February 17, 2017

Thaddeus Coleman Returns to the Riders

as the Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Edmonton Eskimos in Regina, SK, September 18, 2016 Photo Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards

A feeling of having unfinished business helped prompt Thaddeus Coleman to stay with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 

The CFL team announced Friday that it had re-signed Coleman, four days after he hit the league’s free-agent market. The 31-year-old offensive tackle signed for one season. 

Coleman joined the Roughriders in 2016 after three seasons with the Edmonton Eskimos. He won a Grey Cup in Edmonton in 2015, but then endured a 5-13-0 campaign in his first season in Saskatchewan. 

A desire to help the Roughriders make up for that season played a huge part in Coleman’s decision to re-sign.

“That was definitely one of my main focuses,” the 6-foot-8, 320-pounder said from his off-season home in Edmonton. “I had just come off a championship team and to go from the best team in the league to the second-worst team in the league — and to know I contributed to that — it can’t go down like that. 

“You want to finish something you started, especially with a new team. That was involved in my decision because that’s the way I am. We came in together so let’s try to win this thing together and finish it off.”

Coleman said he received contract offers from three CFL teams, including the Roughriders.

When Saskatchewan fans reached out to him on social media and implored him to stay, Coleman told them he wanted to re-sign — especially after seeing the work Roughriders head coach-general manager Chris Jones and his staff were doing early in free agency. 

“I was sitting there watching the moves going on, seeing the transactions, and I thought, ‘Coach Jones is making big moves,’ ’’ said Coleman, a product of Waukegan, Ill. “That was a part of (wanting to return to Saskatchewan).

“Another part is I’m not one of those guys who likes to go from team to team just for the money or anything like that. I like to stay loyal. I won a championship with Coach Jones (in Edmonton), so I know he knows how to win. I just know I have a good opportunity by staying in Saskatchewan to win a championship, so it was an easy choice.”  

That said, Coleman still had to endure the uncertainty that goes along with free agency. He wasn’t re-signed before hitting the market, so he had to wait as patiently as he could for a deal to be reached.

“The CFL doesn’t have a huge salary cap, so there’s always a game plan for coaches,” said Coleman, a product of Mississippi Valley State University. “They want to spend money on certain players and then see where their money is at.

“I understand where (Jones’) head was and what kind of moves he was going to make in free agency. It’s only the fourth day. I’ll take it.” 

Coleman was the Roughriders’ most consistent offensive lineman in 2016, earning the team’s nomination for the award as the league’s most outstanding O-lineman. 

He was the only member of the Roughriders’ line to play in all 18 games, albeit at two different positions. He started the season at right tackle and then moved to the left side after Xavier Fulton was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Saskatchewan’s free-agent signing Tuesday of left tackle Derek Dennis — who was named the CFL’s top offensive lineman in 2016 as a member of the Calgary Stampeders — was one of the moves that impressed Coleman.

“That was a great signing,” he said. “It takes pressure off me going from side to side. I can’t complain about (Dennis’ addition) at all. It looked good on paper, so let’s make it happen in real life.”

Adding Dennis is just one of the transactions the Roughriders have made this off-season. Quarterback Darian Durant was traded to the Montreal Alouettes, other veterans were released and still more were signed as free agents. 

Coleman took the moves in stride, noting that it’s the business of football. Now comes the process of developing chemistry. 

“We’re definitely going to have an interesting locker room, I can tell you that,” he said with a laugh. “We’re definitely going to have some ball players and some personalities. Let’s hope it all gels together and we can do this thing. 

“We’ll see. I’m going to be one of the old heads in the locker room, so hopefully I can keep everybody together.”

• Also Friday, the Toronto Argonauts announced they had signed free-agent defensive back Matt Webster, who spent the past three seasons with the Roughriders.