With free agency right around the corner, the Saskatchewan Roughriders may already be tipping their hand a little with their plan.
As things currently stand, it looks like Jeremy O’Day isn’t prepared to go all-in on a season where the Riders are set to host the Grey Cup come November. Instead, the Riders general manager appears to be bucking the league trend of late by locking down a number of his pending free agents to two years pacts.
So far, defensive end A.C. Leonard, defensive back Louchiez Purifoy, centre Dan Clark, tackle Takoby Cofield, defensive back Elie Bouka, running back Kienan LaFrance and defensive end Makana Henry have all signed two year extensions.
Some guys, like big play receiver Shaq Evans, Canadian linebacker Cameron Judge, defensive back Nick Marshall (those three still have NFL dreams), Ed Gainey and long snapper Jorgen Hus (neither side really needs a longer deal here) and punter Jon Ryan signed one year deals. However, they’ve been the exception rather than the rule for O’Day.
Whether O’Day will be able to keep this trend going once the legal negotiation window opens and when real free agency starts will be another story, as players are being encouraged by the CFLPA to sign one year deals if they still hope to return to the NFL as early as the 2021 season. The names that do reach the open market might not be as willing to lock in to a longer term with a new team.
The good news for the Riders, O’Day doesn’t have to be overly busy on the days leading up to February 11. There’s a few holes to plug, like every one is bound to have, but given who is already under contract for next season and who has already re-signed, the Riders sit in pretty decent shape.
Their biggest area of concern will likely be at linebacker where Derrick Moncrief has already signed with the Las Vegas (still weird to say) Raiders. So, they need a SAM linebacker. They could also need a MAC depending on what happens with Solomon Elimimian.
Elimimian ended up being a strong addition to the defence last season and at his age is still playing high level football. He also may want to see what’s out there. Judge had been working out with NFL teams; his re-signing was a must. In the secondary, everyone of consequence is under contract.
Upfront, O’Day will have to decide if Micah Johnson has at least a year left in him. Johnson was a quiet contributor to last year’s defence. The sack numbers weren’t as splashy but his absence was noticed when he wasn’t in the line up. If Johnson isn’t back, there’s some big holes to fill.
On offence, the Riders biggest question mark will be at American receiver spots. Naaman Roosevelt is set to become a free agent. Roosevelt has remained an important part of the Riders passing attack as a chain-mover. His breakaway speed isn’t there anymore but he’s reliable. He’d be worth a one-year deal if Roosevelt is interested in playing.
Canadian receiver Cory Watson has moved on to coach in USports, I would expect his role to be filled internally by nationals Justin McInnis and Brayden Lenius. Mitch Picton was re-signed to provide depth as a non-import pass catcher.
Other than that, the Riders also have a few questions with the hogs. Philip Blake and Thaddeus Coleman’s contracts will expire on the February 11. Blake was solid at right guard, Coleman had his ups and downs. This might be an area where O’Day might see what’s out there.
Overall, the Riders have some work to do over the course of the next month, but not nearly as much as it looked when the free agent list was released. What we do know for sure, O’Day appears to be thinking beyond 2020 and that’s a good thing.
