Roughriders shift focus inwards with no games for three weeks

With a three-week gap between games, the Saskatchewan Roughriders camp battles intensify as final roster cuts approach. Donovan Maess has more.

Coming off a 31-27 victory Saturday in their second preseason matchup of the 2026 season, the Saskatchewan Roughriders will be watching games – not playing them – for three weeks.

Despite that, team training camp continues back at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

“I wish the CFL could have done something about giving us five days between [preseason] games one and two, and then three weeks off,” quarterback Trevor Harris told reporters Monday. “It’s borderline a month.”

Rider starters played just one series in Saturday’s win over Winnipeg. Harris completed all three of his passes for 82 yards and a touchdown.

Now the team will finish training camp before a week off to begin the regular season.

“You do the preseason to get in rhythm and then this happens,” Harris added.

“But the schedule is going to be great. We have no complaints about it. On the flip side, we get plenty of time to work on ourselves, to make sure we’re refining and to fine tuning everything that we can.”

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Saskatchewan has not had a Week 1 bye since 2016.

That season the team played exhibition games in preseason Weeks 2 and 3, meaning they had just two weeks between games, not three.

Head Coach Corey Mace, not the type for excuses, reminded players they have a full week left to make an impression and make the final roster.

“We’re going to have some hard [decisions],” he admitted.

“We still have another week of evaluation, but that’s what you want, man. You want guys to shine and we definitely thought we had more than a few of those guys do that. We’ll leverage the weight of those two games, and the full body of work throughout camp, to make our decisions,” Mace added.

Bubble receivers make early impression

Two receivers hoping to crack the roster are making a sizeable impression.

Johnny Johnson III was signed by the Riders May 19, less than a week before the team’s final preseason game of the season.

“[Another game] would mean a lot. It would be good, definitely,” he said. “Just for getting full speed with guys and feeling that. But these guys are working hard, we’re working hard in practice. We’ve got a good defense, they’re working hard, so I’m getting as many mental reps as I can on top of that.”

Johnson III played at the University of Oregon for five seasons from 2017-2021. In 57 games with the Ducks he notched 139 receptions for 1,928 yards and 15 touchdowns.

After going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft he signed with the Houston Texans, where he played for three years – most on the practice squad. A dislocated elbow led to him being cut before his arrival in Saskatchewan.

“After I got healthy earlier this year, I kind of reached out to a lot of different teams from NFL to UFL to [the CFL],” Johnson III explained. “This opportunity came around, and seeing what this team was about and how far they took it last year, winning it all; I just really just jumped at it. It felt like the felt like the right move in my heart.”

He’s already caught the eye of his head coach after catching all four of his targets Saturday against Winnipeg, including a touchdown reception, for 64 yards.

“[He’s] willing to spend the extra time to try and pick up as much as he can,” Mace said about the receiver.

“He’s an explosive receiver, a put-together kid and had great success. He’s gravitated towards the team and is willing to do the dirty work as well, which are things we like – specifically at that receiver spot.”

Next to him in the wide receiver room is Abdul Janneh Jr. The 23-year-old out of Georgia Tech was a Rider training camp attendee in 2025 but failed to crack the final roster.

“It feels way more comfortable being here for the whole camp, to be able to go through installs and be able to just understand the game board,” Janneh Jr. said Monday.

“I was kind of just thrown in last year and it was kind of quick. So just being able to understand and slow everything down now, I feel great.”

Similar to Johnson III, Janneh Jr. made the best of his in-game opportunity Saturday.

Janneh led the Riders with 107 receiving yards on just six catches, including 39-yard catch late in the fourth quarter which was a key play on Saskatchewan’s game-winning drive.

“It was definitely nice to go out there and put on the show,” he admitted.

“It’s been a long camp so far, just being able to put what we’ve been working out on the field. It doesn’t matter if it was preseason, the vets were emphasizing how much that game means.”

The receiver adds he’s trying to put his best foot forward, hoping not to squander a second chance at making the Roughriders.

“I feel good with what I’ve done so far in camp,” Janneh said.

“I feel like I’ve had a really, really good camp, and the past two preseason games, I feel like I’m doing really, really well.”

“For me, the big thing is just continuing that momentum and not slacking off. Everything’s still an evaluation here and if I take off this last week, I might not be here the week after.”

Mace likened the final week of training camp to a job interview.

While there are no full speed, game action reps to take, coaches are not letting players off the hook.

“We can’t lose sight about what this is. We’re still in camp,” Mace reiterated.

Teams have until Saturday to make final roster decisions.