Saskatchewan Roughriders’ quarterback Trevor Harris is planning to start field work in two weeks as he continues to recover from a tibial plateau fracture he sustained in mid-July.
“I’m doing really well. We’re ahead of where we thought we would be at this point,” Harris told the media in Regina. “(I’m) elated with where I’m at. There’s still a ways to go but you can see I’m kind of over the hump of the tough part of this rehab, so exciting things are ahead for sure.”
Though he initially tried to figure out a potential timeline for his return to the lineup, Harris has since decided to focus on taking his rehabilitation one day at a time. He will meet with his surgeon this weekend and again the following week, at which point he expects to have a more concrete idea of when he could potentially suit up for the team again.
Head coach Craig Dickenson indicated that the club has yet to determine when or if Harris will return to the field this season as they continue to monitor his recovery.
Harris is currently capable of jogging over fives miles per hour on the underwater treadmill and has started jogging on land. He also indicated that he’s working out with weighted sleds and doing single-leg squats.
The 37-year-old was injured during the team’s 33-31 loss to the Calgary Stampeders on July 15. The injury took place when he ran on second down was tackled by Darius Williams as a lunging Derek Wiggan rolled onto his leg from behind. He remained down for a significant amount of time before being carted to the locker room, marking the first time he’s ever been unable to leave the field under his own power.
Harris was told by his surgeon that he was lucky not have also suffered a torn ACL, which often accompanies a tibial fracture.
“I woke up at five in the morning (the day after the injury) and I had well north of 125-150 text messages with everybody saying these things and I started crying. It wasn’t because of the pain or anything it was just more or less what had been taken away from me and that I couldn’t be there with the guys. This is the first time I’ve had an injury that I couldn’t plow through,” said Harris.
“This is a major injury. You can’t just heal a broken bone within a day or two and plow through it and push through it and go harder through it. I’ve had to learn a couple lessons through this process of rehab that you have to be smart and listen to your body.”
Saskatchewan signed Harris to a two-year contract this past off-season worth over $1 million in free agency. He has completed 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,271 yards, six touchdowns, and four interceptions this season, posting a 3-2 record as a starter.
The six-foot-three, 212-pound passer started his CFL career in 2012 as a member of the Toronto Argonauts and has since played for the Ottawa Redblacks, Edmonton Elks, Montreal Alouettes, and Riders, throwing for 29,881 yards, 160 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions over 166 games. He has also rushed for 1,073 yards and nine touchdowns along the ground.
Saskatchewan has gone 3-4 with Harris out of the lineup. Mason Fine, who initially took over from Harris as the starting quarterback, went 1-3 under centre before suffering a hamstring injury. Jake Dolegala has since started the last three games, winning two.
The Riders (6-6) are scheduled to host the Edmonton Elks (3-10) on Friday, Sept. 15 with kickoff slated for 9:30 p.m. EDT.
