Barely three years ago, C.J. Reavis wondered whether his professional football career was over.

It was a painful moment the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ cover linebacker can now recall with a smile, considering how everything has evolved since Oct. 29, 2022 at McMahon Stadium.

“Honestly, after my second Achilles tear, I sat there on the ground in Calgary and said, ‘God, if this is it for me, let me not come back from it. Let me just move on,’ ” Reavis said after Wednesday’s practice at Mosaic Stadium.

“Here we are now, so I think He had different plans for me.”

That is evidenced by the fact that Reavis was recognized on Wednesday as the All-CFL cover linebacker for the second season in succession.

His comeback is even more extraordinary when you consider that his first Achilles tear was suffered only six months before bad luck struck again in the Roughriders’ 2022 season finale.

“That whole off-season, I just trained hard and got back to my full form,” he said. “Ever since then, it has been up.”

Reavis rebounded with a flourish in 2023, registering 59 defensive tackles (including a team-high five tackles for a loss), three sacks, three forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and an interception.

For a considerable portion of the 2023 season, Reavis shared the cover linebacker position with Derrick Moncrief — an All-CFL choice in 2019 and a divisional selection in 2022.

In 2023, they were both listed at that position on the depth chart 11 times, with one of them starting and the other classified as the Designated American.

Now with the Stampeders, Moncrief provided strong competition for Reavis as voters determined the top performers.

“Shout-out to ’Crief,” Reavis said. “He could have won it, too.

“When he talked to me, he told me, ‘Not many guys know your story.’ He was just telling me that he’s proud of me. I appreciate him, honestly, showing me how to be a pro, showing me how to be a vet. He made me feel great.”

Reavis extended his gratitude to Jeremy O’Day (Vice-President of Football Operations and General Manager) and Kyle Carson (Assistant GM) “for bringing me back after those two Achilles injuries.”

Reavis continued: “I know how it goes. In pro sports, that opportunity isn’t always granted so I’m grateful for that, for sure.”

The gratitude extends to back-to-back All-CFL laurels.

“I feel like God is amazing,” Reavis said. “When I first got this job and got my chance to start, I wanted to be an all-star every time, so I feel like I’m on a good roll right now.”

So is the team, which is poised to oppose the B.C. Lions in Saturday’s Western Final (5:30 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).

Saskatchewan earned a first-round playoff bye after posting a league-best 12-6 record.

The 6-foot-0, 198-pound Reavis continued to contribute whenever and wherever he could. Although he earned All-CFL accolades as a cover linebacker, he made three starts at safety.

In the second of those three games, he helped the Roughriders defeat the visiting Toronto Argonauts 27-19 on Oct. 10 to clinch first place in the West Division.

“I was honestly nervous about not getting (all-star recognition) because of my switch to safety, but I leave it in God’s hands and just let Him construct my will,” Reavis said. “I’ll just follow His steps, wherever that may take me.”

Reavis kept the faith even when the conventionally simple act of taking a step was excruciating, as was the case barely 10 minutes into that fateful game in Calgary three years ago.

“I wouldn’t wish that on my worst enemy, to be honest,” he said. “There’s nothing that I would wish on anybody.

“But it makes you a man. It makes you a stronger person. It builds your faith. Like it says in the book of James, you test your faith through endurance, with trial and tribulation. I feel like that trial just tested my endurance and my faith.”

At the time of the injury, however, it was impossible to imagine what the future held as he was tended to on the field by Head Athletic Therapist Greg Mayer.

What if the outcome had been different? Where would Reavis be, and what would he be doing, today?

“It’s like the famous Kanye West quote,” he responded cheerfully. “I guess we’ll never know.”