The Saskatchewan Roughriders and Darian Durant find themselves in an interesting spot ahead of their final three games of the 2016 season.
Conventional wisdom suggests the team should, at the very least, use their franchise quarterback sparingly, if at all, over the next few weeks to make sure that he’s healthy for next season. There’s certainly an argument to be made for the Riders keeping Durant on the sidelines for the most part against Montreal and back-to-back against Lions. First is what was already mentioned, the team should do everything they can to keep him healthy for next season. At the same time, it would give Chris Jones and company up to 12 quarters to evaluate backups Mitchell Gale and Brandon Bridge. Management has watched these guys practice all year and now it’s time to see if the work they’ve done during the week has led to something they can use on game days.
I don’t think anyone would be too outraged if the Riders went this route, here’s the thing, they shouldn’t.
It might not seem like it, but right now is an important time for the franchise. After losing a lot of football games for a year and a half, they’ve actually started to win games. Four in a row, to be exact. Yes, winning more games won’t allow the Riders to compete for the Grey Cup come November, but it could pay off next season and beyond. After a tough start to the season, now is the time for the Riders to get used to winning and building a winning culture. To do that, you need to win games. To win games, you need your best players playing, which in this case, includes Durant.
Outside of winning, Durant is important to the evaluation of the rest of the roster. As much as you want to see more of Gale and Bridge to see what they can do, Jones might want to do the same with other receivers, running backs and offensive linemen. Either backup quarterback could provide a level of play at any given time to properly evaluate these players but you know that Durant will give you that chance every time he’s out there.
Then there’s Durant himself. After the last two seasons, the former North Carolina Tar Heel deserves the chance to close out the season. He’s been a foot solider for this franchise and deserves to play as much as possible. Playing will not only be good for Durant, who could potentially be a free-agent in the new year, but it also could be good for the team in that regard as it shows they remain committed to him. This week, Jones suggested that negotiations with Durant are heading in a positive direction, and that’s a good thing, there’s no reason to throw a wrench into those talks now.
None of this is to suggest that Durant should play all 180 minutes of the remaining three games. Jones will have to find ways to mix in Gale and Bridge to give them playing time ahead of the offseason. He owes it to himself, and each of them, to evaluate the duo with the lights on. However, he should do so with winning in mind.
