Arthur Ward/CFL.ca
When the Roughriders open up camp in Saskatoon on Sunday, it’ll be the most complete roster Chris Jones has had in Saskatchewan since his arrival in 2016.
Holes on the depth chart and big position battles where Jones needs to see a starter emerge are few and far between compared to seasons past.
As Jones said a week ago, they are at the stage where they can be a little more selective in who they bring to camp.
However, that doesn’t mean there aren’t a few storylines to follow during the Riders’ three weeks of camp.
1. Quarterbacks
Yes, it is assumed that Zach Collaros will be the starting quarterback due to his salary alone, but he’s also the quarterback with the most experience. But Collaros has to show it on the field in the pre-season and camp to have minds rest easy since he hasn’t won a start in his last 12 attempts.
Chris Jones runs an intense camp with a lot of reps and they keep track of accuracy numbers from all quarterback snaps, among other things. Collaros will be watched closely.
Zach Collaros will be one of the most-watched players in the CFL the next few weeks (Riderville.com)
The other factor is Brandon Bridge. Bridge has been told he’ll get a fair shot at the job after he almost led the team to the Grey Cup with a decent performance in the Eastern Final last season. Bridge was the relief guy for the Riders, especially when the team was unable to contain the oncoming pass rush.
Collaros gives them a little more mobility at quarterback than Kevin Glenn, which is another reason to believe Bridge will get a chance but Collaros will be the guy.
You may be wondering how I can say the team is as complete as ever but have quarterback as a storyline to watch. I believe Collaros will win the job and win games. But if he doesn’t, the Riders will still be able to win with Brandon Bridge as they did last season.
2. Left tackle
Ah, yes. The blindside. After quarterback it will come down to who will protect them. With Bruce Campbell’s suspension and not being re-signed as well as the release of Derek Dennis, the Riders will have an open audition for the spot.
Jones likes the trio they brought in, despite the lack of CFL experience. Terran Vaughn appears to have the early edge, while Takoby Cofield and Jarvis Harrison will also be looked considered to lock down the left side of the offensive line.
3. Linebacker
Jones has 13 linebackers listed on the roster right now coming into training camp for the weak side and middle linebacker spots.
Samuel Eguavoen has been tapped as the starting middle linebacker as he enters his third CFL season but Jones has definitely brought in plenty of challengers to push Eguavoen in the middle.
He’s also stated that a Canadian linebacker will have to be on the field at all times, so veteran Sam Hurl will be looked upon to step up, though there are a lot of younger players looking for playing time.
After listening to #Riders Chris Jones today, I re-worked the positional chart to better reflect how they COULD start camp… although Clark/LaBatte/Bladek/Bond will be mixed around, WLB is a question mark, and expect more moves in the next 10 days. pic.twitter.com/ZcKnClA1pU
— Jamie Nye (@jamienye) May 10, 2018
Two supplemental draft picks, Kevin Francis and Brandyn Bartlett, are intriguing options for Jones, who loves both players’ athleticism.
I’m more interested to see how the first round pick from 2017 looks in his second season. Cameron Judge missed most of training camp last year and then was injured early and was only able to play in three games. Judge being able to take a step up the depth chart would be a huge relief for a team that hasn’t had much luck yet from their first round picks in the last couple of years.
4. Canadian O-line
That brings us to the Canadian offensive line depth. First overall pick from 2016 Josiah St. John needs to show he can contribute in his third season or you can write ‘bust’ down next to his name from that draft.
St. John will be looked at in his natural position of tackle this year but it doesn’t matter, the depth among Canadian offensive linemen looks a little thin.
However, Jones will start the season with only two Canadian starters so a battle is brewing between Brendon LaBatte, Dan Clark and last year’s second round pick Dariusz Bladek for one guard spot and the centre position.
LaBatte, Clark and Bladek have the ability to play both guard and centre so it’ll be interesting how they line up throughout camp and in the pre-season games.
5. Defensive back
Duron Carter will play both ways again this season but it would be best if the Riders can find a lockdown corner for the boundary side, rather than rely on their star receiver. My chart shows six candidates to potentially settle in there and they are all Jones ideal DB types, 6-foot-1 or taller and strong, to play an aggressive, physical game.
The departure of Kacy Rodgers leaves an opening at boundary corner in Riderville (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
On the other side of the field could be a battle between Jovon Johnson and John Ojo. Ojo returns to the CFL after NFL opportunities and injuries have kept him out of the game for two seasons. We last saw Ojo in a regular season game in 2015 when he was named a CFL All-Star in his rookie season.
If Ojo can regain his all-star calibre play after a lengthy hiatus, it’ll be interesting to see where the veteran Johnson ends up.
6. Canadian receiver
I know, even thinking that Rob Bagg could lose a starting job is silly. But the 33-year-old looks behind him on the depth chart and sees players six years his junior and younger.
Devon Bailey, Jake Harty, Josh Stanford and Mitchell Picton will all push the hardest working player on the team for playing time.
And it’s because of how hard Bagg works in the off-season he’ll be in just as good of shape as the younger players when training camp starts and make it extremely difficult for anyone to demand more playing time.
Bagg’s 339 yards last year was his lowest output in a full season of his entire career. Now to be fair, with the signing of Duron Carter and Bakari Grant, Bagg wasn’t as involved in the offense.
It’s a matter of does Jones need more from his Canadian receivers and does he think another guy could do better and be as reliable? We won’t know until camp plays out.
