The Saskatchewan Roughriders have had plenty of ups and downs since the turn of the century with the team’s quarterback play factoring heavily into their highs and lows.
Below is a complete season-by-season breakdown since 2000 of how many games each quarterback started, how they performed, and how the team fared in the win column. The passer who started the most games in each season has been identified as the primary starter, though this isn’t always the same as the quarterback who started in Week 1.
Enjoy. If this article garners enough traction, I will write other versions featuring different CFL teams.
2000 — Henry Burris (16 starts)
Team record: 5-12-1
Fourth in West Division, missed playoffs
The future Hall of Fame passer came over from the Calgary Stampeders in free agency to become a full-time starter for the first time in his CFL career at the age of 25. Burris started the first 16 games of the regular season, throwing for 4,647 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 25 interceptions, though the team struggled to a 4-11-1 record.
Marvin Graves, a veteran backup with previous stints in Toronto, Saskatchewan, Hamilton, and Montreal, started the final two games of the regular season and threw for 456 yards, five touchdowns, and one interception, winning one of the two outings.
2001 — Marvin Graves (seven starts)
Team record: 6-12
Fourth in West Division, missed playoffs
Burris departed for the Green Bay Packers during the off-season, making Graves a starter for the first time in his eight-year CFL career. He started the first seven games of the season and threw for 1,534 yards, eight touchdowns, and nine interceptions, going 2-5. He wasn’t retained following the season and never signed another CFL contract.
Kevin Glenn, a little-known rookie at the time, took over the controls in Week 8 and won his first career start against Toronto. He went 1-3 over a four-game stretch before giving way to fellow rookie Keith Smith, who went 1-4 over five starts. Glenn returned for the final two games of the year and won both outings, finishing the season 3-3 as a starter.
2002 — Nealon Greene (14 starts)
Team record: 8-10
Fourth in West Division, lost East Semi-Final
The Riders acquired Nealon Greene in a trade with Edmonton during the off-season and immediately anointed him as their new starting quarterback. The Clemson product headed up a new-look quarterback room that featured himself, Glenn, rookie Rocky Butler, and depth holdover Jonathan Beasley.
Greene went 6-8 over 14 starts, throwing for 2,621 yards, 13 touchdowns, and nine interceptions along with 94 carries for 548 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Glenn went 1-2 as a starter, while Butler won his lone start in a 33-19 upset over Winnipeg in the Labour Day Classic. Greene started Saskatchewan’s lone postseason game, throwing a last-minute interception in a 24-12 loss to the Argos.
2003 — Nealon Greene (16 starts)
Team record: 11-7
Third in West Division, lost West Final
Greene went 10-6 in his second year as Saskatchewan’s starter, throwing for 3,398 yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions and rushing 121 times for 723 yards and five touchdowns. He also started the club’s first postseason win since 1997, throwing for 93 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in a 37-21 win over Winnipeg.
Glenn started in a narrow early-season loss to the Blue Bombers and a late-September win over Toronto. The Riders made headlines when they signed Henry Burris in midsummer following his two-year NFL stint, though he didn’t see any action during the 10 games for which he dressed.
2004 — Henry Burris (16 starts)
Team record: 9-9
Third in West Division, lost West Final
Saskatchewan traded Glenn to Toronto during the off-season, though the Argos shipped him immediately to Winnipeg. Greene remained the Riders’ starter as part of a strong quarterback room, though that quickly changed when he suffered a broken leg in the club’s season-opening loss to Toronto.
Rocky Butler started in a 33-10 loss to Calgary in the second game of the year, which led to Burris taking over the controls for the rest of the season. He went 9-7 at the helm, throwing for 4,267 yards, 23 touchdowns, and 18 interceptions and rushing 82 times for 485 yards and eight touchdowns. He also played well during Saskatchewan’s postseason run, throwing for 574 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions.
