Saskatchewan Roughriders release veteran DB Kosi Onyeka

Photo: Matt Smith/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have released Canadian defensive back Kosi Onyeka, who started the team’s last three games at safety.

“We’ve got a code of conduct here and high standards on and off the field and, unfortunately, Kosi didn’t meet that,” head coach Corey Mace told the media in Regina. He did not elaborate on how Onyeka failed to meet the code of conduct.

The 25-year-old native of Brampton, Ont. spent four seasons with the team, recording 13 defensive tackles, 35 special teams tackles, and one forced fumble. He made 10 defensive tackles and 10 special teams tackles over seven regular-season games in 2025.

The University of Guelph product joined Saskatchewan in 2022 after going unselected in the 2021 CFL Draft. His brothers Nakas and Ifenna Onyeka have both played in the CFL, while his cousins Godfrey and Kene Onyeka play for the Calgary Stampeders and Ottawa Redblacks, respectively.

The Roughriders have also released American linebacker Chris Russell Jr., who signed with the team last month. The six-foot-one, 235-pound native of Dyersburg, Tenn. played five collegiate seasons at Texas A&M, where he recorded 112 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 4.5 quarterback sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and one blocked kick over 58 games.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-4) will visit the Ottawa Redblacks (4-10) at TD Place Stadium on Friday, October 3 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT. The Riders are coming off a heartbreaking loss to the Edmonton Elks, while the Redblacks were on a bye.

The weather forecast in Ottawa calls for a high of 21 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 620 CKRM in Regina and TSN 1200 in Ottawa.