Jayden Dalke aiming to improve on strong rookie season with Riders

Heading into his second season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, defensive back Jayden Dalke says he’s feeling a lot more comfortable with a year of experience under his belt.

“I came in and the body was feeling better than it was when I was a rookie,” Dalke said after practice wrapped up on Thursday.

Jayden Dalke (38) during training camp May 25. (Shane Clausing/650 CKOM)

“It was like a reunion. It’s been fun.”

Dalke’s path to the CFL has been a unique one, to say the least.

He said he was considered undersized in high school, and never thought he’d become a pro football player.

But after playing high school football in Leduc, Alta., Dalke played four seasons in the Canadian Junior Football League with the Edmonton Wildcats from 2015-18, where he said he gained about 30 pounds of muscle and grew five inches.

His growth eventually got him noticed by the University of Alberta, where he earned a spot with the Golden Bears in 2019. He played two seasons for the school in 2019 and 2021.

His play at the University of Alberta saw him stand out enough to get him selected by the Riders in the sixth round of the CFL draft in 2022.

Dalke said he still finds it hard to believe where football has taken him.

“I feel very fortunate that this is where I landed. Definitely it wasn’t ever the plan starting out, and coming out of high school, this wasn’t a possibility in my mind,” he explained.

Taking a route like Dalke did to get to the CFL is rare, something he admitted himself.

“It’s not normal. I was never on planning on going to university – I was working full-time with my dad’s construction company as a carpenter,” he explained.

“I was just working and playing football and eventually started getting some interest from universities. I was like, ‘Well, I guess we’ll try out this level,’ and then ‘Well, I guess I’ll try out this next level,’ and just kept saying ‘Yes.’ ”

Now that he has a year of CFL experience under his belt, Dalke said he’ll be looking to earn a starting spot on the Riders’ defence. So far at training camp, he’s been given a lot of looks at safety with the top unit, and said he’s hoping to earn a spot in the starting lineup.

“I think it’s possible,” he said.

Dalke said he feels like he learned a lot about himself during his rookie year.

“I would say that the biggest thing I learned was a mental thing for me. I was just putting a mental barrier in myself and making (football) bigger than what it was. I had to be a little bit less impressed and more involved, and that’s when I really found my stride,” he explained.

Dalke noted that when it comes to asking for help or advice, there are always lots of Rider defenders who are willing to chat. He said Rolan Milligan Jr. and Nic Marshall have both been a big help.

One player who won’t be on the defensive side of the football this year is Mike Edem. He spent five seasons wearing green and white, but wasn’t brought back in the off-season.

While it’ll be tough to replace him and the leadership Edem brought to the table, Dalke said he feels other players have already stepped up in his absence.

“I think there’s a lot of leaders in this locker room,” Dalke stated.

“Obviously we’re going to miss Mike in the back end, because he was very close with a lot of us, but I think we can do it.”

According to head coach Craig Dickenson, one of those leaders could be Dalke himself.

“Second-year players, man, that’s where you see the big jump,” Dickenson said. “He’s already taken more of a leadership role.”

Training camp update

Thursday was the last official Riders practice before the teams boards buses to Regina for their first pre-season game on Saturday against B.C.

The players will do a one-hour walk-through in Saskatoon on Friday before hitting the road.

Dickenson said the players are excited to finally play.

“They’re really happy to be playing a game soon. Today was a good day – I didn’t push them too hard, but I thought they moved around well,” Dickenson said after practice Thursday.

“We’ve got to get through some mental stuff Friday, and then we play on Saturday, so we’re looking forward to it.”

Thursday’s practice focused a lot on special teams, and making sure everyone in those positions was on the same page.

“We’ve got to make sure we have 12 (players) out there for every play, and make sure we get some eyes on a lot of these players who are right on the bubble,” Dickenson noted.

“Special teams – there’s going to be heavy emphasis (Friday) and a big emphasis in the game.”

The Riders cut things short again Thursday, with practice ending at 10:45 a.m. instead of noon. Dickenson explained why he’s been ending practices earlier than scheduled.

“We’ve got a certain number of reps we want to get, and once we get to that rep, we move on. I think it’s an indication that the guys are doing a better job of understanding where they’re supposed to be and they’re moving around quicker,” he explained.

“Once we get our work done, we get off the field.”

The walk-through Friday at Griffiths Stadium is scheduled to get underway at 11 a.m.

Riders add new offensive lineman

A new offensive lineman was added to the Riders’ training camp roster Thursday.

The club announced it has signed Brandon Council, a former Auburn Tiger.

Council is listed at 6-foot-4 and 328 pounds, and just recently attended a rookie mini-camp with the NFL’s New York Jets.

In his three seasons at Auburn, Council appeared in 27 games in all five positions along the offensive line.