Trevor Harris has officially landed in Saskatchewan.
“We are just excited,” Jeremy O’Day, the general manager of the Saskatchewan Roughriders said. “We are not trying to put all the pressure in the world on Trever Harris. We’re bringing him in to be a piece of the puzzle.”
The 36-year-old quarterback signed a two-year deal with the Riders on Tuesday, the first day of CFL free agency.
O’Day said Harris will bring a high level of consistency, accuracy throwing the ball and leadership in the locker room.
“You’re looking for a good football player, right? But you’re also looking for a good person, someone that’s high in character, and someone that’s had success in our league.”
O’Day said Harris is already making an impact on attracting other free agents, including players not even in the league.
“He certainly helped us in the process with talking to players and even players that aren’t even in the CFL yet – he’s willing to give them a call,” O’Day said. “He hasn’t even been in the building yet and he’s recruiting for us.”
The Riders also signed Harris’s former teammate, American receiver Jake Wieneke.
“We wanted to bring someone Trevor was familiar with. (Wieneke’s) only 28 years old and he was fired up to come here.”
And for the Riders, one of the most important areas to address was the offensive line, after the team gave up the most sacks in the CFL last season.
Offensive lineman Philip Blake and centre Peter Godber were both signed Monday, and the acquisition of another centre leaves questions on Dan Clark’s future.
“We’re very open with Dan that we were going to pursue other offensive linemen in there. I think there’s still a conversation that we have to have with Dan to let them know where we’re at coming out of free agency.”
When asked if there is a chance Clark resigns with the Riders, O’Day said, “I’d never say there’s not a chance. But I would say going into camp, I think it’s highly unlikely.”
Clark who was born in Regina, has been with the Riders since 2009 and has played in 131 regular-season games.
On the other side of the ball, the Riders are likely to lose their best player from last season – Darnell Sankey.
“I don’t think there’s going to be an opportunity for Darnell (to come back),” O’Day said.
The 28-year-old led the CFL in tackles the past two seasons.
And while free agency news will continue, O’Day expects most signings for the Riders now will be to add depth, rather than big-name star players.
“A lot of the heavy lifting is done,” he said. “I know everyone wants every position to be solidified when you’re going into training camp and always have an answer … but we also have to do a good job of bringing in new players.”