.

Coan, a former pivot for the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, was in his first CFL season last year and spent most of it as the team’s third-string quarterback, learning the nuances and speed of the Canadian game.

Coan did get into the final game of the regular season, throwing for 100 yards and a touchdown.

The 25-year-old threw for 3,150 yards, 25 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his senior season at Notre Dame.

Coan will look to make a push to be the team’s primary backup in his second CFL season.

Jake Maier

With the recent struggles of the Stampeders, Jake Maier isn’t a name that will excite a lot of Rider fans as an option at quarterback.

But the Fullerton, Cal., product is just 27 years old and has more than two seasons worth of CFL starts. Late in 2022, the Stamps elected to move on from Bo Levi Mitchell in favour of Maier. Plenty of current Riders coaches got a chance to see Maier develop in Calgary, including head coach Corey Mace and offensive co-ordinator Marc Mueller.

Maier threw for 3,841 yards, 22 touchdowns and 14 interceptions in 16 starts last season when the Stamps finished 5-12 – the worst record in the CFL.

With reports about dysfunction in the Stamps’ locker room — and former running back Ka’Deem Carey’s scathing remarks about the organization after his Argos won the Grey Cup — the Stamps’ struggles might not all be on the quarterback’s shoulders.

Professional football has plenty of examples of quarterbacks succeeding when given fresh starts — Russell Wilson with the Pittsburgh Steelers being one of the latest examples — so maybe a stop in Saskatchewan could help Maier reach the potential he once showed.

Tre Ford

While I don’t see the Edmonton Elks allowing Tre Ford to leave that franchise, until the ink is on a contract he remains an option for the Riders.

Ford has proven to be an electric option at the quarterback position, with the ability to score on opposing defences with his arm and legs. But the previous regime under Chris Jones never fully bought into the Niagara Falls, Ont. product and never ran with him as their unquestioned starter.

With new head coach Mark Kilam in place, the Elks will need to decide if they want to keep the 26 year old. If that is the case, it will also be up to Ford to determine if he wants to remain with an organization that hasn’t shown him full support.

Nick Arbuckle

Another quarterback who has the same sort of perceptions surrounding him as Maier is Nick Arbuckle, but the 31-year-old now comes with a shiny new Grey Cup ring and the game’s MVP trophy as well.

Arbuckle started the 111th Grey Cup for the Argos due to Chad Kelly suffering a broken leg. Arbuckle helped the Argos knock off the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24, with 252 passing yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

While he performed well on the CFL’s biggest stage, Arbuckle’s career as a starter and backup has seen mixed results. He was even considering ending his playing career to become a coach prior to the Argos giving him a call this season.

You never know when a quarterback could find their stride, but if the Riders did go after Arbuckle, he would be on his fifth CFL team.

Cameron Dukes

Another Argos quarterback who could draw some interest from the Riders (and other CFL teams) is Cameron Dukes.

Dukes started the majority of games at the beginning of the season due to Chad Kelly serving a suspension for violating the CFL’s gender-based violence policy. Dukes threw for 1,444 yards, seven touchdowns and six picks in the 2024 season, a majority coming in that first nine-game stretch.

But he had some struggles as the team’s starter and was replaced after Week 8 by Arbuckle as the team’s primary backup.

Dukes has sometimes shown some flashes with the Argos and is only 26. If the Argos bring back Arbuckle to be the main backup and Kelly returns to his MOP form, there’s not much of a road to a starting job in Toronto.

A year of learning from Harris could be a big benefit to the Shepherdsville, Kentucky, product.