Riders attack adds dangerous Cannon
Speedy wide receiver quickly discovers there’s more room to run on CFL fields
REGINA — K.D. Cannon is having a ball with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“This is the most fun I’ve had in a long time, (probably) since college,” the first-year Riders receiver said. “Just being around a group of guys like the people I’m around has been fun. They’ve been encouraging me and keeping me on the right path.”
Enjoying football is a change for Cannon, who after starring for Baylor University for three seasons, had stints with the San Francisco 49ers, New York Jets, Los Angeles Rams and Dallas Cowboys. He never played an NFL game.
“The organizations I was with wouldn’t let me be myself,” Cannon said. “Here I can be myself, and it’s a lot more fun. I like to have fun. I laugh and I play around a lot. I also know when to get serious and when to work.”
In Saturday’s 29-24 win over the Calgary Stampeders, Cannon had four receptions for 61 yards in just his second regular-season game since signing with the Riders in September.
Cannon’s first CFL catch was for 14 yards. He followed up with receptions of 14, 16 and 17 yards, and could be seen trash talking Calgary’s defensive backs after the latter two catches.
“That’s kind of my game a little bit, but I don’t do it much,” Cannon said.
Cannon, 22, spent three seasons with the Baylor Bears, recording 195 receptions for 3,113 yards and 27 touchdowns. He exploded for 14 catches and 226 yards and two touchdowns in Baylor’s 31-12 win over the Boise State Cowboys in the 2016 Cactus Bowl.
After that performance, Cannon decided to forego his senior season and declare for the 2017 NFL draft. He wasn’t drafted, leading to his nomadic journey through the NFL.
“I don’t regret any decision that I made,” Cannon said. “It made me the person that I am today. I took it as a lesson and moved on from it.”
It’s been difficult for Baylor to move on from the sexual assault scandal that led to the firing of head coach Art Briles and others. Numerous football players were accused of committing rapes and sexual assaults from 2011-15.
“It was a scandal that came out of nowhere,” Cannon said. “It caught a lot of people off guard. It was something that we tried to look past and just tried to play football."
But it isn’t always that easy. “Every time I get interviewed, I get asked about it,” Cannon said. “That’s how people view Baylor now.”
A native of Mount Pleasant, Texas, Cannon dressed for three pre-season games with the Cowboys before being released on Sept. 1. Ten days later, he joined the Riders.
“I was supposed to come here last year, but it didn’t work out, and I’ve been trying to get here for a year,” Cannon said. “The Cowboys let me go and I was like, ‘I’ve got to stay in shape. I need something to do.’ I came here, we worked it out, and I’m here.”
The 5-foot-11, 183-pound receiver has impressed the Riders with his speed. He clocked 4.41 seconds over 40 yards in college.
"If he’s not the fastest guy, he’s certainly up there,” said Riders receivers coach Travis Moore.
It took time for Cannon to adjust to the CFL, but he’s learned to appreciate the Canadian game.
“It’s hard for a defence to stop you because you have so much field,” Cannon said.