Continuity at the core of Riders’ 2025 roster-building approach

The Saskatchewan Roughriders focused on bringing most of their players back rather than bringing in a bunch of new faces in free agency.

“We had a good core of players here and took a lot of growth last season. We really wanted to try to bring them back and have continuity so we knew we weren’t going to be very active in free agency,” said Roughriders General Manager Jeremy O’Day on Wednesday.

“It’s different from the years past, where we were trying to improve our team dramatically in free agency. Ideally, this is the way you like to have it where you’re keeping your guys in-house where they can form that bond with each other.”

A lot of the Riders’ activity involving signings players like Marcus Sayles, Micah Johnson, and Mitch Picton to extensions.

“We didn’t lose anyone that we didn’t offer. When you have good players — and that’s something to be said about the number of our players that signed with other teams is a credit to our personnel department — but you know the kind of range players will be in and how they will fit,” O’Day said.

“Guys coming off of rookie contracts if you’re not able to provide them a raise that fits where they should be, you have to make decisions of where they fit on the roster and if they will fit under the salary cap.

“I feel like there’s a lot of good players that won’t be back for us that we just weren’t able to sign.”

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But there were a few new faces coming to join the Riders in 2025.

Shortly after O’Day was done speaking to the media, the club announced all-star centre Sean McEwen had signed a contract with the club. McEwen has eight years of CFL experience, splitting his time with the Calgary Stampeders (2021-24) and the Toronto Argonauts (2016-19). The Calgary, Alta., product is a three-time CFL all-star at the centre position (2017, 2021-22). The move will reunite him with Marc Mueller, who was a coach in Calgary from 2014-23.

Defensive lineman Mike Rose was released by Calgary, which allowed him to sign with a new team prior to free agency. He now joins the Riders along with defensive back Tevaughn Campbell, who has been in the NFL for the past six seasons. Wide receiver Tommy Nield was another addition during the communication window.

” I would say (Rose and Campbell) were unexpected when we started going through the process,” O’Day said.

Once free agency opened on Feb. 11, the club made deals with short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens and offensive guard Philippe Gagnon official.

“(Stevens) in short-yardage — in particular against us — you’re almost just saying they are going to get the first down on short-yardage,” O’Day said. “(Gagnon) is someone that a few years ago we tried to get when he was a free agent. We just like the way he plays.”

O’Day believes the team feels good with where they are at now that the frenzy part of free agency has passed.

“Right now if we add someone, we just create more depth. As far as the heavy lifting, that is pretty much done,” O’Day said.