
Darrell Davis
Regina Leader-Post
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have added two coaches to their staff following the recent departure of J.C. Sherritt, who last season was in charge of the CFL team’s linebackers and run-game defence. New Edmonton head coach Mark Kilam hired Sherritt as the Elks’ defensive co-ordinator.
Travis Brown, a long-time assistant who coached Sherritt for his final 2018 season playing with Edmonton, is Saskatchewan’s new linebackers coach.
Josh Donnelly, a former quarterback who spent last season as offensive co-ordinator for the University of Regina Rams, has been added as an offensive assistant.
Brown spent the past six seasons with the B.C. Lions before head coach Buck Pierce was recently hired and began assembling a new staff. Two of Brown’s players won CFL awards in 2021, when Bo Lokombo was the league’s top Canadian and Jordan Williams the top rookie. Brown played two seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks before coaching at his alma mater, Fresno State, for two seasons and joining the Elks for 2018-2019.
Donnelly missed playing his final season of university football in 2022 because of injury before joining his alma mater as Regina’s passing game co-ordinator and quarterbacks coach. After one season on the Rams’ staff, he was promoted to offensive co-ordinator in 2024 and helped the team advance to within one game of qualifying for the Vanier Cup.
The rest of the Riders staff remains intact for 2025, with second-year head coach Corey Mace retaining extra duties as defensive co-ordinator and Joshua Bell coaching defensive backs while overseeing the passing-game defence. Bell was interviewed during the offseason by the Redblacks, who instead took William Fields from the Toronto Argonauts to be their defensive co-ordinator.
The other returning coaches are Marc Mueller (offensive co-ordinator), Kent Maugeri (special teams co-ordinator), Edwin Harrison (offensive line), Marquay McDaniel (receivers), Anthony Vitale (running backs), Phillip Daniels (defensive line), Jordan Linnen (defensive assistant) and Jeff Higgins (special teams assistant). Mueller was reportedly considered for B.C.’s head coaching job.
CFL teams are capped at 11 full-time coaches but they can have another 14 people helping with football operations.
SUBHEADLINE: Roughriders retain veteran defensive back Jayden Dalke
Defensive back Jayden Dalke has signed a one-year contract extension with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.
A three-year veteran, Dalke was one of 32 Roughriders whose contracts were set to expire Feb. 11. The team has also re-signed quarterback Trevor Harris, offensive lineman Noah Zerr and defensive lineman Charbel Dabire.
Among Saskatchewan’s remaining potential free agents are linebacker Jameer Thurman, defensive back Marcus Sayles, defensive ends Bryan Cox Jr. and Malik Carney, and centre Peter Godber.
Any free agents not re-signed by Feb. 2 can receive offers from rival CFL teams until Feb. 9. The player’s team has two days to match or better any formal offer before free agency officially begins Feb. 11.
Some of the Roughriders’ signed players, such as receiver Ajou Ajou and offensive lineman Logan Ferland, have reportedly attended workouts with NFL teams. CFL players are allowed to join NFL teams during the offseason.
A handful of CFLers sign NFL contracts every offseason and attend training camps. B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke attended several NFL camps last season before rejoining the Lions midway through the CFL season.
Dalke, 6-foot-1 and 200 pounds, played junior football with the Edmonton Wildcats before joining the University of Alberta Golden Bears, where he was a Canada West first-team all-star in 2019.
A fifth-round draft choice in 2022, he played all 18 games as a rookie and became Saskatchewan’s starting safety. Dalke lost his starting spot last season to Nelson Lokombo, but saw regular duty on special teams and as an extra DB/linebacker in different defensive packages. Dalke had 14 tackles, one sack and a forced fumble in 2024.