Murray Wood: Comrades in cowboy hats
Murray Wood says that person demanding Alberta separate from Canada in a social media post might be a farmer of a differ...
With the sun shining, the Saskatchewan Roughriders got their first chance to see how the team could look in 2026.
Training camp for CFL clubs kicked off on Sunday as the players who helped bring Saskatchewan its fifth Grey Cup title last November took the field for the first time after rookie camp concluded on Friday.
“First of all, Happy Mother’s Day to all the moms out there — we love you and appreciate you,” head coach Corey Mace said.
Read more:
- 2026 Saskatchewan Roughriders: Plenty of familiar faces return on offence
- Riders camp invite Thor Griffith making case as most interesting man in football
- 2026 Saskatchewan Roughriders: Players battle for spots on Riders’ defence
“It was excellent. It was so awesome last night to see everyone piled into one room. It’s one of the best days of the year. To get them out here today and have them compete, you could tell the intensity of practice was a little higher and the speed is faster. Hell of a day one.”
One of the players who looked good on the first day was veteran quarterback Trevor Harris. The 39-year-old looked sharp and completed two great deep balls over defenders — one to All-CFL receiver KeeSean Johnson and one to rookie Daniel Wiebe.
“It’s fun because I get to take reps and that’s when it’s a lot of fun because you get to be a guy in there and see it and do all the things you like to do,” Harris said.
“It’s great to have the guys back together. You do all the offshore work and do tons of things but when you get the guys back together, it’s a certain feeling you can’t replicate in your gut and heart and your brothers here.”
One of the interesting developments from the first day was the Riders employed four Canadian wide receivers with Harris and the rest of the starting offence — the Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian Sam Emilus, Kian Schaffer-Baker, Dhel Duncan-Busby, and Wiebe.
“It’s early and you shouldn’t read into it too much but guys that are out there at certain times, they have earned the right to take those reps,” Mace said. “Training camp is about maintaining those.”
After attending camp last year, Wiebe went on to have a stellar 2025 with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies. He recorded 78 catches for 1,257 yards and 13 touchdowns as he was named the Canada West Player of the Year.
But it was his performance last season at Riders camp that got him onto the radar of Harris.
“I thought he was awesome last year,” Harris said.
“He’s a stud. I really love him. He’s one of those guys where you tell him to do something, he does it and he asks the right questions. I think he has a bright future ahead of him and couldn’t be more excited for a guy like that — you get a local guy, but he’s a baller. He’s not here just because he’s from Saskatchewan; he is a beast.”
Day two of training camp goes on Monday at Griffiths Stadium. It is expected to start around 8:30 a.m.
Riders cuts
Following rookie camp, the team announced a number of roster moves.
It announced kicker Alex Hale, offensive lineman Justin Osborne, defensive end Aaron Patrick and wide receiver Freddie Swain were added to the retired list.
Swain came to camp after a number of years in the CFL. Patrick was a member of the Riders last season and appeared in 16 games, mostly in a special teams role.
It also announced the releases of defensive lineman Sundiata Anderson, running back Peny Boone, receiver Collin Brunstein, defensive back D’Angelo Mandell, defensive back Austin McKinney, defensive lineman Kevin Orange Jr., defensive lineman Nathan Pickering and offensive lineman Dartanyan Tinsley.
Linebacker Ryder Varga was added to the six-game injured list. Varga signed with the Riders at the start of rookie camp after spending last season with the Toronto Argonauts. The former University of Regina Ram suffered a torn ACL last September.
NOTES: Defensive back Tevaughn Campbell was not a participant at camp on Sunday. Mace said he missed it due to personal reasons … Defensive back Marcus Sayles also had a good day of camp. The veteran defensive back undercut two routes, intercepting one pass but dropping another one … American linebacker Antoine Brooks Jr. has changed his jersey number to five. Defensive lineman Caleb Sanders, who also did not participate on Sunday, has changed his to 99.
Read more:
