The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offence was hit and miss during the 2016 CFL season.
Some of its better players absorbed hits that caused them to miss significant amounts of time.
With starters like Chris Best, Darian Durant, Brendon LaBatte, Naaman Roosevelt and Curtis Steele sidelined for all or part of the regular season, Saskatchewan’s offence had a pedestrian 2016.
The Roughriders managed a league-low 16 passing touchdowns, finished eighth in the nine-team league with 11 rushing TDs, and were eighth in the loop with an average of 327.4 yards of net offence per game.
Improvement on the offensive side of the ball is vital for the Roughriders if they’re to build on last season’s 5-13-0 record.
Here’s a look at the personnel who will be tasked with that chore as Saskatchewan prepares to open training camp in Saskatoon on Sunday.
Quarterbacks
Veteran Kevin Glenn, who turns 38 on June 12, goes into camp as the presumed starter. He would replace Durant, who was traded to the Montreal Alouettes in the off-season.
Glenn enters his 17th CFL season ranked seventh on the CFL’s all-time list with 48,782 passing yards and eighth in league history with 270 touchdown passes.
The veteran pivot started nine games last season (split between the Als and Winnipeg Blue Bombers) and went 3-6-0. He completed 70.4 per cent of his pass attempts (third-best among the league’s starters) for 2,563 yards, with 13 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.
Brandon Bridge is the only other quarterback on the Roughriders’ roster who has started a CFL game in his career — and he has started all of one. That was in 2015 with Montreal.
The other two pivots currently on the roster are CFL rookies: Former NFL starter Vince Young, who is trying to resurrect his football career, and Bryan Bennett.
Bennett was on Winnipeg’s practice roster last season, so he has some experience in the league. He also looked sharp at the Roughriders’ mini-camp in Florida in April.
Young spent that camp adjusting to the CFL game and its wrinkles. The work the 34-year-old put in over the past five weeks will determine where he lands on the depth chart in Saskatoon.
The Roughriders also are reportedly set to add Maty Mauk, who’s straight out of college.
Running backs
Steele was expected to carry the load at tailback when Saskatchewan signed him as a free agent prior to the 2016 season.
He played just seven regular-season games, rushing 54 times for 314 yards without a touchdown run. His yardage ended up leading Saskatchewan’s running attack, which averaged 74.2 yards per contest for the season.
The man who ultimately replaced Steele, Joe McKnight, likely would have retained the job in 2017. But McKnight was shot and killed in a suspected road-rage incident in the off-season.
The starting tailback job therefore is up for grabs, with former Bombers back Cameron Marshall and ex-NFLer Daniel Thomas likely to be the frontrunners. Marshall may have the edge, having played 19 games with Winnipeg in 2014 and ’15.
Canadians Kienan LaFrance and Greg Morris also are in the mix at the tailback position. So is international Quincy Walden, who performed well at the Roughriders’ mini-camp in Florida.
Veteran Spencer Moore and newcomer Aaron Milton are the candidates at fullback.
Receivers
Roosevelt was among the top three in the CFL in receptions and receiving yards through the Roughriders’ first 10 games last season before suffering a knee injury in their 11th contest.
He didn’t play again, but still finished ninth in the league with 1,095 receiving yards.
In Roosevelt’s absence, players like Ricky Collins Jr., and Caleb Holley stepped up. But Saskatchewan still finished seventh in the CFL with an average of 278.7 passing yards per game last season.
In the off-season, the Roughriders added some proven CFL receivers by signing the likes of Duron Carter, Bakari Grant and Chad Owens (although his role could be more return man than receiver).
The corps of internationals also includes Joe Craig, Armanti Edwards, Antwane Grant, Thomas Mayo, Desmond Reece and Jenson Stoshak. The Canadian crew features veterans Rob Bagg, Nic Demski and Josh Stanford, off-season signing Mitchell Baines, and 2017 draft pick Mitchell Picton.
Head coach-GM Chris Jones has said he’ll be watching the battle at receiver during camp because of the depth of the talent at the position.
Offensive linemen
The injuries to Best (hernia) and LaBatte (neck) severely affected the Roughriders’ offence last season in more ways than one.
Saskatchewan not only lost its top two guards but also opted to use an American to fill one of those spots. That prompted the coaching staff to alter the national-international ratio in other areas — and the Canadian depth was lacking in some of those spots.
The Roughriders used 10 O-linemen in 11 different combinations last season. The unit surrendered 57 sacks, second-most in the league.
Best retired in the off-season, but LaBatte is said to be healthy and ready for camp. If he can stay healthy through the season, that will help matters immeasurably.
Centre Dan Clark returns, as do two of the Canadian players — Josiah St. John and Matt Vonk — who filled in at guard last season. Dillon Guy (who missed the 2016 season with a knee injury) and Ryan White (who was signed as a free agent in February) are among the other Canadians in camp.
The Roughriders selected four O-linemen in the 2017 CFL draft. The coaches thought Dariusz Bladek was the most pro-ready lineman in the draft, Eddie Meredith is trying to come back after taking a year off football, Marc Glaude missed most of last season due to an ankle injury, and Danny Sprukulis is expected to remain in school this season.
The left tackle spot likely will belong to free-agent signing Derek Dennis, who was named the CFL’s most outstanding offensive lineman last season. Saskatchewan’s nominee for that award, Thaddeus Coleman, re-signed and can be pencilled in at right tackle.
Internationals Kennedy Estelle (10 starts last season), Jarriel King (six starts) and Terrence Campbell (a late-season signing in 2016) could push for starting jobs in camp, especially if the coaches decide to scrap their plan of playing nationals at centre and the two guard spots.
