Saskatchewan Roughriders sign two National players

Photo: Michael Scraper/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed National defensive back Jonathan Edouard and Canadian long snapper Mike Benson, the club announced on Wednesday morning.

Edouard played 41 regular-season games over four years with the Toronto Argonauts but was cut early last month. He dressed for 17 regular-season games with the team in 2025, recording one defensive tackle and 11 special teams tackles. He made one start at field-side cornerback.

The 30-year-old was born in Orlando, Fla. but qualified for National status after playing collegiately at Carleton University. He went unselected in the 2022 CFL Draft but signed with the Argonauts later that year.

The five-foot-eleven, 185-pound defender recorded 13 defensive tackles, 23 special teams tackles, one sack, and one interception with the Argonauts. He helped the team win the Grey Cup in 2022 and 2024.

Benson has played 158 career regular-season CFL games with the Edmonton Football Team, B.C. Lions, Ottawa Redblacks, and Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The 39-year-old was released by the Blue Bombers last August when the team elected to give the long snapping job to Ian Leroux on a full-time basis.

The Winnipeg native has recorded 23 career special teams tackles and won one Grey Cup, which came with his hometown team in 2021.

The addition of Edouard and Benson has come one day after the Roughriders were without starting safety Nelson Lokombo (ankle) and long snapper Aaron Crawford (knee) in practice.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (1-0) will visit the Calgary Stampeders (0-1) at McMahon Stadium on Saturday, June 20 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Roughriders are coming off a come-from-behind win over the B.C. Lions, while the Stampeders spent Week 2 on bye.

The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 15 degrees and a 70 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 620 CKRM in Regina or 770 CHQR in Calgary.