2005 — Nealon Greene (10 starts)
Team record: 9-9
Fourth in West Division, lost East Semi-Final
Burris left for Calgary in free agency, which led the Riders to sign seven-year CFL veteran Marcus Crandell following a four-year stint with the Stampeders. Greene started the first nine games of the year, throwing for 1,929 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions as the club went 3-6.
Crandell took over the starting role for the Labour Day Classic and breathed new life into Saskatchewan’s offence, rattling off five consecutive wins. He threw for 2,295 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions and went 5-3 over eight starts before Greene returned for a season-ending win over the Lions. Crandell made the club’s lone postseason start, though Saskatchewan fell to Montreal by a score of 30-14.
2006 — Kerry Joseph (14 starts)
Team record: 9-9
Third in West Division, lost West Final
Saskatchewan selected three-year CFL veteran Kerry Joseph with the first overall pick in the dispersal draft that followed the collapse of the Ottawa Renegades and immediately made him their starter, trading Nealon Greene to the Alouettes the following week. The Riders also signed rookie quarterback Darian Durant, who dressed for eight games in a backup role.
Joseph started all but four games on the year, throwing for 3,489 yards, 22 touchdowns, and 17 interceptions and rushing 91 times for 583 yards and four touchdowns. He also started the club’s two postseason games, which included a win over Henry Burris and the Stampeders in the West Semi-Final. Crandell and Butler both started two regular season games, posting matching 1-1 records.
2007 — Kerry Joseph (17 starts)
Team record: 12-6
Second in West Division, won Grey Cup
Joseph started the first 16 games of the season in Riderville, helping lead the team to an 11-5 record and their first home postseason game since 1988. He was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player after passing for 4,002 yards, 24 touchdowns, and eight interceptions along with 90 carries for 737 yards and 13 touchdowns. He also started all three postseason games en route to the team’s first Grey Cup victory since 1989.
Crandell threw for 982 yards, five touchdowns, and five interceptions on the year and won his lone start in a meaningless late-season 36-29 overtime win over Edmonton. Durant dressed for all 18 regular season games, replacing Butler as the third-stringer after he was traded to Hamilton. Drew Tate also spent the entire season with the team but did not dress for any regular season games.
2008 — Michael Bishop (seven starts)
Team record: 12-6
Second in West Division, lost West Semi-Final
Joseph was traded to Toronto during the off-season as Eric Tillman looked to put his stamp on the team heading into his second year as general manager. The club had already added a young Steven Jyles via trade from Edmonton and later brought in strong-armed veteran Michael Bishop in a deal with the Argos.
Crandell and Durant shared the starting duties early, leading the team to a 6-2 record while fighting through injuries. Crandell was then released and Bishop replaced him as the starter, going 3-4 over a seven-game stretch. Durant, Jyles, and Bishop each started one of the club’s final three regular season games, winning them all. Bishop started in the postseason but struggled as the Riders lost a one-sided game to B.C. He was released shortly after the loss.
2009 — Darian Durant (18 starts)
Team record: 10-7-1
First in West Division, lost Grey Cup
The Riders made Durant the new face of their franchise after a disappointing end to a once-promising 2009 season and the move paid off as the 27-year-old started all 18 games for the club, throwing for 4,348 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 21 interceptions and rushing for 501 yards and three touchdowns.
Durant was named a West Division all-star and was solid in the playoffs, throwing for 405 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions and rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown en route to a heartbreaking Grey Cup loss to Montreal.
2010 — Darian Durant (18 starts)
Team record: 10-8
Second in West Division, lost Grey Cup
Brendan Taman took over as Saskatchewan’s general manager after Eric Tillman resigned after pleading guilty to summary sexual assault. Durant remained as the team’s starter and led the league with a career-best 5,542 passing yards while also throwing for 25 touchdowns and 22 interceptions and rushing for 618 yards and seven touchdowns.
The Riders made it back to the Grey Cup against Montreal, though they lost 21-18 as Durant threw for 215 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. The club’s backups were completely overhauled as Steven Jyles was traded to Winnipeg before the season and Ryan Dinwiddie was signed after spending one year out of the league.
