Free agency signings should help Riders
By Greg Buchanan
After back-to-back disappointing seasons, Saskatchewan Roughriders general manager Jeremy O’Day, knew changes had to be made when the CFL free agency period opened on Tuesday.
The Roughriders finished 6-12 in 2022 and 2023, having missed the playoffs both years and closing those campaigns on seven-game losing streaks. As a result, head coach Craig Dickenson was out of a job. as his contract was not renewed after the 2023 season. On the other hand Jeremy O’Day signed a three-year contract extension as GM and vice-president of football operations in October of last year. O’Day came out of the starting gate quickly on Day 1 of free agency, signing five players: American offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick, American running back A.J. Ouellette, American linebacker Jameer Thurman, American defensive lineman Malik Carney, and American cornerback Jalon Edwards-Cooper.
Dickenson, who had a 34-34 record in four seasons as head coach, was replaced by Corey Mace. He will serve as both head coach and defensive coordinator, with special teams coordinator Kent Maugeri being the lone returnee to the staff. Mace joined the Riders after two seasons as defensive coordinator for the Toronto Argonauts (2022-23) and five seasons as defensive line coach for the Calgary Stampeders (2016-21). O’Day recognized that the 38-year-old Mace, who signed a three-year deal in November, would be of great assistance in recruiting players when interviewing him for the job. Mace, who won Grey Cup titles as a coach in Calgary (2018) and Toronto (2022), and as a player with the Stampeders (2014), isn’t the only newcomer to the Riders with Grey Cup pedigree. Hardrick won two Grey Cups with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021, while Ouellette captured a Grey Cup with the Argos in 2022.
Adding players and coaches with championship experience was important to O’Day. It certainly helps when you have guys that have won championships and won Grey Cups and know what it takes to win Grey Cups.
The work behind the scenes right now will go a long way to put the nightmare of the last two seasons behind them.