Saskatchewan Roughriders' head coach Corey Mace provided an update on receiver Samuel Emilus' injury status.
"Yeah, nobody's super long-term," Mace said to the media. "No season-ending, which is awesome."
Saskatchewan took on the Toronto Argonauts Friday. James Letcher Jr. left in the first quarter with an injury, then the Riders put Emilus in for punt return duties. He returned two punts, but left the game in the second quarter with a leg injury. The 28-year-old finished the game with four receptions for 65 yards.
The Riders were defeated 40-34 by the Argos. Post-game Mace explained why the team used Emilus as a punt returner.
"It's pro ball, man," Mace said. "We lost our returner. Sam's done it for us before and he's a good one."
Quarterback Trevor Harris made sure to point out that injuries at the receiving position is not uncommon for the team from last year.
“I don't know why everybody's making such a big thing of this. Last year, we lost Samuel [Emilus] and Kian [Schaffer-Baker] for the whole season. Essentially, Samuel played seven games, Schaffer-Baker played essentially two and wasn't really super healthy for the games he played,” Harris said to the media.
“Dohnte [Meyers] was out at the end of the year KeeSean [Johnson] missed the last four. It's not something that is new for us to like, oh, no, what do we do? if they can't play, it's just come to work, get better every day and get on the same page. No such thing as over communication, keep talking through things and just go on execute.”
Matthew Sexton was at Monday practice and Mace did not rule out Sexton having a chance as a returner in their upcoming game against Ottawa on Friday, July 3. Previously, he was on the Riders' practice roster.
"It's a possibility still. We're looking at the extent of exactly how long with James [Letcher Jr.], but he's shown to do it for us," Mace said. "He's also an excellent receiver. He had a good preseason, so if called upon, no doubt he can go out there and make it work."
Before the Riders, Sexton spent some time with the Ottawa Redblacks at their rookie camp before playing with the UFL's San Antonio Brahmas in 2025. Sexton also spent time in the NFL with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Kansas City Chiefs, Atlanta Falcons, and Miami Dolphins. The Steelers signed him in 2021 as an undrafted free agent.
Saskatchewan's next game on the schedule will be the Green and White taking on the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday. Make sure to catch the Rider Broadcast pre-game show at 2:30 p.m. Later, Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the call at 5:30 p.m. You can either watch the stream or listen on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
