Patience paying off for Redblacks wide receiver
One year after knee injury, Paden will be back in the game on Saturday
Three hundred and sixty-five days is exactly how much time will have passed between the last time Khalil Paden played a regular-season game for the Ottawa Redblacks and his next one Saturday night against the Edmonton Eskimos.
“I’m just grateful to have the opportunity to do what I love and go play football,” Paden, a 26-year-old wide receiver, said following practice Thursday.
Paden played 10 games in the Redblacks’ first Canadian Football League season, but only one in 2015.
He made one catch for 16 yards against Montreal on Aug. 7, but a hit by Alouettes safety Marc- Olivier Brouillette after Paden jumped for another throw damaged medial and posterior collateral ligaments in one knee.
Surgery was not required, however, and Paden said the rehabilitation focused on strengthening muscles around the knee had him believing he was faster than he was before the injury.
After being on the active roster, but being a last-hour scratch for recent games, he’s expected to start at wide receiver Saturday in place of Jake Harty.
“I have been practising every week, I’ve been taking first-team reps, I’ve been doing scout-team, so I can compete at the highest level right now,” Paden said. “I’m not worried about (being at game speed) at all.”
Moton Hopkins, who fractured a wrist bone just before the regular season started, should line up at defensive tackle. As well, Jamill Smith, who broke a rib June 30 at Montreal, will come off the sixgame injured list early as kick returner and backup receiver.
Likely to have six-game injured list assignments extended Friday are offensive lineman Nolan MacMillan (wrist), defensive back Mikaël Charland (groin), punter Ronnie Pfeffer (ankle), defensive lineman Nigel Romick (arm/shoulder) and running back William Powell (Achilles).
Fullback Brendan Gillanders (knee) will shift to the one-game list. He should debut as a Redblack after the bye week, meaning Aug. 19 against the Alouettes.
Meanwhile, kicker Chris Milo was back at practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s session while attending the birth of his first child. Daughter Mikaela and mother Véronique Gauthier were doing well, he reported.