To many CFL observers, Chris Jones has had a pretty good couple of days.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach, general manager and vice-president of football operations has signed six free agents since the market opened Tuesday, including one player (offensive lineman Derek Dennis) who was considered among the top free agents available.
Jones also landed a proven return man (Chad Owens) and added to the Roughriders’ Canadian depth with one player (2016 East Division all-star Marc-Olivier Brouillette) who likely will start at safety and another (Kienan LaFrance) who could be a ratio-buster as a No. 1 tailback.
The Roughriders’ efforts over the first two days of free agency have earned plaudits from many CFL observers, but Jones isn’t ready to rest on those laurels.
“Every time you win a football game, there’s always something you can nitpick or try to find,” he said while meeting with the media Wednesday at Mosaic Stadium. “We feel like we’re better than what we were a day ago, but we’re still working.”
Asked if he thought the team he currently has on paper was starting to look like a potential contender, Jones once again demurred.
“Our thoughts last year were that we were a winning football team quite honestly when we walked out of free agency,” said Jones, whose team went 5-13-0 in 2016. “We’re going to wait and we’re going to hold our comments until we start playing and we see exactly where we are.”
The Roughriders likely aren’t done in free agency — Jones said they’ve got “a couple more guys to wrap up” — and they’ll also keep examining other avenues (including trades and signing players out of tryout camps) to revamp the roster.
Jones and his staff still want to find players along the defensive and offensive lines, along with more depth players. But so far, free agency has been critical to the Roughriders’ rebuilding process this off-season.
“I thought Ottawa last year did a really nice job in free agency, so we’re hoping that we can do some similar things,” said Jones, referring to a RedBlacks team that filled gaps well enough to win a Grey Cup title.
“We can build some depth on our team. We need to be stronger along the offensive line and (need to) be able to absorb an injury or possibly two. That’s what we were looking to try to do.”
Signing Dennis certainly addresses the O-line. The former Calgary Stampeders left tackle was named the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman in 2016 and should solidify a Roughriders line that surrendered 57 sacks last season.
Jones and Co., identified Dennis as a prime target, went after him and got him.
“You’ve got to look at what your needs are,” Jones said of making Dennis aware early in the process that he was on the Roughriders’ radar.
“The No. 1 thing is protecting your quarterback. You’ve got to be able to run the football. He’s one of the best at his position, so why wouldn’t you be as aggressive as you could be to try to secure that guy? That’s been the priority.”
In addition to LaFrance and Brouillette, the Roughriders signed running back Aaron Milton and offensive lineman Ryan White to bolster their Canadian depth. That, like the offensive line itself, was a focus for Jones entering free agency.
Despite the signings of four nationals, Jones isn’t getting ahead of himself when comparing the 2017 team’s stable of Canucks to that of its predecessor.
“When you go 5-and-whatever it was we went (in 2016), you’re never satisfied with where you’re at,” Jones said. “You’re frustrated at yourself and you’re frustrated with personnel as well.
“We’ll have to wait and see. These guys look good on paper. We’ll see exactly how good they are when we start.”
Jones admitted he took a different approach to free agency this off-season than he did in 2016, focusing more on players’ medical histories than he did in his first go-round as the Roughriders’ football boss.
He had more resources at his disposal this time too, having dealt big-ticket quarterback Darian Durant to the Montreal Alouettes. But Jones still must work on what he called “a big jigsaw puzzle” to see where everyone fits financially.
And there’s more to be done.
“There are some guys that we’re talking to, but we’ll wait and see whether they want to come here,” Jones said. “That’s the other thing: We want guys that want to be here, that want to commit to what we’re doing and have high character, that work hard, that are tough. Those are the kind of people that we’re trying to target this year.”
