Despite Manny Arceneaux coming off his best statistical game of the season with Saskatchewan, the Riders have elected to sit him down and insert Jordan Williams-Lambert into the starting lineup.
“We try to stick to the process and not be hung up on results. Manny’s been good all year, the fact that he caught a touchdown pass was awesome, but we had a plan all along and it was going to be Jordan for Manny when we felt like Jordan was ready,” head coach Craig Dickenson said.
“He was disappointed but Manny’s a pro. He knows that it’s a tough roster to crack right now and we got good depth, so we were very up front with Manny. We told him we were going to dress Jordan and it was going to be for his spot. We just felt like we need to get Jordan out there and see what he can do.”
Arceneaux had two catches for 72 yards and one touchdown in Saskatchewan’s victory in Toronto. Riders general manager Jeremy O’Day targeted Arceneaux in free agency, inking him to a one-year deal. The veteran pass catcher had spent the first eight years of his CFL career with the B.C. Lions.
“Jeremy pinpointed him right away as a guy we felt like could bring leadership to the team, we felt like he still had some good football in him, which he does,” Dickenson said.
“On top of that, we felt like he’s a guy that will lead by example and be a real mentor to some of the younger guys. He is as advertised. Just a heckuva guy.”
The 32-year-old has played 138 games recording 576 receptions for 8,404 yards and 56 touchdowns. Arceneaux had three straight 1,000-yard seasons – including a career-high 1,566 yards in 2016 – from 2015-2017. Two times Arceneaux has been named a CFL all-star (2015 and 2016).
“He’s a worker. He’s in there early. He’s very strong, in the weight room the other day he was benching over 400 pounds,” Dickenson said.
“The guy is a consummate pro and he’s a top notch person.”
