Saskatchewan Roughriders sign Canadian receiver Brayden Lenius following NFL stint

Photo courtesy: Liam Richards/Saskatchewan Roughriders

The Saskatchewan Roughriders have brought back Canadian receiver Brayden Lenius following his stint with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, per sources. He will not play against the B.C. Lions on Friday but should be available for the Labour Day Class against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, Sept. 4.

The six-foot-five, 225-pound target’s new contract is for two years, tying him to Saskatchewan through February 2024. The deal includes $150,000 in hard money for 2023, which will make him one of the CFL’s highest-paid Canadian receivers next year.

Lenius received offers from several NFL teams following a breakout season with the Riders and signed with the Falcons in January. He was released by Atlanta during training camp in late July.

The 25-year-old made 37 receptions for 471 yards and four touchdowns in 2021 over 14 starts at slotback. He played a hybrid tight end/fullback role as a rookie in 2019 but lost almost 30 pounds during the CFL’s canceled season in 2020 to make the transition to receiver.

The Regina native was a second-round pick in the 2019 CFL Draft out of the University of New Mexico. He recorded 42 receptions for 452 yards and three touchdowns over three seasons at Washington (2014-15, 2017) before transferring to New Mexico (2018) where he made six catches for 39 yards and one touchdown.

Lenius ran a 4.75 forty-yard dash at the 2019 CFL Combine, though he weighed 243 pounds at the time. He also recorded a 33-inch vertical jump, 7.62 three-cone drill, 4.66 short shuttle, and a nine-foot, seven-inch broad jump.

He is the son of former Arizona Wildcats receiver Troy Dickey, who played with the Riders in 1995.