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Riders Add Two To Roster

The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced the following roster moves:

SIGNED:

  • American wide receiver Demarcus Ayers
  • American defensive lineman Pete Robertson

 

Ayres (5’10 – 190lbs) comes to the Roughriders after three seasons in the NFL with the Bears, the Patriots and the Steelers. Ayres was selected in the seventh round of the 2016 NFL Draft by the Steelers and went on to play four games with the Club – two in the regular season and two in the post-season. Ayers caught his first professional touchdown on Jan. 1, 2017 helping lift the team over the Cleveland Browns 27-24. He ended that season with 80 yards receiving on nine receptions and one touchdown. He’s played in 12 NFL preseason games and spent a portion of 2019 with the AAF’s San Antonio Commanders. 

The now 25-year-old was a decorated college athlete at the University of Houston where he played three seasons at wide receiver and was also utilized as a kick returner. In his junior year, the Texas native was named to Phil Steele’s AAC First Team as both a punt returner and wide receiver, the American Athletic Conference’s First Team as a wide receiver and return specialist and was on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List for his 1,222 yard, six touchdown season as a receiver as well as for his efforts as punt returner where he returned 28 punts for 290 yards and a touchdown. The versatile Ayers also threw a 20-yard touchdown that season. As a freshman in 2013, he was named the American Athletic Conference’s Special Teams Player of the Year after leading the conference with an average 27.6 yards per kick return for a total of 1,021 yards and a touchdown – a university freshman record – and had five games with at least 100 kick return yards.

 

Robertson (6’2 – 243lbs) joins the Roughriders after spending time with the Arizona Cardinals, Washington Redskins and Seattle Seahawks over the last three seasons playing in 16 preseason games – where he made 4.5 sacks – and six regular season games, making four career tackles.

Collegiately, Robertson spent five seasons at Texas Tech where he played in 40 games, made 227 tackles, 22 sacks, 39.5 tackles for a loss, two interceptions, one touchdown, eight pass knockdowns, seven forced fumbles and four fumble recoveries. As a senior, he led the team in tackles for a loss (13.5 tackles for 40 yards), sacks (five) and quarterback hurries (three). Robertson arguably had his best season as a junior where he was named All-Big 12 second team and AP All-Big 12 first team. He started in all 12 games that year making 81 tackles, 13 sacks, 15.5 tackles for a loss, seven quarterback hurries, three forced fumbles, three pass breakups and a fumble recovery. By the end of the 2014 season he led the team in tackles, sacks, tackles for loss, quarterback hurries and forced fumbles, leaving him sixth in the country in sacks and first in the Big 12 Conference. Additionally, Robertson became the first Red Raider in the Big 12 era with a sack in six consecutive games.