By Greg Urbanoski

Riderville

CFL teams start pre-season on a up note

May 6, 2025 | 8:22 AM

The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer’s and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Pattison Media.

With spring finally making its belated entrance, CFL teams are quickening their pace as rookie camps open Wednesday following the CFL draft last week.

The CFL moved their draft back two hours last Tuesday to accommodate the Ottawa/Toronto NHL game (call me old fashioned, but there is no snow on the ground, hence I don’t even think of hockey), which kind of put a new slant on the Riders draft party viewing at Mosaic Stadium.

The Riders may be changing their attitudes from depending entirely on big pocket corporate sponsors to recognizing their seats are filled by working people who are having the squeeze put on in all aspects of the economy and do not use their seats as a corporate write off.

It was not the first draft party for season ticket holders but as the event has taken root in fans imaginations, it has grown in attendance. The Riders have unveiled a number of incentives for season ticket holders including one on May 24th when they can pick up their season ticket gift, get a tour of the Rider Locker room, get player autographs and enjoy the first preseason game between the Bombers and Riders apparently being aired at the stadium.

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There was not a lot of discussion on the Riders draft at the draft night, other than surprise the Riders picked Canadian QB Kevin Rourke in the third round. Rourke had already been picked up in the NFL draft by the |San Francisco 49ers a few days before the CFL draft and you would think contract before the Riders get a sniff at him.

The Riders picked up defensive lineman Ali Saad from Bowling Green State in the first round, fourth overall. The Riders philosophy, as least as far as one could figure out from GM Jeremy O’Day, is going after the best player possible. Or the best player you can get into camp.

The Riders are looking towards the day when Micah Johnson will not be working his ageless wonder on the defensive tackle position and they are trying to set up a rotation of Canadian defensive tackles to take over. The days of having one lineman play in a spot for the entire game or season are

over and coaches are looking for players who can come in on rotations and provide breaks to the starters to keep them fresh., Saad, who is taking in an NFL free agent camp, could be twinning with Chartrel Dabire who had been emerging as a rising young Canadian player who can actually play.

The Riders went with offensive lineman Erik Anderson of Western in the second round. I remember Anderson from the combine when he was taken out of drills after suffering an apparent concussion. Anderson may be another of the players taking in an NFL free agent camp but the Riders work on getting 13 players on the offensive line playing time last season makes this less problematic.

Rourke in the third round is a bit of a flyer, but reasonable when you think about it. Let’s say that Trevor Harris does well this season, wins a Grey Cup, comes back next season, also does well, and in the year after that, Rourke comes available, and Harris can mentor him. Of course, there is always the chance that Rourke will stay in the US with the Niners or another NFL team.

If the Riders can land Rourke, the marketing opportunities will be quite impressive, assuming the economy doesn’t tank or the CFL redoes its player marketing money bonuses. I didn’t have a problem with trying, but I am not going to put all chips on Rourke as the next one in the meantime.

The Riders picked up a good linebacker/edge rusher Seth Hundeby from the University of Saskatchewan in the fourth round. Hundeby impressed me during the CFL Combine, but Hundeby is going back to the U of S this fall so he will not be in Rider training camp because the CFL is now enforcing a rule that non-counter players (players like junior football invites or draft picks) do not include players who are drafted but return to their university for another year of seasoning.

Having players given a taste of training camp before they go back to university is helpful because it gives them an idea of what to expect and what they should be working on before coming back. It’s not a new rule, but it is being enforced, so Rider fans will have to wait a year before seeing how they are thinking of using Hundeby.

In the fifth round the Riders picked up defensive lineman Liam Haskins from the University of Windsor. Haskins has started filling out his frame, and looks like a not back special teams addition initially who may well be able to play his way into a rotation on the defensive line.

In the sixth round, the Riders selected defensive back Gideon Agyei of the University of Calgary. Agyei made it to the invitational combine but not to the regular combine. He tested good numbers and is a talented athlete who is probably a better one on one player than a zone defensive player and therefore someone who probably needs to learn his responsibilities as he gains experience. The Riders are starting Trevaughn Campbell in the defensive secondary and will be looking for a back up player for him or perhaps at safety. Agyei could well back up Campbell.

