Receiver hopefuls taking nothing for granted at Rider camp
With as many as 18 receivers at Saskatchewan Roughriders’ camp, nobody is taking anything for granted.
The two Grants — Bakari and Antwane — know that.
“It’s tough, man,” said Bakari Grant, who signed with the Riders in the off-season after playing last season with the Calgary Stampeders.
“You’ve got to love that (fierce competition) as a football player. It’s like playing a game. You love a game for the competition aspect out of it. If you can get that, naturally, on the field, it’s a beautiful thing, especially when we go out and watch film and guys are helping each other out and then we go out and compete. It’s a competition and we love it.”
Bakari Grant is a true veteran, entering his seventh season in the Canadian Football League. The a six-foot-four, 205-pound California-Davis product spent five seasons with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and one season with the West Division champion Stampeders.
Antwane Grant, a six-foot-one, 205-pound product of Western Kentucky, is a raw rookie new to the CFL after trying out for the NFL’s Cincinnati Bengals in 2016. The two Grants are not related. Bakari is 29, turning 30 later this month. Antwane is 24.
Bakari wears No. 81. Antwane dons No. 71.
“They’re both doing real well,” said Roughriders head coach and GM Chris Jones. “You saw 81 show up a bunch of times today, blocking and counting a touchdown or two. He’s been in the league a long time. He’s been a very battled player on numerous teams so we certainly hope he brings the same thing to our football team.”
For anybody confusing the two receivers named Grant, they’ve separated themselves alphabetically, by initials.
“I go by B.G. — most people call me B.G. — and that kind of separates us,” said Bakari, a native of Oakland, Calif. “I had a D -lineman (Uriah Grant) last year (at Stampeders) in camp who was a Grant, too. The whole thing with the Grants, maybe I could get Grant Sr. on my jersey,” he said with a laugh.
Having a teammate with the Grant surname is a first for Antwane, but, again, initials cut out any confusion.
“We’ve got an A.G. and a B.G., so we have our nicknames,” he points out. “It’s been going good so far.”
Bakari Grant was among the free-agent signees in the off-season along with Duron Carter and Chad Owens, joining the Riders’ deep pool of receiving talent that already included holdovers Naaman Roosevelt, Caleb Holley, Joe Craig, Ricky Collins Jr., Rob Bagg and Nik Demski.
Last season, Bakari Grant racked up 625 yards and four touchdowns on 44 receptions in 10 games during the regular season before adding one catch for 18 yards in the Western final and four catches for 52 yards in the Grey Cup.
Grant has 286 receptions for 3,652 yards and 20 touchdowns through 80 regular-season games in his CFL career.
His first camp with the Riders has been fun, he said.
“I mean, anybody out here can feel the energy — I love it,” he said. “It’s been really good energy. It was a little rough the first days, with the tackling and the grabbing, but it’s been cleaned up the last couple of days. We’re just competing. I got my man, Brandon Bridge, throwing dimes all day.”
Bakari missed the first couple of days for personal reasons. Thursday was his third practice at camp.
“It was good to get the legs under me a little bit,” he said. “It’s good to finally execute out here.”
With a plethora of talented receivers, Antwane Grant is in tough at his first camp with the Riders. He’s trying to stand out for the right reasons.
“It’s hard, but it’s what I’m looking forward to, coming out and leaving my mark, making plays and leaving a good impression on the coaches,” Antwane said. “Everything else will take care of itself.
“I was excited to come to camp and leave my mark.”
The Riders will have a chance to make an impression during Saturday’s Fan Day, a controlled scrimmage to be held at 4 p.m. at SMF Field in the Gordie Howe Complex.
“It’s really important for me, especially being a first-year player,” said Antwane. “I want to leave my name — Antwane Grant — out here.”