Week 2 of the CFL preseason schedule gets underway on Saturday when the Saskatchewan Roughriders travel to visit their prairie rivals, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, at 4:00 p.m. EST.
Both teams are expected to give their starters a chance to get acclimatized but that doesn’t mean there won’t be plenty of opportunities for unproven prospects to state their case for a roster spot. The challenge for CFL fans is figuring out in advance who they should have their eyes on — especially with Winnipeg notorious for fudging their depth charts at this time of year.
Whether you are watching from the stadium or on CFL+, 3DownNation is teeing up every preseason game with a handful of rookies you should know. The only rule: those with CFL game experience need not apply.
“N” denotes National players (ie. Canadians), “A” denotes American players, and “G” denotes Global players.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
LB Connor Shay, University of Wyoming (N)
Tony Jones and Kyrie Wilson are entering the season as projected starters with Jonathan Jones waiting in the wings, but Shay falling to sixth overall in the CFL Draft gives the Bombers an unexpected option at linebacker. The team seemed genuinely surprised to have the pro-ready pseudo-Canadian drop into their lap and though he is still learning the three-down game, they have enough depth to entertain making this a National spot. If Shay can live up to his pre-draft hype and prove his football IQ translates, he could win himself an early rotational role with the potential for a lot more usage down the line.
DB Tay Gowan, University of Central Florida (A)
The Bombers always have jobs available in the secondary during training camp and have done an exceptional job discovering talent, though Gowan hardly qualifies as an unheralded gem. The former NFL sixth-round draft pick was a coveted developmental prospect coming out of UCF and had stops with four teams before coming north. At six-foot-two and 185 pounds, he was primarily used as a press-man corner south of the line but has shown zone upside with plenty of range for the CFL field.
DE Jason Person, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (A)
Winnipeg finally ponied up and paid James Vaughters to fill the pass rush void opposite Willie Jefferson, but they still need to find a defensive end of the future. With 56 career tackles for loss and 27 sacks under his belt, Person will be hard to ignore in that equation. The two-time Southern Conference Defensive Player of the Year was a tweener by NFL standards at six-foot-two and 233 pounds but could be primed to make an impact as a relentless stand-up rusher in the CFL after ending last year on the practice roster.
DB Trey Vaval, Minnesota State University (A)
I try to avoid highlighting only one side on these lists but I’ll make an exception here for Vaval because his biggest impact isn’t likely to be on defence. The six-foot, 170-pound cornerback was a dynamic return threat first at Missouri Western State and later at Minnesota State, routinely creating something out of nothing. The Bombers never sufficiently replaced Janarion Grant last year and Vaval will be a contender to do that, with the added intrigue that he blocked even more kicks than he took to the house in college. That gives him two ways to make an impression in the only league where special teams still matter.
Saskatchewan Roughriders
RB Mario Anderson, University of Memphis (A)
Everyone is hoping for an A.J. Ouellette revival in 2025 but the Riders know they’ll need to find someone to back him up no matter how his new physique translates to the field. Enter Anderson, who has proven his rushing prowess at every level of competition. The five-foot-eight, 209-pound former Division II All-American amassed over 3,000 yards at tiny Newberry College before becoming a key contributor in the SEC with South Carolina and ultimately a first-team All-AAC honouree at Memphis. All together, he ground out more than 5,000 yards and 56 touchdowns in college with his physical, knee-driving style, which could make Rider Nation fall in love quickly.
DT Alex Gubner, University of Montana (A)
There is no more consistently fruitful ground for CFL talent than the Big Sky conference and Gubner ate up the competition during his time with the Griz, earning defensive MVP honours in 2023. At six-foot-three and 284 pounds, the two-time FCS All-American lacks a lot of the physical measurables that the NFL requires but has all the motor and lateral quickness to be a disruptive interior pass rusher in the CFL. The Riders have lots of talent at defensive tackle, but Corey Mace has an eye for the position and won’t be afraid to stick his neck out for a prospect who delivers when the lights come on.
OL Payton Collins, Eastern Kentucky University (A)
The Riders’ injury issues are primarily with their Canadian linemen right now, but they know all too well the importance of finding the next guy at every position up front. Collins will be in the mix to be that at offensive tackle after a distinguished collegiate career with the Colonels that saw him start an absurd 56 consecutive games. The six-foot-seven, 301-pound blocker was on the field for 2,209 dropbacks over that span and allowed just seven sacks — numbers that Trevor Harris will surely approve of.
REC Drae McCray, Texas Tech University (A)
Prior to transferring to Texas Tech, McCray was a prolific receiver for Austin Peay and even earned FCS All-American honours. He never came close to finding the same offensive success in the FBS but showed something that may have even more value to Saskatchewan: return ability. The five-foot-nine, 185-pounder amassed over 1,000 kickoff return yards with the Red Raiders and clocked a 4.46 in the forty at his pro day. That could spell trouble for 34-year-old Mario Alford if he flashes in the preseason.
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