Carter headed back to defence with Riders
Nick Marshall’s damaged digit has opened the door for the return of Duron Carter to the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive backfield.
Chris Jones, the Riders’ head coach and general manager, confirmed Tuesday that Marshall will need surgery to repair an injured finger and that the boundary cornerback was placed on the sixgame injured list.
Marshall returned an interception 66 yards for a touchdown in his CFL debut during Friday’s 2719 win over the visiting Toronto Argonauts.
Carter started the 2018 season strictly at wide receiver, where he had three receptions for 36 yards on Friday. However, he will be limited to playing only defensive back on Thursday when the Riders visit the Ottawa Redblacks.
“Duron’s not Superman, contrary to what he might tell you,” Jones said after Tuesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium. “He’s an outstanding player, he can play a lot of plays, and he can do a lot of things. We’ll have a guy go on the roster for Duron at receiver and we’ll put Duron at DB.”
Shaq Evans, who was a healthy scratch before Friday’s game, should be added to the roster with Carter on the defensive side of the ball.
Carter made his CFL debut at cornerback on Oct. 20 of last season against the host Calgary Stampeders. He returned a Bo Levi
He has improved on his discipline a little bit and getting his eyes in the right spot.
Mitchell pass 43 yards for a touchdown in Saskatchewan’s 30-7 win.
Carter saw action as a wide receiver and defensive back through the remainder of the 2017 season.
He practised during this year’s training camp and in the pre-season at wide receiver and defensive back. Jones has noticed an improvement in Carter as a defensive back due to the additional repetitions.
“He’s a better defensive back now than what he was when we played him against Calgary,” Jones said. “He has improved on his discipline a little bit and getting his eyes in the right spot. Being a disciplined DB is the main thing that he has to work on.”
Carter said the repetitions are a reason for his improvement at defensive back since his debut last year. He added that it helps having played offence when making the conversion to defensive back.
“I know a lot of offence, period,” said Carter, who led the Riders with 1,043 receiving yards in 2017. “With me being able to see route combinations, it definitely helps me out.”