2011 — Darian Durant (15 starts)
Team record: 5-13
Fourth in West Division, missed playoffs
The Riders struggled for the first time under Durant, going 4-11 with their franchise quarterback under centre. Head coach Greg Marshall was fired following a 1-7 start and was replaced by Ken Miller, who had resigned from the role during the previous off-season. Durant threw for 3,653 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions and ran for 381 yards and two touchdowns before eventually succumbing to a foot injury.
Dinwiddie took over the starting role late in the year and went 1-2 in relief of Durant, throwing for 847 yards, three touchdowns, and four interceptions in what would be his final CFL season as a player. Cole Bergquist dressed for all 18 games in his second season as the club’s third-string quarterback, attempting one pass. It was his final year in the CFL.
2012 — Darian Durant (16 starts)
Team record: 8-10
Third in West Division, lost West Semi-Final
Durant helped get the club back on track under new head coach Corey Chamblin, going 8-8 as a starter. He threw for 3,878 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions and ran for 342 yards and one touchdown. He threw for 435 yards, four touchdowns, and two interceptions in the West Semi-Final, though the club still fell to the eventual Grey Cup finalist Stampeders by a score of 36-30.
Saskatchewan’s two backup quarterbacks were former Buffalo standout Drew Willy and nine-year NFL veteran J. T. O’Sullivan, neither of whom had prior CFL experience. Willy went 0-2 as a starter, throwing for 709 yards, five touchdowns, and four interceptions. He also rushed for four touchdowns.
2013 — Darian Durant (16 starts)
Team record: 11-7
Second in West Division, won Grey Cup
Durant went 10-6 as a starter, throwing for 4,154 yards with a career-high 31 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He was also spectacular in the playoffs en route to the club’s blowout Grey Cup victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on home soil, throwing for 795 yards, eight touchdowns, and zero interceptions over three contests.
Willy started two games and won one of them, throwing for 473 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception. This was his final season in Saskatchewan as he was traded to Winnipeg after the campaign wrapped up.
2014 — Darian Durant (10 games)
Team record: 10-8
Third in West Division, lost West Semi-Final
Durant threw for 1,792 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions, leading the Riders to an 8-2 start. He suffered a season-ending elbow injury in the Banjo Bowl against Winnipeg, leaving the club’s fate in the hands of second-year passer Tino Sunseri and rookie Seth Doege.
Sunseri went 1-2 over his first three career starts with the lone win coming over the expansion Ottawa Redblacks. He was replaced by Doege for one game and returned the following week, both of which were losses. The club brought Kerry Joseph out of retirement to start the final three games of the season and he went 1-2 before starting and losing the West Semi-Final against Edmonton.
2015 — Kevin Glenn (eight starts)
Team record: 3-15
Fifth in West Division, missed playoffs
The Riders signed Kevin Glenn in free agency as an insurance policy behind Durant and the move paid immediate dividends as he suffered a torn Achilles in a season-opening loss to Winnipeg. Glenn went 0-4 as Durant’s replacement before suffering a hand injury, giving way to rookie Brett Smith.
Smith lost his first four career starts and general manager Brendan Taman and head coach Corey Chamblin were both fired with the club at 0-9. Saskatchewan won the Labour Day Classic but lost the following week in the Banjo Bowl with Smith still at the helm. Glenn went 1-3 after returning to the lineup, followed by a pair of losses by Smith and a season-ending win by depth passer Keith Price.
2016 — Darian Durant (15 starts)
Team record: 5-13
Fifth in West Division, missed playoffs
Durant returned to the starting role under new head coach and general manager Chris Jones after recovering from the Achilles injury he suffered the previous year. He threw for 3,839 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions over 15 starts, posting a 4-11 record.
Mitchell Gale was acquired in a trade from Toronto following the first week of the regular season and became the club’s backup, going 1-2 as a starter in the games Durant missed. Brandon Bridge was signed midseason after he was cut from Montreal, while other quarterbacks in the mix included Bryant Moniz, Jake Waters, G.J. Kinne, B.J. Coleman, and Vad Lee.
