Saskatchewan Roughriders bring back James Burgess Jr.

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders have brought back American defensive back James Burgess Jr., the team announced on Tuesday.

The six-foot-three, 190-pound defender attended training camp with the club but was released as part of final roster cuts. He made two defensive tackles, one interception, and one pass knockdown over two preseason games.

Burgess played four collegiate seasons at Alabama State, appearing in 40 games for the Hornets. He collected 94 total tackles, four tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble, 21 pass breakups, and six interceptions, including two returned for touchdowns.

The native of Center Point, Ala. won the Aeneas Williams Award as a senior in 2024, which is given to the top defensive back from a historically Black college or university (HBCU). He was also selected first-team All-Conference and received FCS All-American honours from three publications.

Burgess went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft, but signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent. He did not make the final roster.

This signing has come after Rolan Milligan Jr. was placed on the six-game injured list and his replacement, JuJu Hughes, suffered an injury during last week’s win over the Calgary Stampeders.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0) will host the Toronto Argonauts (1-1) at Mosaic Stadium on Friday, June 26 with kickoff scheduled for 9:00 p.m. EDT. The Argonauts are coming off a 44-24 win over the Ottawa Redblacks, while the Roughriders beat the Calgary Stampeders in overtime.

The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 25 degrees and sun. 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 TSN 1050 in Toronto or 620 CKRM in Regina.