Taylor Shire
Regina Leader-Post
Trevor Harris is back on track.
As the Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to practice on Monday, the veteran quarterback was taking reps with the starting offence for the first time since suffering a left knee injury in Week 3 of the CFL season.
After practice, head coach Corey Mace was asked if Harris would be starting Saskatchewan’s Week 11 contest against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium (7 p.m., TSN).
“We’ll see,” Mace told reporters. “Nothing is promised but there’s definitely a shot for that, but I’ll make the decision by the end of the week.
“If it makes sense for him to be the guy this week then we’ll look to that. If it’s maybe another week he needs, then we’ll do what’s best for the team.”
For Harris — who suffered what he described as an MCL and partial ACL injury — he said if it’s left up to him, he will be playing.
“I feel ready but that’s going to be up to the doctors,” said Harris, who was cleared to practise last week. “I’ve just got to keep pressing every day and making sure I’m not putting the team in a bad situation.”
Harris was initially hurt on June 23 after getting rolled on by a Hamilton Tiger-Cats defender and right away, he knew it was serious.
“I landed on my side and there was like a gap between the ground and my knee,” said Harris. “And his whole body weight landed on the outside of my knee and it just clicked in.
“And I felt the pop; and there’s a difference between something like when you roll your ankle versus like a ligament-type pop, and I felt that.
“When I stood up, I felt the looseness in my knee and it felt unstable. And so, I knew something was wrong.”
Prior to his injury, Harris completed 70-of-97 passes for 872 yards with seven touchdowns and three interceptions while leading Saskatchewan to a 3-0 start to the season.
Since then — with Shea Patterson filling in at quarterback — the Riders have gone 2-3-1, which included a 22-22 tie against the Ottawa Redblacks last week.
“The first few weeks (after the injury), I was physically sick to my stomach,” said Harris. “I was physically ill that I couldn’t play.
“I felt like I was really getting into a good rhythm … So just itching to get back would be quite an understatement.”
With a 5-3-1 record, Saskatchewan sits atop the West Division and can control their playoff fate in the second half of the season.
For Harris, he’s glad he can return to action this year after a season-ending injury in 2023, when he suffered a tibial plateau fracture to his right knee.
“I’m just thankful that it wasn’t worse,” Harris said of his latest injury. “It was obviously a little bit more than I had hoped for in terms of what the damage was.
“But it ended up being one of those things where you just have a timetable you have to wait for the ligaments to heal.
“Because if the ACL is loose at all, then you’re at risk of full tear and that would be super long term.
“But everything is tightened up and everything is rock solid now so we’re good to go.”
However, before he gets the all-clear, Harris needs his knee to respond to an increased workload through practice reps to determine if he can play.
“You can’t replicate the game-like situations until you get out here and practice and feel the rush and move certain ways,” said Harris. “It’s one of those things you’ve got to keep easing your way back into it, do what you can and just see where it lands you toward the end of the week.”
Ouellette update
After missing the last three games, running back A.J. Ouellette could also return this week after logging a full practice on Day 1.
“Just to have him out here is a heck of a start and it’s trending in the right direction,” said Mace. “But how he plays, we’re looking at the long term.”
Ouellette — who has been hampered by a hip injury — says it was nice to be back splitting reps with fellow running back Frankie Hickson on Monday.
“Felt really good today,” said Ouellette. “They kind of managed my reps today but the ones I took, full speed (and) full cuts, so felt good.”
Thurman back
Despite being placed on the six-game injured list prior to the game in Ottawa, linebacker Jameer Thurman was back at practice on Monday, albeit in limited fashion.
Mace said the elbow injury Thurman suffered wasn’t as bad as it first appeared, so he could make his return to the lineup this week.
“With all the injury stuff, you hear one thing (and) you take deeper looks at it,” said Mace. “You want to make sure that we’re doing the right thing really for the player.
“It’s at a position right now that we feel comfortable he can get back to doing exactly what we do so that’s excellent for us to have Thurm out there again.”
Injury report
After filling in for Thurman last week against Ottawa, linebacker C.J. Avery (head) didn’t practise Monday. Defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado (head) was also absent after taking a big hit against the Redblacks.
Meanwhile, receiver KeeSean Johnson (head) was a full participant while receiver Ajou Ajou (finger) was limited. Linebacker Melique Straker (hamstring) continues to sit out.
Riders sign two
The Riders also announced the signing of American offensive lineman Jean Delance and American linebacker Aubrey Miller Jr. on Monday.
The 6-foot-5, 305-pound Delance attended training camp with the B.C. Lions earlier this year before being released. Prior to that, the Georgia native spent time with the NFL’s Chicago Bears, Arizona Cardinals and Green Bay Packers. Delance, who played college football for Florida and Texas, played for the UFL’s DC Defenders in 2024.
Meanwhile, Miller has played five games this season for the Edmonton Elks, making four special teams tackles.
Prior to joining the Elks, the 6-foot-1, 229-pound defender attended training camp with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins, where he suited up for two pre-season games. Collegiately, the 25-year-old played at Jackson State University and the University of Missouri.
tshire@postmedia.com
