Saskatchewan Roughriders legend Darian Durant has a sleeper pick for he wants the Green and White to sign in CFL free agency: return specialist Janarion Grant.
The communication window starts on Sunday, February 2 at 11 a.m. and the market opens on Tuesday, February 11 at 11 a.m.
“A guy I think can really change the game for the Riders — Janarion Grant,” Durant told the SportsCage. “That’s not to say I don’t love Mario Alford, I do, I think he’s a great player. There’s just something special about Grant, even when he was with Winnipeg, he was a game-changer. He could flip the field at any given time.”
Statistically, the Riders were tied for second last in the league for kick return average with 10.1 yards alongside the Blue Bombers. When it came to kick return touchdowns, the Green and White were tied for third with one. The team’s primary returner in 2024 was Alford. He ranked third in the league when it came to punt return yards with 801 last season.
The team Grant most recently played for was the Toronto Argonauts after spending four seasons with the Bombers from 2019 trough 2023. During Grant’s time with Winnipeg, he won two Grey Cup rings, one in 2019 then another in 2021. During the 2023 offseason, he left the Bombers as a free agent and signed with the Argonauts. Grant and his Argos won the 111th Grey Cup, defeating his former team 41-24 on November 17.
The 31-year-old Grant led the league in kick return touchdowns with four and earned the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Team Player Award in 2024. Both Grant and Alford are pending free agents.
Besides Grant, the other player Durant wants the Riders to go after in free agency: all-star receiver Eugene Lewis.
“He’s a game-changer,” Durant said. “It doesn’t matter where you are in the field, you have to respect him as a defence.”
Lewis was in his second year with the Elks in 2024. Last year he registered 74 receptions for 1,070 yards and 10 touchdowns, which tied his single-season, career-high from 2022.
Durant believes CFL teams will get creative to try and sign talents such as Grant or Lewis.
“I mean, touchdowns are hard to come by,” Durant said. “Whenever you have these playmakers in free agency, you can be pretty creative and try to get these guys on board.”
Recently, the Green and White signed defensive lineman Shane Rady who is a Super Bowl and Grey Cup champion.
“He’s 31 years old,” Durant said. “We’ll see how much gas he has left in the tank, especially for defensive ends, unless you’re a Charleston Hughes or Odell Willis type of guy who’s been at it consistently; you tend to slow down in your 30s as a defensive end. I think that there’s definitely potential there.”
The Denver Broncos selected Ray in the first round, 23rd overall during the 2015 NFL Draft. The following year, he won the Super Bowl with the Broncos, who defeated the Carolina Panthers 24-10; he registered two tackles during the NFL title game.
Following his time with the Broncos, Ray played for the Baltimore Ravens, then came north of the border to the Toronto Argonauts. Ray won a Grey Cup with Riders’ head coach Corey Mace in 2022. He went down south the following year and spent time with the Buffalo Bills in 2023 and Tennessee Titans in 2024 prior to signing with Saskatchewan for the 2025 season.
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