A position-by-position look at the Riders entering training camp

New and familiar faces are finally going to get a chance to earn a job with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Training camp gets underway Saturday — the first time many players will hit the field in around 600 days. The 2020 season was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Riders were dealt a blow two days before training camp, with four players — linebacker Larry Dean, defensive end Freddie Bishop III, defensive back Nelson Lokombo and running back Jonathan Femi-Cole — suffering Achilles injuries, likely ending their seasons.

While there are some starters from 2019 who appear to be locked into their jobs once again, a few positions could see some battles emerge during training camp.

Quarterbacks

Returning from 2019: Cody Fajardo, Isaac Harker.

Departed: Bryan Bennett (free agent), Justice Hansen (free agent).

New in 2021: Paxton Lynch, Mason Fine, Tom Flacco, Luke Falk (suspended).

There isn’t a quarterback controversy in Saskatchewan heading into the 2021 season — at least not for the starting job.

Cody Fajardo firmly took hold of the No. 1 job after then-starter Zach Collaros went down with a concussion in Week 1 of the 2019 season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Fajardo, now 29, was the West Division nominee for most outstanding player after he threw for 4,302 yards and 18 touchdowns with just eight interceptions. He also added 611 yards on the ground along with 10 rushing touchdowns.

The backup job could be up for grabs.

Isaac Harker returns to Saskatchewan after being the backup in 2019. Harker threw a pass in four games for the team, including being the team’s starter on Nov. 2 against the Edmonton Elks. Harker completed 23 passes for 213 yards in the game, which the Roughriders on 23-13 to clinch first place in the West Division.

The team has brought in former NFL first-round pick Paxton Lynch to compete at training camp. Lynch was taken 26th overall by Denver in 2016 and appeared in five games for the Broncos between 2016-17, throwing for 792 yards with four touchdowns and four interceptions. He has bounced around the NFL since 2018, signing with the Seattle Seahawks and Pittsburgh Steelers.

Mason Fine joins the team after going undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft. He played college ball at North Texas and threw for 12,237 yards, 91 touchdowns and 32 interceptions over four seasons.

Tom Flacco also went undrafted in the 2020 NFL draft. He’s the younger brother of Joe Flacco, who won a Super Bowl with the Baltimore Ravens.

Tom Flacco left Towson third in passing touchdowns (50), sixth in passing yards (6,086) and sixth in passing completions (484) over just two seasons.

Running backs

Returning from 2019: William Powell, Kienan LaFrance, Jamal Morrow, Albert Awachie.

Departed: Marcus Thigpen (free agent), Atlee Simon (retired).

New in 2021: Marcus Murphy, Ralph Webb, Jonathan Femi-Cole (injured), Jeremy Langford (suspended).

The running back room largely returns from 2019.

William Powell is expected to once again carry most of the load for the Roughriders. Now 33, Powell ran for 1,093 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019. He also caught 37 passes for 296 yards and two touchdowns.

Kienan LaFrance and Jamal Morrow will compete for the backup role following the departure of Marcus Thigpen. LaFrance, who is from Winnipeg, has appeared in 79 CFL games over five seasons.

Morrow was a rookie in 2019 and spent most of his time on the practice roster. But he could be called on more to fill Thigpen’s spot when it comes to kick returns.

Albert Awachie lined up for most of the year in the fullback spot.

The team also brought in Marcus Murphy, who spent time in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills and Carolina Panthers. Ralph Webb has also spent time in the NFL on practice rosters with the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Pittsburgh.

Femi-Cole was taken by the Riders 53rd overall in the 2020 CFL draft after playing university ball with the Western Mustangs. He was one of the four Riders to suffer Achilles injuries before camp.

Wide receivers

Returning from 2019: Shaq Evans, Kyran Moore, Jordan Williams-Lambert, Justin McInnis, Brayden Lenius, Carlos Henderson, Mitch Picton, Jake Harty, Paul McRoberts.

Departed: Emmanuel Arceneaux (free agent), Naaman Roosevelt (signed with Montreal Alouettes), Kenny Stafford (signed with Edmonton Elks), Cory Watson (free agent), Max Zimmerman (released).

New in 2021: Randy Satterfield, Xavier Ubosi, Kermit Whitfield, Terrell Jana, Ricardo Louis, Charone Peake, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Sam Coates (suspended), Tevin Jones (suspended).

Shaq Evans and Kyran Moore will look to build on strong 2019 campaigns in 2021, while Jordan Williams-Lambert will spend a full training camp with the team for the first time since 2018.

