Saskatchewan Roughriders Surprising Final Roster Cuts Include Former Starting Quarterback, NFL Wide Receiver
The CFL’s preseason concluded on Friday with the last four games being completed. All nine CFL teams made their final decisions on who made the roster and who didn’t over the weekend.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders were one of the first to do so Saturday as they made 21 cuts, 12 players being added to the practice roster and three others being moved to the six-game injured list.
One of the biggest names on the list of releases was quarterback Mason Fine who played in 14 games for the Riders last year. He threw for 1,043 yards with three touchdowns to five interceptions last season.
Fine wasn’t the only quarterback cut from the team as Antonio Pipkin was also let go. Pipkin has played for four different CFL teams prior to Saskatchewan throwing for 1,903 yards and six touchdowns with 635 rushing yards and 26 majors in six seasons.
Two key names on the release list were wide receivers Brayden Lenius and Geronimo Allison. Lenius had 471 yards and four touchdowns just two seasons ago for the Riders, but only played in eight games in 2022 and 2023 combined. Allison is known for his time with the Green Bay Packers in the NFL finishing with 1,045 yards and six touchdowns in five seasons in the league.
This leaves three quarterbacks standing for the Riders. Trevor Harris stands tall as the starter with Shea Patterson and Jack Coan as his backups. Patterson impressed in training camp and preseason leaving him as the favorite to be the No. 2 guy.
Saskatchewan kept eight wide receivers on the team with rookie receiver Ajou Ajou impressing enough to potentially be the one who took Lenius and/or Allison’s roster spot. The receiver room was already deep with top receivers like Shawn Bane Jr. and Samuel Emilus headlining the group.
The Riders open the season in Edmonton against the Elks on Saturday.
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