Saskatchewan Roughriders bring back DL Kendy Charles

Photo courtesy: Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have brought back American defensive lineman Kendy Charles, who spent the entire 2025 season on their practice roster.

The six-foot, 287-pound defender finished his collegiate career at Duke University in 2024, playing all 13 games for the Blue Devils and recording 50 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, one fumble recovery, one pass breakup, and one quarterback pressure. The native of Orange Park, Fla. was named second-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference.

Prior to transferring to Duke, Charles attended Liberty University where he made 108 total tackles, 23 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, six quarterback pressures, one pass breakup, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble over 37 games with 21 starts.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders finished first in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 12-6 record, finishing first in the West Division for the first time since 2019. The team went on to defeat the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup in Winnipeg, marking the team’s first championship in 12 years. Trevor Harris went 11-5 as a starter, throwing for 4,549 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions.

The Roughriders ranked second in net offence, second in net defence, and tied for third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was A.J. Ouellette with 1,222 yards, leading receiver was KeeSean Johnson with 1,159 yards, and leading tackler was A.J. Allen with 91 tackles. Saskatchewan finished second in attendance with average crowds of 28,427, which was a 2.7 percent increase from the previous year.