The Saskatchewan Roughriders are no different from the other eight CFL teams right now.
They’re scrambling to find places to stash players they discovered in the offseason. Most roster moves are planned well in advance, but there are some that catch everyone unprepared.
It’s hard to imagine the Riders were expecting Marc-Olivier Brouillette or Aaron Milton to retire just before training camp opened. Both are Canadians. Brouillette was expected to start at safety. Milton may have become the backup tailback.
CFL teams will sometimes suspend players who have done nothing wrong. They dump players who won’t accept pay cuts. They allow players to retire rather than releasing them. And they announce the signings of players days, or weeks, after their contracts were actually signed.
When a player decides he truly is retiring, there’s really nothing a team can do other than make the announcement and look for a replacement. And training camp is the best place to look.