Evans and Moore had breakout years in 2019. Evans was fourth in the CFL with 1,334 receiving yards and caught five touchdowns. Moore tacked on 996 yards and six touchdowns in 2019.

Williams-Lambert was named the West Division’s rookie of the year in 2018, recording 718 yards receiving and four touchdowns. He opted out of his contract to try out for the NFL’s Chicago Bears. He returned to the Riders in September of 2019 but only appeared in three games for the Green and White.

Justin McInnis, Brayden Lenius, Jake Harty and Mitch Picton return as Canadian talent in the receiving corps. Harty missed all of 2018 and 2019 with a knee injury. The team also selected Terrell Jana (17th overall in 2021) and Kian Schaffer-Baker (30th overall in 2021) in the CFL draft.

Naaman Roosevelt is no longer with the team after spending five seasons with the Roughriders, leaving a big hole after contributing 946 yards and one touchdown in 2019. The team also lost veterans Emmanuel Arceneaux and Kenny Stafford.

That could open the door for a player like Carlos Henderson or Paul McRoberts, who were both on the team in 2019, or one of the new signings.

Offensive Line

Returning from 2019: Dan Clark, Terran Vaughn, Cameron Jefferson, Logan Ferland, Brendon LaBatte (suspended), Takoby Cofield (suspended).

Departed: Philip Blake (signed with Toronto Argonauts), Dariusz Bladek (signed with Argonauts), Rene Brassea (released), Thaddeus Coleman (free agent), Dakoda Shepley (signed with NFL’s San Francisco 49ers), Braden Schram (retired).

New in 2021: Mattland Riley, Josiah St. John, Andrew Lauderdale, Logan Bandy, Evan Johnson, Seantrel Henderson, Brett Boyko, Cyrus Kouandijo, Carter Comeau, Jesse Lawson.

The Roughriders had one of the deepest offensive line groups in 2019, but the depth will be tested in 2021.

Centre Dan Clark and tackle Terran Vaughn are the only holdovers from the team’s 2019 starting group.

The team will have to overcome the free-agency losses of Philip Blake, Dariusz Bladek and Dakoda Shepley, all of whom started games for the team in 2019.

Those plans were muddled even more when Braden Schram, Takoby Cofield and perennial all-star Brendon LaBatte decided not to play in 2021. While Schram and Cofield seemed poised to battle for a starting job, LaBatte has been a starter in 181 games over 12 seasons, eight of those with the Roughriders.

The team signed Canadians Brett Boyko and Evan Johnson during the off-season, both of whom have started CFL games, and could also look to some of their younger Canadians, including 2020 first-round pick Mattland Riley, 2021 fifth-round selection Logan Bandy and Logan Ferland, who joined the Riders in 2019 as a territorial junior from the Regina Thunder.

Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day feels confident in all the players they are bringing to camp.

“We have six American offensive tackles that are coming to camp and feel like we have decent depth at our Canadian talent. It’s not super easy to replace a guy of Brendon’s status but every time a door closes, an opportunity opens for one of our guys,” O’Day said.

Defensive Line

Returning from 2019: Micah Johnson, A.C. Leonard, Makana Henry, Jordan Reaves, Sterling Shippy, Charbel Dabire.

Departed: Charleston Hughes (signed with Argonauts), Zack Evans (released), Chad Geter (retired).

New in 2021: Marcus Jones, Alain Cimankinda, Anthony Lanier, Garrett Marino, Pete Robertson, Freddie Bishop III (injured), Tim Williams, Keion Adams, Jonathan Woodard, Demetrius Harris (suspended).

The Riders will need to find a way to replace one of the all-time greats in defensive end Charleston Hughes, who left in the off-season to sign with Toronto. The now-37-year-old led the league with 16 sacks in 2019.

A.C. Leonard played opposite Hughes along the defensive line and recorded nine quarterback sacks in 2019.

Bishop was one of the favourites to slide into Hughes’ vacant spot but suffered an injury before camp. Bishop was a member of the 2014 Grey Cup-winning Calgary Stampeders and followed that year up with 11 sacks in 2015. He spent some time in the NFL before returning to the CFL with the Argos in 2019, recording six sacks there.

Meanwhile, the interior defensive line has a few returning faces but the loss of one veteran presence. Canadian Zack Evans was released in December. He had spent eight seasons in the CFL — four with the Ottawa Redblacks and four with Saskatchewan.

