As the 2026 season approaches, CFL.ca is here to catch you up with the 5 Things To Know series. Each article will look at key storylines facing each team this season, while examining off-season movement and where your team might stand in 2026.<\/p>\n
REGINA \u2014 The Saskatchewan Roughriders are coming off one of the most memorable seasons in recent franchise history.<\/p>\n
In 2025, the team finished first in the West Division, looked like one of the most complete rosters in the league and capped it all off by winning the 112th Grey Cup in head coach Corey Mace\u2019s second year at the helm.<\/p>\n
Now, with expectations sky-high and a target firmly on their back, the Roughriders turn the page to 2026.<\/p>\n
Here are five things to know about this year\u2019s Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n
RELATED 1. NO RESTING ON OUR LAURELS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Roughriders didn\u2019t escape free agency untouched.<\/p>\n Linebacker A.J. Allen, defensive back C.J. Reavis<\/a> and defensive lineman Malik Carney<\/a> all moved on, taking with them key snaps from a championship defence. But Saskatchewan made it a priority to keep its foundation intact.<\/p>\n That meant locking in the players who defined their identity on both sides of the ball. Quarterback Trevor Harris returns to lead the offence, while weapons like receiver Samuel Emilus<\/a> and receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker<\/a> remain in place. Up front, offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick<\/a> anchors the line, while running back AJ Ouellette continues to power the ground game. Defensively, the likes of defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr., linebacker Jameer Thurman<\/a>, defensive lineman Mike Rose<\/a> and defensive back Tevaughn Campbell<\/a> ensure continuity where it matters most.<\/p>\n For Harris, that approach starts with the tone set by general manager Jeremy O\u2019Day.<\/p>\n \u201cI think there\u2019s a tone set from the top down,\u201d Harris told CFL.ca. \u201cAfter you win a Grey Cup, it\u2019s not, \u2018good job guys, let\u2019s kick our feet up.\u2019 Jeremy O\u2019Day set the tone. AJ Ouellette is back, Jermarcus Hardrick<\/a> is back, I\u2019m back, Schaffer-Baker, KeeSean, Sam, you can go across the board.<\/p>\n \u201cOn defence, Mike Rose<\/a> is back, Jameer Thurman<\/a> extended, Rolan Milligan extended, Tevaughn Campbell<\/a> \u2014 they went out and got after it. There was no resting on our laurels.\u201d<\/p>\n 2. BACK-TO-BACK ASPIRATIONS<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n Winning a Grey Cup is one thing. Doing it again is a completely different challenge.<\/p>\n The last team to win back-to-back championships was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who captured titles in 2019 and 2021, with the 2020 season cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The last team to do it in consecutive years was the Montreal Alouettes in 2009 and 2010.<\/p>\n For Saskatchewan, the challenge won\u2019t just be replicating what worked, it\u2019ll be adjusting to a league that now views them as the team to beat.<\/p>\n 3. AT LEAST ONE MORE<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n If the Roughriders are going to make another Grey Cup run, it will once again start with quarterback Trevor Harris.<\/p>\n The Grey Cup\u2019s Most Valuable Player delivered one of the most efficient seasons in the league in 2025, leading all quarterbacks in completion percentage while operating an offence built on ball control and limiting mistakes.<\/p>\n At this stage of his career, Harris offers a level of command, decision-making and leadership that few can match. He\u2019s the perfect fit for what Saskatchewan wants to do offensively, and the extension ensures that window remains open.<\/p>\n Pro Football Focus metrics back that up. Harris finished the 2025 season with a 90.0 offensive grade, the highest among CFL quarterbacks, reinforcing just how efficient and consistent he was throughout the year. It\u2019s another indicator that, even at this stage of his career, he remains one of the league\u2019s most reliable performers under centre.<\/p>\n 4. THIS IS NOT EVEN MY FINAL FORM<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n As dominant as Saskatchewan looked at times in 2025, there\u2019s an argument to be made they haven\u2019t reached their peak.<\/p>\n Injuries forced key players like Emilus, Schaffer-Baker and Harris himself to miss time, yet the team still found ways to win. That speaks to both their depth and their ability to adapt throughout the season.<\/p>\n With better health and additional reinforcements, including defensive lineman James Vaughters<\/a>, there\u2019s a very real possibility the Roughriders could be even better in 2026. For the rest of the league, that\u2019s not exactly comforting.<\/p>\n 5. QB2 PLEASE STEP UP<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n That\u2019s not to say everything is settled heading into the new season.<\/p>\n With veteran quarterback Jake Maier<\/a> departing for the Ottawa REDBLACKS, the Roughriders are left with an important question behind Harris. The backup quarterback role is critical, especially for a team with championship aspirations.<\/p>\n Tommy Stevens<\/a> brings value in short-yardage situations, but the competition for the No. 2 job remains open. Jack Coan<\/a>, Brayden Schager<\/a> and Jordan McLeod are all in the mix, while Kurtis Rourke, selected in the 2025 CFL Draft, represents more of a long-term investment.<\/p>\n How Saskatchewan settles that spot could end up being one of the most important storylines of their season.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"As the 2026 season approaches, CFL.ca is here to catch you up with the 5 Things To Know…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":300524,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-601632","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-canadian-football-league","11":"tag-canadianfootballleague","12":"tag-cfl","13":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601632","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=601632"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/601632\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/300524"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=601632"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=601632"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=601632"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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