After months of waiting is finally over, as the 2025 Canadian Football League (CFL) season will kick off tonight in Regina as the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Ottawa Redblacks.
Expectations are high for the green and white heading into the new season, as Corey Mace enters his second season as the Head Coach. In 2024, the Roughriders finished second in the Western Division. They defeated the BC Lions in the Western Semi-final before they lost to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Western Final.
The Roughriders are hoping to end their season in Winnipeg once again, but this time with a better result as Princess Auto Stadium will be the site for the 112th Grey Cup in November.
Even though Saskatchewan hasn’t played a regular season game yet, the depth of their offensive line has already taken a hit. Both Sean McEwen and Phillipe Gagnon, who signed with the Roughriders during the winter as free agents, will miss significant time with injuries suffered during training camp.
The news didn’t get better for the team leading up to the first game of the year as Jacob Brammer will miss the season opener due to a back injury.
With the injuries, Saskatchewan will be forced to shuffle their starting offensive line. Melfort’s Logan Ferland will start at centre, and with the injury to McEwen, there’s a good chance that’s where he’ll play the majority of snaps this season, following a 2024 season where he played centre, guard and tackle on his way to being nominated as the Western Division’s Most Outstanding Lineman.
Zack Fry will get the start at right guard. Trevon Tate, who spent time at right tackle last season in Saskatchewan last season and was expected to start at left tackle in 2025, will now move inside to Left Guard. Rookie Payton Collins will now start at left tackle. The 24-year-old signed with Saskatchewan in May and is fresh from the collegiate level after spending six seasons with Eastern Kentucky (2019-24).
Jermarcus Hardrick starts at right tackle. The 35-year-old returns to Saskatchewan after playing five games in 2024 before his season ended with a quad injury.
Outside of the offensive line, the rest of the Roughriders offence remains mostly intact from 2024. Quarterback Trevor Harris returns as the team’s starting quarterback, he’ll be joined by a pair of former Calgary Stampeders in Jake Maier and Tommy Stevens.
A.J. Ouellette is also back as the team’s starting running back. Thomas Bertrand-Hudon is the other running back for Saskatchewan.
Three Canadian receivers will start for Saskatchewan with Samuel Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker and Dhel Duncan-Busby. Keesean Johnson and Dohnte Meyers start on the outside as Shawn Bane Jr continues to recover from his knee injury he suffered in 2024.
Like the team’s offensive line, the Roughriders defensive line will look different from last year. Micah Johnson will be paired with another former Stampeder, Mike Rose, who signed with Saskatchewan in the offseason.
Shane Ray will make his green and white debut after not playing in the preseason. Ray spent time with Buffalo and Tennessee of the NFL the last two seasons after he was a part of the Grey Cup Champion Toronto Argonauts in 2022. Malik Carney will be on the opposite side of the Roughrider pass rush.
Jameer Thurman is back for his second season as Saskatchewan’s middle linebacker. CJ Reavis will see his first game action of 2025 after he didn’t play in the preseason.
CJ Avery will be a gametime decision for Thursday’s opener, as he’s listed questionable with an ankle injury.
The Roughriders top player in 2024, Rolan Milligan Jr, leads the team’s secondary. Tevaughn Campbell will bring speed to the field corner, while Marcus Sayles who was named an All-CFL last year, covers the boundary.
Nelson Lokombo will start at safety after he missed the preseason. Jayden Dalke will back him up as Jaxon Ford will miss this week’s game with a hand injury.
Like most of the teams in the CFL, expectations are high for the Ottawa Redblacks. Dru Brown enters his second season as the team’s starting quarterback. Justin Hardy finished first in the league in receptions last year and was second in receiving yards, he’ll be joined by newcomer Geno Lewis in the Redblacks receiving core.
On the defensive side, Ottawa is led by former Most Outstanding Defensive Player, defensive end Lawernce Mauldin and Bryce Carter. Adarius Pickett is back for his second season in the nation's capital.
It should be another entertaining season in the CFL, and it all begins in Regina.