In the eighth round the Riders picked up receiver Daniel Wiebe of the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. Wiebe is listed at a 5’9” receiver although standing next to him, I would say he is 5’8” but what he lacks in size, he makes up in shiftiness.

Wiebe is heading back to university this fall, so he can continue to work on his receiving although I think the first best shot would be at punt and kick off returner. Riders through design or not, had Mario Alford do more running to the sidelines last year, and while Alford was a special teams player of the year, he may be ready to be replaced and the Riders are bringing in competition from south of the border to push him.

This seems to be a theme of the Rider camp – competition. The Riders have been bringing in high profile players from last year for autograph sessions, most of whom have been nicked up in injuries, and my question to all of them has been the same, how has rehab gone?

Jemarcus Hardwick is back on the Riders offensive line after injuring his leg and seems ready to spread his formula of nastiness combined with team building through the Riders. Shawn Bane Jr., one of the Rider receivers, said he was recovered from his leg injury and will be back on the field in Saskatoon.

The Riders went through so many injuries on their offensive line they managed to get a lot of players experience and with better coaching managed to not cost the team. The feeling is last year the Riders hit a cycle of injuries that was random, but this year I see the Regina Exhibition Association Limited did not have their outdoor skating rink on Mosaic Stadium turf which was allowed to melt, flow into the turf and warp it.

The Riders along with other teams are making last minute adjustments to their roster by releasing players like Rykell Armstead. You may remember Armstead from last season when he ran for 200 yards when running back AJ Ouellette was out with injury, giving Rider fans the prospect of a two- Headed running attack, which was never really acted on by the Riders.

Armstead was released by Ottawa before being picked up by the Riders and his fiery nature may have been a potential problem for Ottawa and the Riders. Ouellette was seen at an autograph session minus 20 pounds and with a new running back coach Andrew Harris getting Ouellette to trim down perhaps to reduce the wear and tear on his hip, which has been the source of his injury problems, it could give Rider fans a look at the guy who managed to beat Winnipeg in the Grey Cup two years ago.

One of the interesting or not surprising moves was by the Stony Mountain Blue Bombers releasing back up quarterback Jake Dolegala who had a number of fans because of his size and his ability to throw deep, a latter-day Michael Bishop if you will.

Dolegala might have been a good pick up by the Bombers looking for insight into the Riders offence for the western final, but other than their interest in his brain, the true extent of their confidence in his playing ability came in the Grey Cup when after Bomber QB Zach Collaros injured his finger against the Toronto Argonauts the Bombers sent Collaros back out there instead of giving Dolegala a shot at even handing the ball off to running back Brady Olivera.

The reason for these adjustments is CFL teams are limited to the numbers they can bring in for camp. The Bombers brought in some free agent quarterbacks south of the border and did draft QB Taylor Elgersma of Wilfred Laurier to presumably step in for Collaros when Collaros gets hit by another strong breeze.

This will be an interesting training camp for the Riders, who are looking at building on their first year under Cory Mace and finally resolving the obstacle otherwise known as the Bombers. Five years of representing the west has made the Bombers the standard of the west and to be the best, you have to beat the best.

As part of trying to solve the riddle of the Bombers, the Riders get to play them five times including two exhibition games. The first game in Winnipeg should be a rookie fest for both sides while the second game will see more veterans looking to get more playing time as the season is upon them.

The things to keep an eye open for these next few weeks will be injuries, the play of rookies trying to learn a new system, and keeping an eye south of the border for both draft picks trying their luck there and players trying their NFL window.

The CFL has a new Commissioner in Stewart Johnson who was formerly president of TSN. Johnson seems to have put expansion on the back burner, but the recent enforcement of the rules regarding draft picks counting if they go back to school makes the idea of a minor league for inexperienced Canadian and American players to better learn what is needed to succeed in the CFL.

The teams could be placed in either the CFL home teams or potential markets, play in the spring – summer and give teams a chance to call up players if injuries strike their team. You could have one circuit in Ontario/Quebec and another one in the west which would provide TSN or somebody else with programming choices for on-air broadcast.

It’s just a thought, but perhaps something that could help player development, grow and promote the game and increase the quality of the players.

After all, it is preseason and training camp opens in a couple of days.

Anything is possible!