‘Wasn’t much they had to sell me on:’ Riders’ Walker excited for 2023

Derel Walker is hoping to have a big impact on the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“I’ve been playing against the Roughriders for quite a while and I am looking forward to becoming a part of it. I’ve experienced the stadium and the football experience there was second to none in the CFL. I’m definitely looking forward to playing under the lights there,” the 31-year-old receiver told The Green Zone on Monday.

“(I’m) just trying to find the right situation that will benefit me moving forward for this year and years to come, just to put myself in the best position to go out and really help the team be productive this year.”

Walker will look to regain the form that made him one of the league’s top pass-catchers in 2016, when he had 1,589 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“I am very confident in my abilities. Everything hasn’t been the best; some of it is because of me also. Sometimes you have to drop some things like that and sometimes situations aren’t always perfect,” Walker said. “I’m very confident in my ability to get back up there and put up some great numbers this year, especially with a quarterback like Trevor (Harris).

“(There) wasn’t much (the Riders) had to sell me on.”

The Hillsboro, Texas product was the most-recent puzzle piece added by the Roughriders as they revamp their receiving corps.

Saskatchewan lost Shaq Evans, Kyran Moore, Duke Williams and Justin McInnis in free agency. On Feb. 14, the Riders signed slotback Jake Wieneke, Shawn Bane Jr., and Juwan Brescacin to be targets for the also newly signed Harris.

Last week, the team announced it had signed Walker. He has 6,653 receiving yards and 33 touchdowns in seven CFL seasons.

“Sometimes it just takes a little time to find a new home and a place where you feel like you will be comfortable and being around guys who you have been around in the past and things like that,” Walker said. “I know a few guys on the coaching staff and some of the players there and Trevor Harris also. That helped solidify the decision.”

Walker and Harris were teammates for six games in Edmonton in 2021, before the quarterback was traded to the Montreal Alouettes.

“Trevor is familiar with the whole CFL and things like that. He is a quarterback that has been around quite a while so he has experienced quite a bit,” Walker said. “He is an accurate passer throughout his career, so I am looking forward to that and he definitely can drop the deep ball in the bucket; I’ve definitely experienced that several times. I’m looking forward to connecting with him.

“We’re looking to build on that (season) and obviously strengthen the chemistry that we’ve built so far. We’ve been through one camp together so we got quite familiar with each other. The bond can be stronger and better.

“We’ve been away from each other for a while so definitely looking forward to getting back going and getting into the mix with Trevor. He has a great idea how I run my routes and things like that. He’s watched plenty of film on me. I know him as a player also and I know what he can do behind the line.”

The veteran receiver said work is already underway to start building for the 2023 season with himself, Harris and the other receivers.

“We’ve been reaching out to each other, trying to figure out if we can come up with a date when we can get a great amount of guys together and figure out a location and things like that,” Walker said. “It’s definitely in the works. Hopefully we’re able to get everyone on the same schedule and put something together soon so we can all get familiar with each other in advance.”

Walker said he’ll do whatever he can to help the Riders bounce back after a 6-12 season in 2022.

“I’m going to do whatever it takes for us to do what we have to do to go out and get the win each week,” he said. “I know what it takes to speak up and lead the guys in a certain way, which I’m not opposed to. I’ve done it in the past. I’m just looking forward to going out there and having fun.

“I feel like when you go out there and have fun, a lot of things start to translate over as far as winning and things like that. No one is having fun when you’re losing. As long as we keep some of the basics right and put in the work and believe in each other and have each other’s backs in the receivers’ room, we can go pretty far.”