SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Roughriders fans eager to see the CFL team’s backup quarterbacks perform will get their chance Saturday at Mosaic Stadium.
But that group won’t include Vince Young.
Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones confirmed Wednesday that Young won’t play against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the pre-season opener for both teams. The leg injury Young sustained during Tuesday’s practice will force him to miss the game.
“In that moment when the stadium opened, we wanted to try to get all three quarterbacks in to see who could handle the moment …,” Jones said, referring to Young, Bryan Bennett and Brandon Bridge. “Unfortunately for Vince, he’s not going to get that opportunity. We’re going with the other two and the big stage is there for them.”
Jones said he would announce the quarterbacking rotation for Saturday’s game on Friday.
Starter Kevin Glenn likely won’t play much (if at all) since the Roughriders already know what he can do. Young, Bennett and Bridge have been battling for the No. 2 job, with newcomer Marquise Williams also getting a few repetitions during training camp at Griffiths Stadium.
Young’s injury means more playing time for Bennett, Bridge and Williams — and it also could put Young’s attempted comeback in jeopardy.
“It’s tough to get evaluated if you’re not out there playing,” Jones said. “Vince is up against it. He’s been around football before and he knows exactly what he’s got to do to get back healthy and get back out and start competing.”
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The list of non-participants in Wednesday’s practice was a lengthy one.
Defensive linemen Ivan Brown, A.C. Leonard and Ese Mrabure, defensive backs Zavian Bingham and Kacy Rodgers, linebackers Sam Eguavoen and Kevin Francis, tailback Kienan LaFrance, punter Josh Bartel, punter-kicker Quinn Van Gylswyk, long-snapper Jorgen Hus and receiver-returner Chad Owens didn’t take the field for practice.
Receivers Ricky Collins Jr. and Caleb Holley, defensive lineman Jordan Reaves and linebacker Glenn Love started practice but didn’t finish it. The status of those players wasn’t immediately known.
Guard Brendon LaBatte was on the field, but took a limited role in the activities.
Jones said most of the injuries currently plaguing the Roughriders are just “camp stuff.”
“Last year, our first game, we had 10 guys on the six-game (injured list),” he said. “There were some serious, significant injuries that were going to keep people out for extended periods of time. What we have right now are soft-tissue injuries and things of that nature.”
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The Roughriders’ roster was in a state of flux Wednesday.
Saskatchewan traded fourth-year guard Matt Vonk to the Montreal Alouettes for safety Denzel Radford and the rights to a player on Montreal’s negotiation list.
The 6-foot-1, 198-pound Radford played receiver and defensive back with the University of Calgary Dinos. The 23-year-old was selected by the Als in the sixth round (48th overall) of the 2017 CFL draft.
Jones said Radford was rated highly as a special-teams player by Roughriders special-teams co-ordinator Craig Dickenson before the draft.
Vonk, who played 11 games (with six starts) last season, was deemed expendable because of numbers.
“Matt has played well for us, but we do have young depth there at that position and it allowed us to make that trade,” Jones said. “We’ve got a lot of guys who don’t have the opportunity to go back to school and they’ve played even (with Vonk in camp).”
In addition to the trade, the Roughriders announced the signings of two defensive backs — Crezdon Butler (a product of Clemson University who spent seven seasons in the NFL) and Chris Lyles (formerly of Mississippi College).
Saskatchewan also announced that it had released defensive back Reggis Ball and defensive tackle Ja’Boree Poole, and that offensive lineman Marc Glaude had retired. Glaude was selected by the Roughriders in the eighth round (64th overall) of the 2017 CFL draft.
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Joe Craig did the ol’ switcheroo — twice — during Wednesday’s practice.
Craig, who had been moved from receiver to cornerback earlier in camp, started Wednesday’s session with the defence. Then, early in the practice, he moved back to receiver. Finally, as the workout wound down, he returned to the secondary.
“At a certain point in time, you kind of get bored of playing the same thing over and over, so it’s kind of exciting to come in and not know where you’re going to be,” Craig said with a grin. “You might start off the day at corner and halfway through the practice, they might call me over to receiver like they did today. I love it.”
Craig played safety in high school, but spent most of his time at college as a receiver. He was a receiver-returner with the Roughriders last season and started this training camp on the offensive side of the ball, but he turned up last Thursday in a green jersey (signifying defence).
“As long as I’m still part of the team, I’m fine with it,” Craig said. “Returning is my main focus, so anything I can work on to get better to try to help the team out, that’s what I’m willing to do.”
