Rider QBs get chance to showcase skills against Winnipeg in preseason action

Scott Larson · CBC News

· Posted: May 24, 2025 8:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours ago

The Saskatchewan Roughriders' preseason crippled against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers could wide up who volition backmost up backmost Trevor Harris.

Or it could muddy the waters.

The Riders volition formal each 4 QBs in campy — Harris, Jake Maier, Jack Coan and Tommy Stevens — for Saturday's tilt against the Bombers.

"I deliberation it's going to beryllium a large twelvemonth for the team," said Coan, who played assemblage shot with Notre Dame and Wisconsin, and joined the Riders past year.

"I deliberation this squad has imaginable to triumph the Grey Cup. And for maine personally, my main absorption is truly conscionable getting amended each and each time and aft that, conscionable trying to assistance the squad arsenic overmuch arsenic possible."

Maier is successful his archetypal twelvemonth with Saskatchewan aft coming implicit from the Calgary Stampeders successful the offseason.

The fifth-year backmost spent 4 years with the stamps, 3 of those years arsenic the starting QB.

"I consciousness similar it's a reset for me," Maier said.

"I'm conscionable taking it 1 time astatine a time. I cognize that sounds cliche, but I truly conscionable effort to marque my beingness that elemental astatine the moment. And erstwhile my fig is called, I spell successful determination and effort to nutrient the mode I can."

The 4th backmost connected the extent illustration is Tommy Stevens, who spent the past 3 years with the Stampeders, chiefly arsenic the short-yardage QB.

Stevens rushed for 685 yards connected 160 carries and scored 25 touchdowns implicit those 3 years.

Head manager Corey Mace said he'd similar to spot everyone that is dressed get immoderate playing time.

While Harris volition spot the field, it won't beryllium for galore violative series.

"Trevor has played a crippled oregon 2 successful his life, truthful I'm not gonna accidental it's going to beryllium extensive, but we decidedly privation to spot what helium looks like."

Harris joined the Riders successful 2023. The 13-year CFL seasoned has besides played for Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton and Montreal. He won Grey Cups with Toronto (2012) and Ottawa (2016).

Harris said it's astir clip to spot immoderate crippled action.

"You know, there's nary drawstring connected the football, [so] let it rip, person immoderate fun, get it retired of the huddle, consciousness the play clock and consciousness the bushed of each play," helium said.

"We're conscionable trying to conscionable spell retired determination and execute the champion we tin [on Saturday]."

Mace echoed those sentiments, saying he's looking for effort and execution.

"A lot of the guys coming in, not needfully conscionable rookies, but guys coming successful from antithetic teams, conscionable gathering the expectations of what we're looking for," Mace said. "That's the main thing, execution, connection and effort."

Coan spent the off-season moving connected his throwing mechanics.

"I tried to quicken my merchandise a small bit," helium said. "Then trying to go much athletic, bigger, stronger, faster, and past conscionable expanding my cognition of the playbook."

Maier said being capable to walk a batch of clip with a seasoned similar Harris volition wage dividends for him and the different quarterbacks successful camp.

"I deliberation he's conscionable a large illustration of what it means to beryllium a nonrecreational quarterback," Maier said.

"When you spot him up adjacent to the person, you spot the process that goes into it, alternatively than conscionable watching him successful a game."

Harris said determination is simply a continuity that's carried implicit from past year.

"You tin consciousness the hunger to proceed striving for much and more."

Game clip is 2 p.m. CST successful Winnipeg.

The Riders volition get Sunday off, past resume grooming campy successful Regina.