Taylor Shire, Regina Leader-Post
It’s almost time to kickoff a new CFL season.
Rookie camp for the Saskatchewan Roughriders opens on Wednesday in Saskatoon with main camp set to get underway on Sunday.
And as the Roughriders look to begin the quest to defend their Grey Cup title, there’s a mix of returning players plus several newcomers hoping to earn a roster spot this season.
In the first of a three-part series, here’s a preview of the offensive outlook for the Green and White in 2026:
Quarterbacks
Trevor Harris*, Jack Coan*, Tommy Stevens*, Brayden Schager*, Jordan McCloud*
Projected starter: Harris
Harris, who will turn 40 at the end of the month, will lead the Roughriders for a fourth consecutive season after signing as a free agent in 2023. After a couple of injury-riddled years, Harris suited up for 17 games last season finishing third in the CFL with 4,549 passing yards.
Coan, 27, will take another step forward in his development this season as he will serve as the No. 2 option after Jake Maier left in free agency. Coan has attempted just 29 passes in his two seasons with the Roughriders and management hopes he’ll continue to progress in his third year.
The 29-year-old Stevens, who had five rushing touchdowns last year, will once again serve as Saskatchewan’s short-yardage specialist while Schager, a 23-year-old University of Hawaii product who was on the practice roster at the end of last season, will compete with McCloud, a 26-year-old Texas State product who attended an NFL rookie minicamp last year with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, for a practice roster spot.
Meanwhile, University of Saskatchewan Huskies pivot Jake Farrell will be a quarterback intern at training camp.
If Harris stays healthy in 2026, there’s good reason to believe the offence can take an even bigger step forward this season as Coan continues to progress as the potential replacement next season or beyond.
Running backs/fullbacks
A.J. Ouellette*, Mario Anderson*, Darrell Henderson*, Peny Boone*, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon, Albert Awachie, Morgan Runge
Projected starters: Ouellette, Awachie (fullback)
After a down year in 2024 as he missed time with injury, the 30-year-old Ouellette recorded a career-high 1,222 rushing yards last season to finish second in the CFL. The Roughriders are hoping for similar production this season and there’s no reason to expect otherwise.
Behind Ouellette, Anderson, 25, is returning after seeing some game action last season while the 28-year-old Henderson, a former NFLer, will be one of the more intriguing players to watch in camp this season given his experience (54 NFL games) south of the border. Those two will likely be competing for one backup American spot alongside Boone, a 23-year-old who spent time with the Toronto Argonauts last season after playing college ball at Central Florida in 2024.
As for the Canadian talent, Bertrand-Hudon, 29, is also back as Saskatchewan’s primary backup and valuable special teams player while Awachie, 33, and Runge, 28, will compete for playing time at fullback.
Saskatchewan has also added a pair of local junior running backs to the camp roster with the addition of Peter Boersch of the Regina Thunder and Corbin Ebben of the Saskatoon Hilltops
Receivers
KeeSean Johnson*, Samuel Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Dhel Duncan-Busby, James Letcher*, Siaosi Mariner*, Freddie Swain*, Collin Brunstein*, Tyrie Cleveland*, Juwann Winfree*, Abdul Janneh*, Ali Jennings*, Malik Knowles*, D’Sean Mimbs, Daniel Wiebe, Jaylen Johnson*, Dylan Djete, Shemar McBean
Projected starters: KeeSean Johnson, Emilus, Schaffer-Baker, Duncan-Busby, TBD
Despite losing Dohnte Meyers to the NFL, Joe Robustelli and Tommy Nield in free agency, Mitch Picton to retirement, and Ajou Ajou after he violated the team’s code of conduct, the Roughriders have good reason to think highly of this group.
American KeeSean Johnson, 29, led the way with 1,159 receiving yards last year and will once again be called upon heavily this season while 28-year-old Canadians Emilus and Schaffer-Baker will also be a major part of the passing game.
That leaves a couple of open spots in the starting five.
Duncan-Busby, 26, is the front-runner to win the third Canadian starting job but the third-year receiver will be pressed by Mimbs, 25, who spent most of the season on the practice roster last season, and 22-year-old Wiebe, a 2025 draft pick who played for the Saskatchewan Huskies last year. The Roughriders also officially signed Djete and McBean, two 2026 draft picks, who will compete for depth roles.
As for the other vacant spot, likely to be given to an American, it appears it’s wide open. Mariner, 29, could be given the first crack to start with his CFL experience as he spent the last month of the season on Saskatchewan’s practice roster after two years with the Ottawa Redblacks. There are also a few intriguing rookies coming to camp with NFL experience.
Jaylen Johnson, a 25-year-old who signed last week, spent time with the Los Angeles Charges last season, while Winfree, 29, is a veteran of 23 NFL games and a former draft pick of the Denver Broncos.
Swain, 27, was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in 2020 and played 33 games for that club while Cleveland, 28, brings 23 games of NFL experience after being drafted by Denver in 2020.
Brunstein, 24, and Jennings, 24, both attended NFL rookie mini-camps last season after wrapping up their college careers. Janneh, 23, attended camp last year with the Roughriders while Letcher, 26, will serve as Saskatchewan’s primary returner in 2026.
The Roughriders will also also invited Benjamin Walz, of the Regina Thunder, to training camp.
Offensive line
Logan Ferland, Jermarcus Hardrick*, Payton Collins*, Jacob Brammer*, Zack Fry, Dayton Black, Daniel Johnson, Erik Andersen, Darius Washington*, Spencer Brown*, Yoseph Carter*, Justin Osborne*, Dartanyan Tinsley*, Jaison Williams*, Thomas Perry*, Percy Lewis*, Darius Bell, Jez Janvier
Projected starters: Ferland (centre), Hardrick (right tackle), Collins (left tackle), Brammer (right guard), Fry (left guard)
With several returning faces, offensive line should be a position of strength again in 2026.
After Sean McEwen suffered a season-ending knee injury in camp last year, Ferland, 29, took over at centre and it appears he’ll stay there in 2026.
At tackle, Hardrick, 35, is back after being named the CFL’s top offensive lineman in 2025 while Collins, 25, was Saskatchewan’s best rookie last year.
At right guard, Brammer, a 27-year-old American, was named an all-star last season while Fry, a 25-year-old Canadian, appears to be the leading candidate to start at left guard with Trevon Tate, last year’s starter in the Grey Cup, not returning.
Assuming Saskatchewan’s keeps the ratio the same, the three starting Americans shouldn’t lose their spots.
There’s one camp battle to watch though as Fry will be pushed by Johnson, a 26-year-old Canadian, who got into the lineup at tackle and guard last season and Andersen, a 25-year-old who was Saskatchewan’s second-round pick in 2025. Saskatchewan also has Black, 25, who joins the Roughrider after spending time with Hamilton and Ottawa over the last three years. Saskatchewan has also signed Bell, a 2026 third-round draft pick this week.
As for American depth, Washington, 25, is back with the Roughriders after starting a few games last season at tackle and guard while 25-year-olds Williams, Tinsley and Osborne will be joined by 26-year-olds Brown and Carter, who attended camp last year.
