The road to the Canadian Football League has been an interesting one for Saskatchewan Roughriders Ricardo Louis, who signed with the team in June.
Louis, 27, was a fourth-round draft pick by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League in 2016.
Over three seasons with the Browns, the wide receiver played in 32 games and made 45 receptions for 562 yards. Louis missed the entire 2018 season with a neck injury.
He signed on with the Miami Dolphins in 2019, but again missed the entire season, due to a knee injury.
“It was just a tough time … throughout the process of me recovering, I was just working on myself as a person, slowly working my way back into football shape,” Louis said.
“I got an opportunity to play with the Dolphins and I came back, I was making plays and I got hurt again.”
Louis resigned with the Dolphins in 2020, but was cut before getting any game action. Now, his attention is turned to being an impact player with the Roughriders.
“I’m really here to prove that I can still be the guy, I can still make plays, I can still play at a high level on a pro team,” Louis said. “I’m here to take advantage of any opportunity I get.”
Already dealing with injuries and with a pandemic in the mix, Louis said his focus never changed and that football was the only thing on his mind.
“I would really hate myself if I quit and gave up. I still have a lot of football left in me, so I just want to keep going,” Louis said. “I love the game and I want to be here.”
Roughrider management had been in contact with his agent for a while and was quick in pursuing him after Louis did not receive any offers from NFL teams.
Craig Dickenson, Roughriders’ head coach, said he is confident the six-foot-two, 215-pounder will not only make the team, but play on a consistent basis as he gets more familiar with the CFL game.
“He’s very explosive, he’s really quick. I think when he figures out the motions and figures out the waggle, how to time it up, he’s going to be a good football player,” Dickenson said.
It’s a chance he isn’t taking for granted.
“I’m just glad and grateful and I’m blessed to be here now with the opportunity to play,” Louis said.
Louis spent his college career at Auburn University where he played in 50 games. He amassed 1,338 receiving yards and eight touchdowns on 98 receptions.