The Saskatchewan Roughriders will field four new starters when they host the Ottawa Redblacks for their season-opener on Thursday.
Payton Collins, a 24-year-old rookie out of Eastern Kentucky, will start at left tackle as Trevon Tate has been moved to left guard. Collins is six-foot-seven and 301 pounds and allowed only seven sacks on 2,209 collegiate pass-blocking snaps.
The Roughriders have two new starters along the defensive line, though neither are new to the CFL. Mike Rose, who was brought in following his release from the Calgary Stampeders, will start at defensive tackle, while Shane Ray will start at defensive end following a stint in the NFL. Ray won a Grey Cup with head coach Corey Mace with the Argonauts in 2022.
Saskatchewan will have start Tevaughn Campbell at field-side cornerback. The 31-year-old native of Scarborough, Ont. joined the team as a free agent in February after a six-year NFL stint with the New York Jets, Los Angeles Chargers, Las Vegas Raiders, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Campbell played collegiately at the University of Regina.
The rest of the team’s starting lineup is comprised of holdovers from last season, including franchise quarterback Trevor Harris, running back A.J. Ouellette, star Canadian receivers Kian Schaffer-Baker and Samuel Emilus, defensive tackle Micah Johnson, middle linebacker Jameer Thurman, and boundary halfback Rolan Milligan Jr., the league’s reigning Most Outstanding Defensive Player.
The Roughriders went 9-8-1 last season to finish second in the West Division, including a 5-4 record at home. The team tied its first meeting with Ottawa before winning the subsequent matchup at Mosaic Stadium by a score of 29-16.
Saskatchewan placed eight players on the one-game injured list, including quarterback Jack Coan, fullback Albert Awachie, receivers Shawn Bane Jr. and Tommy Nield, offensive linemen Jacob Brammer and Braydon Noll, and defensive backs Jaxon Ford and Kosi Onyeka. Mace had previously indicated that he expected Brammer to start this week, though he will not.
Three Canadian players have officially been placed on the six-game injured list, including offensive linemen Sean McEwen and Philippe Gagnon and defensive lineman Charbel Dabire.
Thursday’s game is scheduled to kick-off at 9:00 p.m. EDT.
