SASKATOON — The Saskatchewan Roughriders are going to give Tre Mason a try.
The CFL’s Roughriders announced Wednesday that they had signed Mason, who was selected by the St. Louis Rams in the third round (75th overall) of the 2014 NFL draft.
The 24-year-old product of Lake Worth, Fla., spent two seasons in the NFL, but he hasn’t played since 2015. He didn’t attend the Rams’ training camp in 2016, was put on the reserve/did not report list in July of that year and then was released in March of 2017.
On Wednesday, he began the process of resurrecting his career in a different league and a different country.
“I never really wanted to leave the game,” Mason said after a training-camp workout at Griffiths Stadium on the University of Saskatchewan campus. “I’m just excited to have this opportunity to play here and make things happen.”
The 5-foot-8, 207-pounder did just that at Auburn University, where he rushed 516 times for 2,979 yards and 32 touchdowns and returned 42 kickoffs for 1,107 yards and two TDs in 38 games. His 1,816 yards rushing in 2013 broke the school record of 1,786 set in 1985 by Bo Jackson.
Mason’s quarterback at Auburn was Nick Marshall, who’s now trying to crack the Roughriders’ roster as a cornerback. Mason said Marshall’s presence was “absolutely” going to make the running back’s transition smoother.
“We play together, we grind together,” Mason said. “It’s like it never left off.”
Mason played 25 games in the NFL with the Rams, rushing 254 times for 972 yards and five TDs. He didn’t find employment after his release, which followed some off-field incidents.
On Wednesday, Mason noted he had been working out since his release in hopes of getting another opportunity. He has found it in Saskatchewan, where he joins veteran Marcus Thigpen and CFL rookie Zac Stacy as the Roughriders’ international running backs.
Those two, along with veteran national Jerome Messam, are ahead of Mason when it comes to having a handle on the Roughriders’ offence, but the newcomer believes he can get up to speed quickly.
“That’s what I like to do,” he said. “When they give me a playbook, my mind is always into the playbook, trying to figure out the plays as fast as possible and make it second nature.”
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The list of injured Roughriders grew Wednesday.
Linebacker Cameron Judge, offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek, receiver Devon Bailey and defensive lineman Makana Henry weren’t on the field for practice due to undisclosed injuries. Defensive back Chris Lyles started the workout, but didn’t finish it.
Those players joined the likes of linebackers Brandyn Bartlett, Kevin Francis and Micah Teitz and receiver/defensive back Denzel Radford in the training room.
Offensive lineman Josiah St. John was on the field for the first time since camp opened, but he wasn’t wearing shoulder pads and didn’t participate in any of the team drills.
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Bladek’s absence prompted the coaches to use converted defensive lineman Dalton Houghton at centre and defensive tackle Eddie Steele at guard on the second-team offensive line.
Head coach-GM Chris Jones noted that defensive tackle Zack Evans also could see time on the offensive line this season as the Roughriders look to get the most out of a small roster.
That explains why camp observers have seen receiver Duron Carter playing more at cornerback, punt returner Christion Jones lining up at receiver and corner, and the aforementioned Marshall taking snaps at quarterback.
Injuries can pare down a roster during games, so Chris Jones wants to be ready for any scenario.
“If you’re not prepared for that as a team, then all of a sudden who are you putting out there?” he said. “You’ve got to put somebody (in). They’re not going to stop the game.
“We’ve got to make sure that we practise guys in different positions.”
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One of the players who has been moved around is back in his comfort zone.
Mathieu Breton, whom Saskatchewan selected in the fifth round (36th overall) of the 2018 draft, was a defensive lineman with the Bishop’s University Gaiters.
The Roughriders moved the 6-foot-7, 275-pounder to offensive line to start camp and kept him there for the first week. Now Breton is back at defensive tackle — and he’s enjoying his new/old surroundings.
“I feel so much better,” the 24-year-old product of Roxboro, Que., said. “But it’s still a little rough because the last time I played against people, it was in U Sports. This is so much faster and all of the guys are bigger.
“I knew it was going to be harder, but it took some adjusting — and I’m still adjusting.”
Breton had never played offensive line before, so he admitted he was “in shock a bit” when the Roughriders told him they were moving him across the line of scrimmage.
“I really tried to learn the position, but I feel that, for training camp, it’s really a lot to learn and it was really stressing me out,” Breton said. “I think it’s more of a long-term thing, like slowly but surely.”
Breton has one more season of U Sports eligibility remaining and he’s two classes short of a sociology degree. He’d like to stay with the Roughriders for the season instead of returning to Bishop’s, but isn’t sure what the CFL team’s braintrust has in store for him.
In the meantime, he’ll keep trying to figure things out — wherever he lines up.
“I had to focus for a week on learning the O-line playbook and then, when I moved to the D line, I had to learn everything that those guys have been learning for a week,” Breton said. “I’m starting to get the hang of it now.”
