A major player in the Riders offence is going to miss significant time.
Head Coach Craig Dickenson said Tuesday that an injury suffered by star receiver Shaq Evans in Saturday’s win over Hamilton is a broken foot meaning a stint on the six-game injured list. While Evans has not played a huge role in the offence this season having caught eight passes for 87 yards in the 5 1/2 quarters he has played, he is one of the CFL’s best receivers and his loss is a tough one for a unit that has put up back-to-back 30-point games to open the season.
Dickenson admits the loss of Evans is going to hurt, but he feels the team can rebound.
“Anytime you lose your number one guy out there, it is going to hurt, but it’s next up man mentality.” Dickenson said. “I think we have good players in house that can pick up the slack, but if we play within ourselves and within the system we’ll be alright.”
The injury means Paul McRoberts will finally get a shot to get into the starting lineup. The receiver, who impressed in training camp in both 2019 and 2021, is looking forward to the opportunity, but he says there is no way he can replace Evans.
“Losing Shaq is huge because he’s a great leader and a great athlete,” McRoberts said. “I know he would love to be out there with the guys, but injuries happen and that’s the one thing that we can’t control.”
On Tuesday, Dickenson had Jordan Williams-Lambert playing the boundary wideout with McRoberts playing inside. Dickenson wouldn’t say if that is how the team will lineup when it comes to Saturday’s game against the Ottawa REDBLACKS (5 p.m CKRM) and that he will let offensive co-ordinator Jason Maas figure that out.
- NOTES: Several Riders did not practice in day one of preparation for Ottawa. They included receiver Justin McInnis (hamstring), fullback Albert Awachie (ankle), and linebackers Nigel Harris (head) and Gary Johnson Jr. (shoulder). Defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy also didn’t practice because of a thigh injury, but Dickenson said he was basically given a day off.
- Dickenson said with CFL restrictions being eased on Sunday he was able to go out and enjoy a good steak which put him in a good mood Monday.
- Quarterback Cody Fajardo and defensive lineman Jonathan Woodard were named CFL performers of the week for their play in the win over Hamilton. The other performer of the week was Lions quarterback Michael Reilly.
