The Saskatchewan Roughriders have landed one of the biggest fish on the CFL’s free-agent market.
Offensive tackle Derek Dennis, all 6-foot-3 and 341 pounds of him, signed a contract with the Roughriders on Tuesday — the opening day of CFL free agency.
“Just looking at the overall roster, at the O-linemen on the team and at the need, I think I can be a good complement to what the Riders are trying to build and help them be a competitive team in the West,” Dennis said from his off-season home in Phoenix, Ariz.
“Out of all the offers I had on the table, for a team willing to compete for a Grey Cup this season and next, I think Saskatchewan was my best option.”
Dennis, a 28-year-old product of Queens, N.Y., was considered one of the top free agents on the CFL market. As a member of the 2016 Calgary Stampeders, he was named a CFL all-star and the league’s most outstanding offensive lineman.
He addresses a major need for the Roughriders, who were in the market for an anchor at left tackle. Now they have one.
“I think I bring a level of toughness,” Dennis said. “I want to make the O-line one of the best units in the league.
“I bring a certain demeanour and mentality when I play football and I want to be infectious and pick up on some of the other guys. I’ve always been the type of player to help other guys advance and I’m always willing to learn and advance my own play, too.
“I’m looking forward to trying to be a leader for the O-line, trying to bring a certain attitude that other guys can feed off, be infectious in that sense in the locker room and try to help make the culture that Coach (Chris) Jones wants it to be.”
Dennis admitted that leaving Calgary — a team that went to the Grey Cup in 2016 — was difficult, but he decided the time had come to move on. Now he can try to further establish himself after getting a lucrative contract from Saskatchewan.
“I felt like I was at a point in my career where, with the level of play that I was producing, I wanted to be in the conversation with guys like Stanley Bryant, Jovan Olafioye and SirVincent Rogers,” Dennis said, referring to some of the CFL’s top left tackles. “I feel like I’ve put myself in that category.
“I wanted to go to an environment where I can be treated as such and be able to play as such and be in an atmosphere where CFL football is loved and adored. The Riders were a perfect fit for me.”
The Roughriders’ offensive line was in a constant state of flux last season. Due in large part to injuries to guards Chris Best and Brendon LaBatte, the group went through several iterations as the season progressed.
Over Saskatchewan’s 18 regular-season games, the offensive line featured 10 different starters in 11 different combinations. The unit surrendered 57 sacks — the second-highest such total in the CFL.
The left tackle spot was up in the air after Xavier Fulton was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats late in the 2016 regular season. Thaddeus Coleman moved from right tackle to left to finish the season — but Coleman also became a free agent Tuesday.
Dennis started five games for the Stampeders in 2015 and all 18 regular-season contests in 2016. The product of Temple University arrived in the CFL after stints in the NFL with the Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears and Carolina Panthers.
His journey to Calgary in 2015 was helped along by then-Stampeders assistant GM John Murphy, who’s now the Roughriders’ assistant vice-president of football operations and personnel. On Tuesday, that history helped spur Dennis to join the Roughriders.
“He let me know how the team felt about me and what they envisioned for me and that matched up with what I envisioned for myself,” Dennis said. “It was easy to pull the trigger.”
Also Tuesday, defensive back Andrew Lue — who finished the 2016 season with Saskatchewan after being acquired from the Montreal Alouettes — left the Roughriders to sign as a free agent with the Edmonton Eskimos.
