Saskatchewan Roughriders sign Global special teamer Tyron Vrede

Peter McCabe/CFL.ca

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed Global linebacker Tyron Vrede.

The six-foot, 230-pound defender spent the last five seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks, recording 41 defensive tackles, 35 special teams tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble.

The 29-year-old dressed for 15 regular-season games in 2025 and made two defensive tackles, 13 special teams tackles, and one forced fumble.

The native of Amsterdam, Netherlands was originally the tenth overall pick in the 2021 CFL Global Draft. He played collegiately at the University of North Dakota, where he made 55 total tackles, 10 tackles for loss, four sacks, and two pass deflections over 22 games.

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.