Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Brayden Schager got the outcome he was hoping for.
After a three-week training camp and a pair of pre-season games, the 23-year-old quarterback impressed the coaching staff of the Saskatchewan Roughriders enough to earn a spot on the roster as the CFL club announced final cuts on the weekend.
“I think I’ve had my three-week audition and proved to them my abilities and been able to put some good stuff on tape,” Schager said on Friday when asked about his chances of making the team. “I think I’ve shown what I can do on the field and I’m happy and proud of what I’ve been able to put out there. I’m proud of the work that I put together, and proud of the future that I think I could have, especially here.
“It’s a place I want to be. I love all the guys in the locker rooms already, and I like the coaches a lot, and just the city as well, and just this whole organization. Definitely something I want to be a part of, and want to continue to grow in.”
After a brief stint on Saskatchewan’s practice roster at the end of last season, Schager came into camp as one of three quarterbacks on the roster battling for the No. 2 spot behind starter Trevor Harris. The Roughriders cut rookie Jordan McCloud early in camp which left Schager and Jack Coan, a third-year pivot, battling for the backup role.
Both quarterbacks got plenty of action in Saskatchewan’s two pre-season games — with Coan completing 19 of 33 passes for 198 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions while Schager was 24 of 37 for 318 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
That left Saskatchewan with a difficult decision as neither quarterback played themselves off the roster. In the end, the Roughriders decided to keep four quarterbacks, similar to what the club did last year when Coan was No. 4 on the depth chart behind Harris, backup Jake Maier and short-yardage specialist Tommy Stevens.
“We all do a really good job of learning from each other and just listening to what the coaches are telling us, and building a building off of each other,” said Schager, who led Saskatchewan on a game-winning touchdown drive in Saskatchewan’s second pre-season game. “I think it’s a very healthy room and it’s really good that we all get along well.”
Even though the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Dallas native might be inactive when Saskatchewan kicks off the regular season on June 13 — as CFL teams can only dress three quarterbacks per game — Schager is looking forward to continuing to develop as a young quarterback in the CFL after four seasons at the University of Hawaii from 2021 to 2024.
“This was the initial goal to try to put myself in a position to be able to make the team,” he said Friday. “It’s something that I think I’ve tried to prove to them every single day, just with my work ethic and the way I go about things.
“I’m proud of what I’ve been able to put on film, and just as a person as well, and somebody that they want to have in the locker room.”
Schager initially signed with the Roughriders on Sept. 30 last year when CFL practice rosters expanded. He was released on Oct. 29 but then signed a new contract on Nov. 19, just days after Saskatchewan won the Grey Cup.
He said the experience he got last year when he was around the club helped his adjustment to the team this year.
“It was huge,” said Schager. “It was something that I had talked with the GM and the coaches about before when I came up, and they were telling me it was going to be a great opportunity to meet for me to just come be in the quarterback room, learn from (offensive coordinator Marc) Mueller, and learn from Trevor and those guys, and just get a feel for the offence.
“And I think that’s something that really gave me a head start coming into camp on the other rookies, just as far as having a good grasp with the playbook, having some connections with the receivers and the guys on the team. It just made me feel more comfortable, and I think it was just a good comfortability level when I came in, and allowed me to play more free, and just go out there and have fun.”
The head start allowed him to become more comfortable in the system, and as a professional, but that doesn’t mean he didn’t learn anything new in camp this year.
“Just how to prepare,” said Schager. “Coming in and preparing like a pro every single day.
“Coming in with the mentality of, ‘You get to go do this; you don’t have to do it,’ and I think that’s the main thing … It’s a blessing and you have to treat it like that. You have to come out here, be happy, and be excited about coming to practice every day, and I think I’ve done a good job of that, because I love playing football. I love doing this. I would not rather be doing anything else.”
When asked about Schager during training camp, Roughriders head coach Corey Mace described Schager as a “firecracker.”
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Schager considered it a compliment.
“I’m kind of a mellow guy off the field a little bit, but when I get on the field, I flip a different mentality and I try to play with that fire,” he said. “That’s something my coaches in college said a lot.
“I’m kind of reserved a little bit off the field. I get along with everybody and everything like that, but when I get on the field, I get fired up and I play better like that.
“I play better when I’m a little pissed off and excited about being out there, and I think the other guys on the team feed off of that energy, and that’s just something that comes along with playing the position of quarterback, is you got to be able to have those guys feed off of your energy. If you’re coming out flat, then everybody else is going to be flat, but when I get in the huddle, I try to pump up the O-line and the receivers and everybody and get them fired up.”
