February 9, 2016

Riders, Best agree on contract extension

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders have ensured at least some familiarity on their offence, announcing Tuesday a contract extension for offensive lineman Chris Best.

Best, a 32-year-old Calgary native, has been with the Riders since 2005 when he was drafted fourth overall in the CFL Canadian Draft. He graduated from Duke University after transferring there following two seasons at the University of Waterloo, where he was twice named a CIS All-Canadian and also the Male Athlete of the Year for his school.

A Grey Cup Champion in an historic 2013 season with the eventual victory on home turf, Best started all 18 regular season games at right guard for the Riders in 2015 and played his 100th career game on July 26.

While Best was not scheduled to become a free agent, the move builds some much-needed continuity for the Riders in an off-season of mostly change. While much of the noise has been around the coaching overhaul and the departures of Weston Dressler and John Chick, the offensive line has not been excluded from what will be a different-looking Riders team in 2016.

Levy Adcock, Xavier Fulton and Corey Watman are all offensive linemen set to hit free agency on Feb. 9.