Micah Johnson returns to the Roughriders after signing with the B.C. Lions for 2020 — a season eventually cancelled.

Johnson joined the Roughriders in 2019 after spending six seasons with the Stampeders. He has recorded 45 sacks in seven CFL seasons. He dealt with injuries in 2019, appearing in 15 games and recording four sacks.

Ontario-born Makana Henry will enter his fifth season with the Roughriders. He appeared in 18 games for the Green and White in 2019, recording three sacks.

Another national player who could see more playing time is Charbel Dabire. A rookie in 2019, Dabire was called upon after injuries to Evans and Johnson. Dabire appeared in 11 games in 2019 and registered one sack.

Linebackers

Returning from 2019: Micah Teitz, Oluwaseun Idowu, Gary Johnson Jr.

Departed: Solomon Elimimian (retired), Cam Judge (signed with Argos), Derrick Moncrief (signed with Los Angeles Rams), Alexandre Chevrier (signed with Alouettes), Dyshawn Davis (signed with Lions), Sam Hurl (free agent).

New in 2021: Larry Dean, Kevin Francis, DeMarquis Gates, Deon Lacey, Matthew Thomas, Nakas Onyeka, Nigel Harris, Jordan Herdman-Reed, Justin Herdman-Reed, A.J. Allen.

Riders fans are going to get used to a bunch of new faces when it comes to the linebackers in 2021.

There aren’t any returning starters from 2019, with Solomon Elimimian retiring, West Division most outstanding Canadian Cam Judge signing with Toronto and Derrick Moncrief signing with the NFL’s Los Angeles Rams.

Larry Dean was one of the favourites to step in as a starter for the Riders in 2021, but he suffered an Achilles injury two days before camp was set to begin.

Deon Lacey joined Edmonton in 2014 and recorded 114 tackles in three seasons, with 87 of those coming in 2016. He then made his way to the NFL, spending two years with Buffalo and then a year with the Miami Dolphins.

He returned to the CFL with Saskatchewan for 2020, but with the cancelled season, he opted out and signed with the Bills. He signed with the Riders on June 15.

Jordan Herdman-Reed, Justin Herdman-Reed, Micah Teitz and Nakas Onyeka are all national players who could fill the hole left by Judge if the Riders continue to keep their ratio the same.

The Herdman-Reeds are twins, born just minutes apart.

Jordan has appeared in 52 games and recorded 95 tackles with B.C., while Justin has played in 40 games for the Argos, recording 43 tackles.

Onyeka also joins the team after spending three seasons with the Argos. He appeared in 36 games and recorded 14 tackles.

Teitz has been with the Riders since 2018, appearing in 27 games, mostly as a member of special teams. Oluwaseun Idowu was a rookie in 2019 and was also a contributor on special teams.

The Roughriders could also move defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy to linebacker, as he previously played the position.

Defensive backs

Returning from 2019: Nick Marshall, Loucheiz Purifoy, Ed Gainey, Mike Edem, Blace Brown, Jacob Dearborn, LJ McCray (suspended), Elie Bouka (suspended).

Departed: None.

New in 2021: Deiondre Hall, Kenneth Acker, Nelson Lokombo, Lorenzo Jerome, Damon Webb, Hamp Cheevers, Godfrey Onyeka, Kentrell Brice, A.J. Hendy, Jeremy Clark, Christian Campbell, DQ Thomas, Vincent Dethier, Jacob Janke, Tony Lippett (suspended).

The Roughriders are welcoming back a majority of their starters for 2021, with Purifoy, Nick Marshall, Ed Gainey and Mike Edem are all set to return.

Marshall had five interceptions for the Green and White in 2019, third-most in the CFL. Gainey appeared in all 18 games in 2019, recording 56 tackles and two interceptions.

Purifoy recorded three interceptions, two sacks and 40 tackles in the last campaign.

Edem held down the safety position for the Riders, with the national defensive back recording three sacks and 69 tackles.

Meanwhile, LJ McCray, who became a starter during the season and played in 13 games for the team and had three interceptions, has been added to the suspended list. National Elie Bouka dressed for all 18 games for the team in 2019. He was also added to the suspended list.

The Roughriders drafted Nelson Lokombo second overall in the 2021 draft but he suffered an Achilles injury just before camp.

Lorenzo Jerome played 2019 with the Stampeders, recording one interception in seven games. Godfrey Onyeka played in 27 games for the Elks over the 2018-19 seasons.