Samuel Emilus returns to practice with Saskatchewan Roughriders

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders/Electric Umbrella/Liam Richards.

Canadian receiver Samuel Emilus was a full participant in practice with the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Wednesday. The team released an updated injury report in the afternoon.

The 28-year-old missed the team’s last three regular-season games with a foot injury. The club went 2-1 in his absence. He was initially replaced by Dhel Duncan-Busby, then D’Sean Mimbs.

“It’s always good to see people back on the field,” head coach Corey Mace told the media. “We’ll see what that looks like at the end of the week, but anytime you have more and more people come back, it’s encouraging.”

Emilus was initially placed on the one-game injured list before being moved to the six-game injured list. He explained the decision was made out of concern that he could suffer a setback.

“We just had to see what the result was for my injury, and once we had the result, we kind of had an idea of what would be the timeline, and that’s really what happened,” he said. “I wanted to play, but it was also being smart because it’s a long season.”

The six-foot, 200-pound target has caught 31 passes for 448 yards and five touchdowns over six regular-season games this year. He remains the team’s third-leading receiver despite his time away.

The Montreal native was originally a first-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft. He has since caught 235 passes for 3,362 yards and 18 touchdowns.

“There’s a reason why he’s one of the higher-paid guys in the league,” said quarterback Trevor Harris. “I remember telling him in ‘24, ‘You’re gonna be Hall of Famer,’ and I don’t know that he believed me, but I think eventually … he’ll believe me.”

“It’s a welcome sight (for him) to be back, but obviously those guys have done a good job filling in for him and getting experience, so down the road, if they’re ever needed, we know we can count on them.”

KeeSean Johnson, who appeared to suffer an injury late in the team’s recent loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, was also a full participant in practice.

The Roughriders got other good news on the injury front, as Canadian offensive linemen Zack Fry (knee) and Daniel Johnson (illness), Canadian defensive lineman Ali Saad (calf), and returner James Letcher Jr. (forearm) were each full participants as well.

Saskatchewan will visit the B.C. Lions on Sunday after beating them by a score of 31-27 back in Week 11. However, much has changed over the past two months.

“I think they’re a better version of who they are as opposed to when we played them early in the season. They’re rolling right now,” said Mace.

“They discovered a run game, they still have the same pieces that they had. Their defence is playing really good right now, and they’ve got some really good aggressive players on special teams, and their specials have been on point. Good team, and another test for us.”

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-3) will visit the B.C. Lions (4-5) at BC Place Stadium on Sunday, August 23 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Roughriders are coming off a 26-19 upset loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while the Lions beat the Calgary Stampeders by a score of 30-26.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 620 CKRM in Regina or 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver.