They say absence makes the heart grow fonder.
That must be true because the Saskatchewan Roughriders have re-signed Josiah St. John, their first overall selection in the 2016 CFL Draft, ensuring he’ll have a chance to redeem himself in Green and White two years after the Riders first let him walk in free agency.
St. John was originally signed by the Riders before the cancelled 2020 season but his one year contract was set to expire. The Toronto-born offensive lineman has struggled since being taken ahead of all the rest in 2016.
A project out of the University of Oklahoma who had only four college starts under his belt, St. John played 22 games in three seasons in Regina but only made eight starts in that span, including just two after his rookie season.
Since leaving the Riders in free agency, St. John spent parts of the 2019 season with the Toronto Argonauts, B.C. Lions and Edmonton Football Team, where he dressed as a backup for the East Final.
St. John will be back where it all began in 2021 and should provide depth to a Riders team that is in desperate need of an offensive line infusion following the losses of players like Dakoda Shepley, Dariuz Bladek and Philip Blake.
Also re-signed by the Riders were Global offensive lineman Rene Brassea and American receiver Carlos Henderson.
A native of Mexico, Brassea dressed for 17 games in 2019 after being selected by the team sixth overall in the first ever LFA-CFL Draft.
Henderson has re-upped with a two year contract through 2022 after only playing in one game in 2019 due to injury, catching one pass for 15 yards and returning one kick for 27. The former third-round pick of the Denver Broncos in 2017 rejoins a Riders receiving corps loaded with playmakers and celebrating the recent extension for star quarterback Cody Fajardo.
