Mathew Sexton has an equal number of receptions and practices (five) as a Saskatchewan Roughrider.
Just under a week after signing with the Green and White, the 28-year-old receiver suited up for Monday’s CFL pre-season opener against the host Calgary Stampeders. He caught a game-high five passes for a team-best 78 yards, adding a 53-yard missed field goal return.
An intriguing player, he left us wanting to see more.
On Saturday, Sexton will return to action when the Roughriders oppose the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5 p.m., Griffiths Stadium) in the first Saskatoon-based CFL pre-season game since 1991. (Standing-room tickets are AVAILABLE HERE.)
During practice sessions at Griffiths Stadium, you could see Sexton’s speed — which has been clocked at 4.44 seconds over 40 yards — and elusiveness.
On Saturday, we also witnessed his ability to find seams in a defence. Despite being only 5-foot-10 and 176 pounds, he proved to be an inviting target. Nine passes were thrown in his direction.
“I definitely have to build on everything as a whole,” Sexton told CKRM’s Luc Mullinder after Calgary’s 20-15 victory. “I’ve got to get my nose in the playbook a little bit more. I have some mistakes that I know of. Being a pro for as long as I have, you already kind of know when you make a mistake.
“That was nowhere near a perfect game by any means, so I’ll go back to the drawing board and figure everything out.”
Scrambling for a parallel, the mind rewinds to May 25, 2024.
A mere four days after signing with Saskatchewan, Joe Robustelli made his pro football debut. His first reception produced a 39-yard gain in an Alberta-based pre-season game — against the Edmonton Elks, in this case.
You could see the speed. You could see the potential. He was, from the outset, someone to watch.
Given more time to hone his craft, Robustelli enjoyed a breakout season in 2025 for the eventual Grey Cup champions. He boasted the Roughriders’ single-game highs in catches (11) and receiving yards (191) last season.
Robustelli joined Edmonton as a free agent in February. On top of that, Dohnte Meyers signed with the Cincinnati Bengals after a 65-yard, 1,056-yard season with Saskatchewan.
With Robustelli and Meyers residing elsewhere, there is an opening for an American-born receiver. The list of qualified candidates is lengthy.
Like Sexton, Juwann Winfree took a step forward when the live action began. Released by Saskatchewan on May 13, he re-signed the following day and went on to catch four passes for 35 yards in Calgary.
Abdul Janneh Jr., at his second Coors Light Training Camp, caught three passes for 44 yards on Monday. On one of those receptions — a 16-yard gain — he held on to the ball after absorbing a hit that sent him somersaulting.
You have to wonder, in a different context, whether Sexton, Winfree and Janneh Jr. have turned the receivers’ battle upside down.
Without an abundance of fanfare — or even practices, in the example of Sexton — they travelled to Calgary and made emphatic statements.
Sexton is the rare player who attends rookie camp with one team and main camp with another in the same season. Saskatchewan snapped him up after he attended rookie workouts with the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
Before heading northward, Sexton spent time in the NFL (with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, New England Patriots and Miami Dolphins) and XFL (Vegas Vipers, San Antonio Brahmas).
Before all that, he played for the Aviators during the COVID-shortened 2020 Spring League season.
Six years later, he is a sudden springtime standout with the Roughriders, having recently been introduced to inside receivers’ luxury of a running start before the ball is snapped.
“I like the waggle, because it gives us a little bit of speed — especially for a slot guy and a fast guy like myself,” Sexton said after being named CKRM’s offensive star of the game. “I’m able to get that headstart and it gives you a little advantage.
“I love that it’s a passing league. I mean, we’re throwing the ball, and I absolutely love that.”
Most impressively, Sexton and quarterback Brayden Schager collaborated for a 24-yard advance in a first-and-20 situation.
Schager also turned heads, continuing the progression that has been evident throughout camp.
After entering Monday’s game with two minutes left in the third quarter, the former University of Hawaii standout completed 10 of 18 passes for 139 yards. He also rushed five times for a game-high 41 yards.
Twenty of those yards produced Saskatchewan’s lone touchdown.
Just like that, Schager moved into a tie with … wait for it … Ron Lancaster!
The Little General rushed for one touchdown over 15 pre-seasons as a Roughrider. Schager matched that total in his first CFL game of any description!
For the record, Nealon Greene leads all Roughriders quarterbacks in pre-season rushing touchdowns (three).
Kent Austin, Tom Burgess, Cody Fajardo and Steven Jyles are next in line with two.
With one rushing TD, Schager is now in a 14-way tie with Lancaster, Joe (747) Adams, Jeff Bentrim, Bob Brodhead, Rocky Butler, Jake Dolegala, Warren Jones, Kevin Mason, Shea Patterson, Bob Pearce, Brett Smith, Harold Smith and Drew Tate.
Schager ascends much higher when the quarterbacks’ TD runs are sorted by distance. His 20-yarder is the second-longest by a Riders pivot in the pre-season, surpassed only by Jones’ 27-yard scoring sprint in Edmonton on June 2, 1992.
And there’s this: Schager’s 20-yard burst is the longest TD run in the pre-season by a Roughrider, regardless of position, since the spectacular Kenton Keith erupted for a 65-yarder — again at Commonwealth Stadium — on June 9, 2006.
A la Sexton, Schager leaves us looking forward to a sequel.
The wait will not be a lengthy one. Only two full practices will precede the next opportunity to see them play.
