’Riders glad for slotback’s return
Williams-lambert ends NFL tryout as Bears’ final cut
REGINA The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ offence received a boost from a season past Tuesday.
The CFL team announced that international slotback Jordan Williams-lambert had signed a contract extension through the 2020 CFL season.
Williams-lambert, the West Division’s nominee for most outstanding rookie in 2018, returns to the Riders after recently being released by NFL’S Chicago Bears.
His return should help a Riders offence that has not scored more than one touchdown in three of its last four games.
“It’s good to have him back, because he had a promising first year,” Riders offensive co-ordinator Stephen Mcadoo said. “It will be good to get him back, have him learn what we’re doing now, and to get back into the groove of things because you know what type of player he is. He understands us as a coaching staff and he understands us as a team. The familiarity is going to be good.”
Williams-lambert, 25, was one of the Bears’ final cuts after catching five passes for 49 yards in three pre-season games. He had signed with the Bears by exercising an option-year escape clause. His CFL rights automaticall revertedy back to the Roughriders after he cleared NFL waivers.
“He just gives us a proven guy in the receiving corps,” Riders head coach Craig Dickenson said. “We probably aren’t going to change our ratio and we’re not going to dress five Americans. He’s going to push some of the guys who are already out there. We’ll try to put our best guys out there, however that shakes out.”
Dickenson didn’t rule out Williams-lambert being on the active roster Saturday when the Riders play the Montreal Alouettes at Mosaic Stadium.
“We didn’t bring him in here to watch,” Dickenson said. “He’s going to play at some point.”
The Riders already dress four international receivers — wide receivers Shaq Evans and Manny Arceneaux and slotbacks Kyran Moore and Naaman Roosevelt. Slotback Justin Mcinnis, the sixth overall pick in the 2019 CFL draft, rounds out the starting receivers.
Evans leads the Riders in catches (46) and receiving yards (790), is second in targets (67), and shares the team lead in touchdown catches (three) withmoore.
Moore is second in receiving yards (610) and third in receptions (43) and targets (61), in addition to returning punts.
Roosevelt, who has heated up lately, is the Riders’ leader in targets (72), is second in receptions (44) and is third in receiving yards (502). He has one touchdown.
The likely leaves Arceneaux, who has only 16 receptions for 142 yards in seven starts, on the bubble.
The nine-year CFL veteran is among the team’s leaders in the locker-room, but Williams-lambert would be an improvement in terms of production.
“All of them will be pushed because Jordan is a good player,” Dickenson said.
Last year, Williams-lambert led the Riders in receptions (62) for 764 yards and four touchdowns. He was a rare bright spot in an offence that generated a league-low 11 touchdown passes and 25 offensive touchdowns.
This year’s offence has been more productive, producing 27 total touchdowns, including nine through the air.
Williams-lambert will notice some changes from 2018, even though the offensive co-ordinator is the same.
“There are some different things in here,” Mcadoo said. “The terminology is the same, but there are some new plays that have been added that he won’t know..”
Williams-lambert is in Regina, but wasn’t made available to media Tuesday. He’s expected to be on the field during Wednesday’s closed practice.
Notes: The Riders announced Tuesday that defensive end Chad Geter had re-signed. In 2018, he recorded 19 defensive tackles, 17 special-teams tackles and three sacks. He joins the Riders after being released Sunday by the Alouettes … Released from Saskatchewan’s practice roster were kicker Gabe Ferraro and defensive back Solomon Means … Perennial all-star offensive lineman Brendon Labatte (hip) was on the field Tuesday, but won’t dress Saturday. He could return when the Riders play the host Toronto Argonauts on Sept. 28, after Saskatchewan’s bye week.