First practice of the regular season a long time coming for Riders

Some members of the Saskatchewan Roughriders had a few more hurdles than others on their road to the first practice of the 2021 CFL season.

It’s been a year-and-a-half without CFL football due to the COVID-19 pandemic wiping out the 2020 season.

But for Canadian wide receiver Jake Harty, it’s been a journey that began in 2017 – the last time he played in a CFL game.

“(My last game) was in November 2017 in the (east division semi-final) against Saskatchewan. I got an injury in that one – that’s where I tore my meniscus,” Harty said.

That would be the start of a string of knee injuries for the 30-year-old. During the 2018 training camp, his first season with the Riders, he tore his ACL, ending his season.

During rehab from that injury, something went wrong and he was forced to go under the knife again, missing 2019 as well.

And with the 2020 season being canceled, Harty’s first time on the field since 2018 was the 2021 training camp – one where he impressed enough to be one of five Canadian receivers on the main roster.

Mitch Picton, Brayden Lenius, Justin McInnis and Terrell Jana round out the rest of the Canadian talent in the receivers room. Kian Schaffer-Baker is another national receiver for the Riders who is on the practice roster.

Harty admits he had some nerves on Friday waiting to find out if he made the team.

“Whichever way it went, I was just excited and ready to get after it. I was just thinking positively that everything would go well and it did,” the Calgary-product said following the team’s first practice as they prepare to face the B.C. Lions on Friday. “It means a lot (to make the roster). I put in a lot of work here for sure and also Saskatchewan has believed in me throughout this whole process. They’ve kept me around, they’ve kept giving me opportunities and I’m very thankful towards this organization and I’m ready to show them what I got.”

While Canadian football fans know about Harty’s struggles to get back onto the field, defensive end Keion Adams’ journey has also had its share of tribulations.

After he was taken in the seventh round (248th overall) in the 2017 NFL draft, Adams signed a four-year deal with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

But a shoulder injury saw him hit the injured reserve just months after signing that deal. He then spent 2018 on the Steelers’ practice roster and by 2019 was released from the team.

He signed with the New York Giants in 2019 but a knee injury put him on the injured reserve once again and he would be released.

During 2020, when he was out of football, Adams was a bounty hunter and did executive security.

But now in 2021, he’s not only found his way onto the Riders roster but could end up being the team’s starter at defensive end opposite of A.C. Leonard.

“I’m just looking forward to going in and just getting an opportunity to play. Whoever is the starter, I know they’re going to go out there and do what they’re supposed to,” Adams said.

He added it means a lot to get another chance to continue to play football.

“This is something that I’ve been doing since I was a child and it’s my first love. Just to have the opportunity to go out there and play again, it hasn’t been an easy road and it’s been a tough road, but it has made me who I am and I’m just thankful for the Riders for giving me another opportunity,” the 27-year-old said.

Head coach Craig Dickenson said it’s great to see guys like Adams and Harty, who have dealt with injuries in their career, get a shot on the main roster.

“Hats off to both of them. They both had a good camp and deserve it,” Dickenson said. “They feel like the work has just begun and that was the message to the team two days ago once we got the final roster – the fun begins but now the real work begins too.”

Slotback starter still up in the air for Week 1

Dickenson admits that while they have a good idea who most of their starters will be against the Lions, the man in the slotback role is to be determined.

Jordan Williams-Lambert was set to start there but a knee injury late in camp has led to Paul McRoberts taking a majority of snaps with the starters during Monday’s practice.

“That’s one that’s still up in the air. We will give them both reps this week and Jordan’s knee is still bugging him a little bit so we have to decide what direction we want to go on that,” Dickenson said.

While he doesn’t know what the injury is, Dickenson doesn’t believe the injury to Williams-Lambert’s knee is serious.

“It’s still bothering him from a pain standpoint so we will see how he feels (Tuesday). We’re going to increase his reps (Tuesday) and hopefully, he will respond to treatment and be better,” Dickenson said.

The team’s first game of 2021 will be at Mosaic Stadium against the Lions. The kickoff is at 7:30 p.m.

Notes: McInnis (hamstring), offensive lineman Mattland Riley (illness) and defensive end Jordan Reaves (Achilles tightness) all missed practice Monday.