Roughriders Injury Update
Roughriders Face Setbacks: Hughes Out Long-Term, Ouellette Injury Minor Ahead of Argonauts Game
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The Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to practice on June 23 with a growing injury list, as both running back A.J. Ouellette and defensive back JuJu Hughes sat out. The defending Grey Cup champions are now 2-0 after a dramatic 40-37 double-overtime win over Calgary on June 20, but the victory came at a steep cost. Regina Leader-Post reports Hughes is headed for the six-game injured list with a long-term lower-body injury.
Hughes had only just stepped into the starting role, replacing star halfback Rolan Milligan Jr., who hurt his shoulder in Week 2 against B.C. Now the Roughriders must rebuild their secondary again — this time with Friday's game against the Toronto Argonauts just days away.
Hughes and Milligan Both Lost to Six-Game List
JuJu Hughes, 27, is a former NFL player with the Rams, Lions, and Cardinals. He was making his first-ever CFL start when he went down with a lower-body injury in Calgary. Head coach Corey Mace confirmed the injury is long-term. Hughes is expected to join Milligan and long snapper Aaron Crawford on the six-game injured list, according to 3DownNation.
Milligan, the 2024 CFL Most Outstanding Defensive Player, hurt his shoulder in the June 13 season opener. Losing both him and his direct replacement within one week puts enormous pressure on Saskatchewan's secondary. Veteran Jonathan Edouard, 30, has stepped up to take first-team reps at halfback in practice, per Regina Leader-Post.
Ouellette's Status Unclear but Not Serious
Running back A.J. Ouellette also sat out practice, but his situation looks less dire. Mace said the injury is "not serious" and that his availability is "still trending" in the right direction for Friday. Regina Leader-Post notes that Quali Conley and Thomas Bertrand-Hudon are splitting first-team reps at running back in his absence.
If Ouellette cannot play, rookie Conley would carry much of the ground game against Toronto. The Argonauts are coming off a massive 44-24 offensive win over Ottawa, making a healthy Roughriders backfield even more important for ball control and clock management.
Burgess Jr. Re-Signed to Patch Battered Secondary
To help fill the gap in the defensive backfield, Saskatchewan re-signed American defensive back James Burgess Jr. on June 23. The team had cut him on May 30 as part of final training camp reductions. Mace admitted it was a "tough decision" to let him go and praised his camp performance, according to Regina Leader-Post.
Burgess Jr. is a 2024 Aeneas Williams Award winner — given to the top HBCU defensive back in the country. At Alabama State, he recorded 53 tackles, 4 interceptions, and 10 pass deflections in 12 games, per 3DownNation. Having spent training camp in Regina, he already knows the playbook, which limits the learning curve ahead of Friday's kickoff.
Toronto Smells an Opportunity Against Patchwork Defense
The Roughriders host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, June 26 at 9:00 p.m. EDT at Mosaic Stadium. Toronto enters at 1-1 but is riding a red-hot offensive performance. Their 44-24 demolition of Ottawa last week has Toronto media framing this as a "golden opportunity" for quarterback Chad Kelly to pick apart a reshuffled Saskatchewan secondary, according to 3DownNation.
Despite the chaos, Saskatchewan remains the top-ranked team in the CFL. Defensive back Jaxon Ford struck a confident tone, saying: "We're all pros. Even though some of us aren't taking those reps in practice, we're still mentally taking them." A win with a depleted defense would go a long way toward cementing the Roughriders as favorites to repeat as champions, per stratfordbeaconherald.com.
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