The Saskatchewan Roughriders take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in CFL action on July 8th, 2017 at New Mosaic Stadium in Regina, SK.. Liam Richards/Electric Umbrella
Eddie Steele has been watching with great interest as the Saskatchewan Roughriders made personnel moves this off-season.
On Wednesday, he was involved in the latest transaction announced by the CFL team.
Saskatchewan revealed that it had signed the national defensive lineman to a one-year contract, roughly four weeks after he became a free agent. The 29-year-old Winnipeg product hit the open market Feb. 13 after spending the 2017 season with the Roughriders.
“To be honest, I didn’t have a set time frame in mind (to sign) because there’s obviously so much to work through with free agency,” said Steele, who’s heading into his ninth CFL season.
“I know the process. I’ve been around long enough so I know to be patient, do my due diligence throughout the process and not jump at anything. I wasn’t in a rush at all to get anything done.”
In fact, Steele’s experience last year told him not to worry this spring.
In 2017, the 6-foot-2, 280-pounder was released by the Edmonton Eskimos on Feb. 27, just hours before he was due to receive a roster bonus. He was cut roughly two weeks after free agency began, but he still got an offer from Saskatchewan. He signed with the Roughriders on March 7.
Steele had 23 tackles and one sack in 18 regular-season games last season and added one tackle through two post-season contests. He has recorded 129 tackles, three special-teams stops, 14 sacks, one interception and one forced fumble in 108 career regular-season games.
“I’m not going to say (his 2017 season) was extraordinary, but the fact is that I graded out generally the best at my position game in and game out,” Steele said. “I played every single game, which is a good accomplishment, and I’ve done that the past two seasons.
“My production was definitely up from the year before (when he had 14 tackles for Edmonton), so I’m happy about that.”
Steele was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the third round (22nd overall) of the 2010 CFL draft out of the University of Manitoba. After one season on the Tiger-Cats’ practice roster, he played two seasons with them.
Steele signed as a free agent with Edmonton in 2013 and subsequently spent four seasons there — including two when Chris Jones was the Eskimos’ head coach. Steele won a Grey Cup title with the Eskimos in 2015.
He joined the Roughriders last season in part because he wanted to play again for Jones, who became Saskatchewan’s head coach after the 2015 season. The two men will work together again in 2018.
“It’s a good feeling to have that continuity,” Steele said. “This will be my fourth year with Jones out of nine years playing, so there’s a relationship and a mutual respect there.
“I’m excited. The moves he has made this off-season have all been things that I approve of. I’m looking forward to it.”
So far this off-season, the Roughriders have traded for players like quarterback Zach Collaros and defensive end Charleston Hughes, signed free agents such as defensive tackle Zack Evans, linebacker Sam Hurl and tailback Jerome Messam, and re-signed stalwarts like receiver Duron Carter and defensive end Willie Jefferson before they became free agents.
The Roughriders had three Canadian defensive linemen last season in Steele, Makana Henry and Ese Mrabure. Steele and Henry are back, Evans replaces Mrabure (who signed with the Calgary Stampeders) and Cory Robinson has been added to bolster the Canadian depth on the D-line.
The high-profile additions of Evans and Hughes certainly met with Steele’s approval.
“Zack is a great player,” Steele said. “I have a lot of respect for him. He’s good at what he does in the trenches, so I’m looking forward to playing with him.
“Charleston’s resumé speaks for itself. I’ve been watching him get after quarterbacks and force quarterbacks to step up (in the pocket) for years, so I’m looking forward to being a part of that and getting to thrive off of that.”
Last season, Steele took on a leadership role with the Roughriders as one of the defensive line’s elder statesmen. Hughes will help in that area, but Steele is more than happy to remain a mentor for the unit’s younger players.
“I’ve witnessed a lot of good people do it throughout the years,” he said. “Being a leader isn’t something I seek out; I just try to do it by example by going about my business. I just show up every day, work hard and do what I’ve got to do.
“It’s a testament to the leaders and role models that I’ve had in my life.”
Steele spent the off-season working with the Red Cross, delivering its anti-bullying message to schools across Saskatchewan — and he did so even though he wasn’t officially a Roughrider after Feb. 13.
“It’s kind of funny how that worked out,” he said. “The ultimate point was to get the message out to the kids.
“People were able to look past the fact that I was a free agent, let me be a part of this and spread the good word about anti-bullying.”
