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Following a busy couple of days, the free agency frenzy has slowed down in the Canadian Football League (CFL).
The Saskatchewan Roughriders weren’t the busiest team in the market, but they were able to bolster their lineup that has positioned them as one of the favourites for the 2025 CFL season.
At quarterback, the Roughriders will have their starter Trevor Harris returning with a new contract and he will be backed up by a pair of former Calgary Stampeders.
In late December, Saskatchewan acquired former starter Jake Maier from the Stamps in a trade. Then in free agency, the green and white adding short-yard specialist Tommy Stevens. Last year, Stevens appeared in 31 third-and-short situations and was able to convert on 30 of those attempts. The 28-year-old was tied with Winnipeg’s Chris Steveler for the most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (10) in 2024.
Former Roughrider Shea Patterson signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and will compete for a backup position behind former Rider QB Zach Collaros. Among the other quarterbacks competing for that spot is Patterson’s former teammate in Saskatchewan, Jake Dolegala.
There will be a new look for the offensive line in Saskatchewan. Last year’s starter at left tackle Trevor Reid signed with the Minnesota Vikings last month. Among the candidates to replace Reid is Trevon Tate, who started eight games at right tackle in 2024. Jermarcus Hardrick is slated to be back at right tackle, the former Blue Bomber signed with Saskatchewan in last winter but only played five games in 2024 after suffering a quad injury.
Saskatchewan signed a pair of offensive linemen during free agency, centre Sean McEwen from Calgary and guard Phillipe Gagnon from the Montreal Alouettes. McEwen has been named an All-CFL on three occasions and was named the top offensive lineman for the Stamps in 2024. Gagnon has spent eight seasons in the CFL, including seven with Montreal. He was the Alouettes starting left guard when they won the Grey Cup in 2023.
That leaves the Roughriders top offensive lineman for 2024, Melfort’s Logan Ferland, who will revert back to a guard position after spending last season taking snaps at all five of the positions on the Saskatchewan offensive line.
On the defensive line, the Roughriders made some significant moves before free agency began. They resigned defensive end Malik Carney to a new contract after he originally joined the team as a free agent in 2024. Last year, Carney had four sacks in 13 games.
The Roughriders also signed former Shane Ray, who has spent time in both the NFL and CFL. Ray was originally drafted in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft by the Denver Broncos. He would join the Toronto Argonauts in 2021, and helped the team win the Grey Cup in 2022. That season, the 31-year-old had six sacks in seven games. Over the last two years, Ray has spent time in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Buffalo Bills.
Saskatchewan also signed Mike Rose to a deal after he was released by Calgary last month. Rose was named an All-CFL for three straight seasons (2021-23). Over the last five campaigns, the 31-year-old has registered 36 sacks with the Stampeders, highlighted by11 sacks in 2023. Saskatchewan head coach Corey Mace was Rose’s defensive line coach in Calgary for four seasons.
Micah Johnson will be back in Saskatchewan after he agreed to a new contract. Currently in his third stint with the green and white, the 36-year-old showed no signs of slowing down with six sacks last year and was also called upon to help the offensive line due to injuries.
Some of the departures on the defensive line for the Roughriders include Anthony Lanier II, who is heading to Toronto and Miles Brown who signed with Calgary. Defensive end Bryan Cox Jr remains a free agent.
Jameer Thurman agreed to a new deal last month, keeping him the starter at middle linebacker. There will be a change at outside linebacker with Adam Auclair signing with the BC Lions.
In the secondary, the Roughriders agreed to terms with former University of Regina Rams defensive back Tevaughn Campbell. This will mark the second stint for Campbell in Saskatchewan. After he was drafted by Calgary in 2015, he was traded to Saskatchewan in 2016. That season, he had one interception and one sack in 12 games with the green and white. He was traded to Montreal in 2017 along with a pair of picks for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Over the last six seasons, Campbell has been in the NFL with the Los Angeles Chargers and Jacksonville Jaguars. Campbell had a 40-yard dash time of 4.36 seconds at the 2015 CFL Combine, which remains the fastest time in the event’s history.
The Roughriders were also able to agree to new contracts with safeties Nelson Lokombo and Jayden Dalke, along with a new deal for cornerback Marcus Sayles. Defensive back Rolan Milligan agreed to a contract extension that will keep him in green and white through the 2027 season.
Among the departures in the secondary for Saskatchewan are Deontai Williams who signed with BC and Amari Henderson who agreed to a deal with Ottawa.
On special teams, the Roughriders signed Mario Alford to a new deal. In 2022, Alford was acquired by Saskatchewan in a trade with Montreal. He would go on to win the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player Award that season with four returns for a touchdown.
With a strong group of offensive players returning for 2025 including running back AJ Ouellette and wide receivers Kian Schaffer-Baker, Samuel Emilus, Keesean Johnson, Shawn Bane Jr and Mitch Picton, the green and white won’t be sneaking up on their opponents in 2025 and should be considered a serious contender to represent the West at the 2025 Grey Cup in Winnipeg.