Saskatchewan Roughriders bring back first-round CFL Global draft pick Sylvain Yondjouen

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The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed Global defensive lineman Sylvain Yondjouen.

The six-foot-four, 260-pound defender signed with the Roughriders in August and spent the rest of the season on the team’s practice roster, not dressing for any regular-season games. He became a free agent immediately after the Grey Cup.

The 27-year-old native of Ruisbroek, Belgium played six collegiate seasons at Georgia Tech where he made 76 defensive tackles, 16 tackles for loss, six sacks, seven pass knockdowns, and one forced fumbles. He made 13 starts over 52 games.

Yondjouen attended rookie minicamp with the Carolina Panthers in 2025 but wasn’t signed to a contract by the team.

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.