Jobs on the line as Riders head to Winnipeg for pre-season finale

The Saskatchewan Roughriders are off to Winnipeg to face their arch-rivals in their pre-season finale.

The Green Zone Game Day pre-game show starts at 4:30 p.m. Friday on 650 CKOM and 980 CJME.

A lot will be on the line for members of the Roughriders, as jobs could be won or lost depending on how the CFL game goes.

Head coach Craig Dickenson says he’ll weigh what he sees in the pre-season games and training camp equally.

“It’s probably 50/50,” said Dickenson. “There will be a few guys who make or break it in this game, and a few guys who confirm what we already know.”

Dickenson said there are still spots up for grabs as training camp nears its end.

“There’s definitely some openings, and there’s going to be some openings on that practice roster more than anything,” Dickenson stated.

“I think there’s a few starting spots on offence and defence (to be won), but the main thing is your depth guys. How many are we going to have on each side of the ball, and who are they going to be?”

One of the spots up for grabs on the offensive side could be the backup quarterback position. Currently, Mason Fine, Jake Dolegala and Shea Patterson are all fighting for the two spots behind starter Trevor Harris on the depth chart.

Patterson said fighting for the backup role is new territory for him.

“I’ve never been in the battle for a backup quarterback position before. Ever. We have four solid guys, and it’s just been awesome competing with them every single day and competing with myself, getting better than I was yesterday,” Patterson explained.

While battling for a backup spot is a change for Patterson, he said he’s used to having to fight to remain at the top.

“I’ve had quarterback battles since I was in middle school,” he said. “As long as I stay true to myself, and show up and put the work in, everything else will work out.”

Patterson was a top NCAA recruit as a teen. He started his college career playing two seasons at Ole Miss in 2016 and 2017 before transferring to play at Michigan in 2018 and 2019. He wasn’t selected in the 2020 NFL draft, and signed with the Kansas City Chiefs before he was cut later that summer.

He’s since bounced around in the CFL, with stops in B.C. and Montreal. Patterson also spent time playing in the USFL before joining the Riders.

Wide receiver Kendall Watson will also be looking to impress during Friday’s game, hoping to snag a job with the Green and White.

While he could have a tough time finding a job in what can be considered a very deep receiving corps, Watson said he feels he just needs to show the coaches what he can do on Friday in Winnipeg.

“I just really want to go out there and execute,” Watson said. “I want to be where I’m supposed to be on a consistent basis, and make the plays I’m supposed to make. Honestly, as long as I do that, I feel like the chips will fall where they need to fall and I’ll be in a good position.”

Running back Jamal Morrow said he knows his spot is pretty well safe, but he still can’t wait to play in a game for the first time since October.

“It’s been a minute since I’ve had live action. That’s always going to be exciting,” Morrow said.

“There’s nothing like that live game action and that first hit. Once you get that first hit out the way, you’re all good to go, so I’m looking forward to that,” he added.

Training camp notes

The Riders held a brief walk-through Thursday morning before boarding the plane to Winnipeg. That marked the last time the Riders were on the field at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon for training camp.

Dickenson had nothing but praise for the hospitality the team received over the last several weeks in the city.

“Saskatoon is the best. I love it up here. (We get) great meals, the dorms are good, the facilities are nice and the support is really good. It was really fun getting away from Regina. I think the team bonded here,” Dickenson said.

The head coach was also very pleased by what he saw from the players during camp.

“I think it went really well. I felt the guys were tuned in. We didn’t have a lot of back-and-forth fighting,” he added. “It was one of the best camps I’ve been a part of in all my years of coaching.”

Harris will start in Winnipeg on Friday and Dickenson said they have some goals they want to see from the veteran.

“We want to give him a certain amount of throws. We want to see him in certain situations. We want to give him a red-zone series. We hope to do a tempo series with him. He’s got a checklist of what we want to see from him, and Coach (Kelly) Jeffery is going to call the game and try to get it,” Dickenson stated.

Dickenson had one injury to report Thursday. He said punter Kaare Vedvik pulled a quad and will remain in Saskatoon. Because of the injury, rookie Adam Korsak will handle punting duties for Saskatchewan Friday.

Final cuts are expected to be made over the weekend, and the Riders’ regular season gets started June 11 when they visit Edmonton.