2017 — Kevin Glenn (17 starts)
Team record: 10-8
Fourth in West Division, lost East Final
The Riders traded Darian Durant to Montreal and replaced him with Kevin Glenn, who returned for a third stint in Saskatchewan following stops in Montreal and Winnipeg. At the age of 37, Glenn started all but one game during the regular season, throwing for 4,038 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions with a record of 9-8.
Bridge won his lone start of the season and rotated heavily into the offence at times, throwing for 1,236 yards, 10 touchdowns, and four interceptions. He replaced Glenn following a poor start in the East Final and threw for 141 yards and one touchdown but it wasn’t enough as Toronto won by a score of 25-21.
2018 — Zach Collaros (14 starts)
Team record: 12-6
Second in West Division, lost West Semi-Final
Saskatchewan acquired Zach Collaros via trade from Hamilton early in the new year and released Glenn the following day. Bridge remained as the team’s primary backup along with David Watford, who’d joined the club’s practice roster late in 2017.
Collaros started the first two games of the season before suffering a concussion that kept him out of the lineup for a month. Bridge went 2-2 over four starts before Collaros returned for the club’s 12 remaining games, finishing the year with 2,999 passing yards, nine touchdowns, 13 interceptions, and a 10-4 record as the starter. He suffered another late-season concussion, leading Bridge to start in the club’s West Semi-Final loss to Winnipeg.
2019 — Cody Fajardo (16 starts)
Team record: 13-5
First in West Division, lost West Final
Collaros took a hellacious hit from Simoni Lawrence in the first game of the regular season, knocking him out of the lineup for several months. Bridge wasn’t retained in free agency, so the primary backup role belonged to three-year veteran Cody Fajardo, who had attempted only 68 career passes heading into the season.
Fajardo quickly became the biggest story in the CFL as he went 12-4 as a starter and was named the West Division’s Most Outstanding Player. He threw for 4,306 yards, 18 touchdowns, and eight interceptions and ran for 611 yards and 10 touchdowns. Rookie third-stringer Isaac Harker started and won the team’s meaningless regular season finale before Saskatchewan dropped the West Final against Winnipeg with Fajardo at the helm.
2021 — Cody Fajardo (13 starts)
Team record: 9-5
Second in West Division, lost West Final
Fajardo returned as Saskatchewan’s starter following the COVID-19 pandemic and threw for 2,970 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions along with 78 carries for 468 yards and four touchdowns. He went 9-4 as the team’s starter before Harker again closed out the regular season in a meaningless game, this time losing to B.C.
The Riders won the West Semi-Final with Fajardo at the helm despite him throwing a career-high four interceptions. Saskatchewan lost against Winnipeg in the following week’s West Final, dropping the contest by a score of 21-17.
2022 — Cody Fajardo (15 starts)
Team record: 6-12
Fourth in West Division, missed playoffs
Fajardo led the Riders to a promising 4-2 start to the season, though things quickly derailed from there. He missed one game after he and second-year backup Mason Fine both tested positive for COVID-19, forcing CFL rookie Jake Dolegala into the starting role in a loss against Toronto.
Fajardo started the next nine games but led the team to only two more victories as he fought through an MCL injury that limited his mobility. He finished the year on the bench as Fine led the Riders to back-to-back season-ending losses to Calgary, putting the Riders out of postseason contention.
2023 — Jake Dolegala (nine starts)
Team record: 6-12
Fourth in West Division, missed playoffs
Trevor Harris was Saskatchewan’s day-one starter after signing a big-money deal in free agency to lead the Green and White. He suffered a season-ending leg injury against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 6, giving way to third-year backup Mason Fine.
The Riders went 1-3 with Fine at the helm before turning the reigns over to Dolegala for the final nine games of the year. The six-foot-seven, 242-pound passer threw for 2,641 yards, 11 touchdowns, and nine interceptions on the year and carried the ball 26 times for 95 yards and one touchdown, going 2-7 as a starter.
