With the loss of Shaq Evans, the Saskatchewan Roughriders have found themselves for the second straight week looking to replace a key part of their lineup for a significant amount of time after replacing centre Dan Clark.
Head Coach Craig Dickenson indicated at practice on Tuesday the coaching staff would be deciding over the next couple of days about inserting either Tevin Jones or Dieuly Aristilde Jr. into the Riders roster in place of the injured Evans. Dickenson also didn’t dismiss the possibility of Saskatchewan starting a trio of Canadians at wide receiver on Saturday.
Riders quarterback Cody Fajardo says it’s tough to lose Evans but thinks there are a lot of guys who are capable of stepping up. “The good news is this team is deep, we have a talented receiving room, I was hoping not to show it off this early in the season, but you know, if you want to be there in the last game of the season, you’ve got to have a really talented and deep team and I think we have that here.”
Jones is one of the hopefuls that is looking forward to filling the gap left by Evans. He noted that the two biggest things he brings to Saskatchewan is speed and a deep knowledge of the game.
The first year player in the CFL is aware that leaning on the knowledge of veterans like Duke Williams will set up Jones on the fast track to the starting lineup. Jones says Williams is very approachable. “He said he was going to help me out, he said if I got any questions to come to him or Schaffer to figure things out.”
A combination of speed and size is something that Jones is hoping to display if his number is called upon this weekend. He noted if he is lining up against a smaller defensive back he will try and use his size. If the wide receiver is lined up against a bigger defensive back, Jones says he has no problem using his speed to his advantage.
It has been an interesting year for the Memphis product. Last season, Jones was set to attend Roughriders training camp but due to passport issues was unable to travel north of the border. The wide receiver would go on to sign with the NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars and was released during training camp. Jones says he is happy that he has gotten a second chance to compete in green and white.
A couple days of practice remain for the Roughriders as they get set to host Montreal for the lone time in the 2022 season on Saturday. The game can be heard on 620 CKRM with Michael Ball, opening kickoff is set for 5:00.
