Roosevelt expecting better year with Riders
REGINA Naaman Roosevelt remained where he felt at home.
The 31-year-old slotback said his agent was in daily contact with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when the CFL’S free-agency period opened.
Winnipeg couldn’t offer what the Saskatchewan Roughriders were proposing, however, and that led to Roosevelt re-signing on Feb. 15 for one year.
“Mosaic Stadium is amazing and that’s what I first thought about during my first days of free agency,” Roosevelt said Wednesday.
Roosevelt started his CFL career with the Riders in 2015 and surpassed 1,000 receiving yards in 2016 and 2017. In 2018, he battled injuries and played in an inconsistent offence, finishing with 48 receptions for 570 yards.
“I felt like it was a little bit of everything last year,” Roosevelt said. “I wanted to be used a lot more than I was because it was a situation where I felt that I could have made plays for the team. It was just something that wasn’t going my way.”
Roosevelt feels the offence could be more effective in 2019 because it’s another season with offensive co-ordinator Stephen Mcadoo and quarterback Zach Collaros.
In other news, the Riders announced their football operations and coaching staff Wednesday.
Jeremy O’day was previously named vice-president of football operations and general manager on Jan. 18. One week later, Craig Dickenson was named head coach.
Other members of the football-operations staff are Paul Jones (assistant general manager), Ryan Pollock (director, football operations), Mike Davis (manager, player personnel) and Jordan Greenly (co-ordinator, football operations).
The 2019 coaching staff is: Dickenson (head coach, special-teams co-ordinator); Mcadoo (assistant head coach, offensive co-ordinator); Jason Shivers (defensive co-ordinator, defensive backs coach); Steve Walsh (quarterbacks); Kent Maugeri, (running backs); Travis Moore (receivers); Stephen Sorrells (offensive line); Chris Tormey (linebackers); Mike Scheper (defensive line); Merritt Bowden (special teams); and Richard Kent (defensive assistant, assistant defensive backs coach).