Dennis makes a colourful impression

Musings from Day 4 of the Roughriders’ training camp underway at U of S

Green is the colour of Derek Dennis’s hair. Seriously. The offensive tackle dyed his hair green to mark joining the Riders on the field after signing with them as a free agent during the off-season. The dye job was an improvement over Dennis’s first try during CFL week in Regina. Dennis’s attempt left him with only a green tinge to his hair. This time, Dennis’s sister helped him dye his hair.

Bryan Bennett has made an impression while moving up from fourth to second on the quarterback depth chart behind veteran Kevin Glenn. Bennet, 24, spent the entire 2016 season on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ practice roster and that experience has helped him in his first Riders training camp.

Bennett’s performance has exceeded that of ex-NFLer Vince Young. The 34-year-old Young has shown improvements in his first CFL training camp, but he still needs to work on his timing and reads. Young has shown he can throw the ball deep, but we’re still waiting for him to do that with some zip.

Defensive back Sam Williams earned Murray’s Monster thanks to a pair of interceptions. Young threw both picks, on which Williams adjusted nicely to the under-thrown balls. The Riders have been shuffling defensive backs while looking for the right combination.

The Riders announced the signing of quarterback Marquise Williams on Wednesday. Williams played at the University of North Carolina for four seasons and broke a couple of school records held by former Riders and current Montreal Alouettes quarterback Darian Durant.

Durant’s status is day-to-day after the QB injured his left knee in a practice with the Alouettes. Montreal reported Wednesday an MRI determined that Durant didn’t suffer a major injury. The Roughriders traded Durant to the Alouettes for draft picks on Jan. 13 after talks on a contract extension reached an impasse.