The “next man up” is expected to be the next man open.
Tommy Nield welcomes the challenge.
Nield is expected to start for the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday against the host Montreal Alouettes in place of two-time 1,000-yard receiver Samuel Emilus.
Emilus caught six passes for 113 yards in a 21-18 home-field victory over the Edmonton Elks — a game in which he suffered a knee injury in the fourth quarter.
“You never want to see that, but it’s the ‘next man up’ mentality,” Nield said on Wednesday after the 6-1 Roughriders practised at Mosaic Stadium.
“That’s just a matter of staying ready for when your number is called and making sure that even during the times when you’re not in, you’re getting your mental reps so that when the time does come, you’re ready for it.”
Nield didn’t waste much time becoming a champion after making his professional football debut in 2022.
He was part of a Grey Cup-winning Toronto team as a rookie and helped the Argonauts win once again in 2024.
The 6-foot-3, 203-pounder caught 63 passes for 776 yards and two touchdowns over 43 regular-season games with Toronto before signing with Saskatchewan on Feb. 4.
Statistically, his most productive season was 2023, when he caught 32 passes for 384 yards — including 212 after the catch — in nine games.
“He’s a big target and a smart player,” said Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace, who was the Argonauts’ Defensive Co-ordinator during Nield’s first two CFL seasons.
“He definitely knows how to fit in the zones and he can block around the box — and he can go up and make some plays. He has had a good career to this point. We’re excited that we were able to go get him.”
Nield missed the Roughriders’ first six regular-season games with an ankle injury before being activated for last week’s matchup with Edmonton.
“Getting to play in a full game, that’s what you always want and what you practise and train for in the off-season,” the former McMaster University Marauders standout said.
“Any opportunity to get on the field and showcase the work you put in is exciting, for sure.”
The excitement was palpable during the winter when Nield discussed his decision to sign with Saskatchewan. Nothing has changed since then.
“It has surpassed the expectations, for sure,” he said. “A big thing was family and you can really feel that. It doesn’t matter who’s out there. We all play together.
“It does feel like a family. I enjoy coming to work with these guys every day. I’m having a great time playing football here.”
HARRIS HONOURED
Trevor Harris is the CFL’s offensive player of the month, as determined by Pro Football Focus.
The Roughriders’ quarterback had the highest PFF player grade (92.7) of any offensive player in July.
Over three games, he completed 84 of 107 passes — a 78.5-per-cent accuracy rate — for 1,088 yards, with six touchdowns.
He has been PFF’s top-rated quarterback in each of the past two weeks.
In six starts this season, Harris has thrown for 1,894 yards and 11 touchdowns while completing a league-best 75.9 per cent of his passes. He also leads the CFL in quarterback efficiency rating (118.3).
Harris needs just 84 completions to reach a career total of 2,975 and tie Doug Flutie for 10th in CFL history.
