‘I just wanted to be a part of it’: Riders’ Carey getting used to new colours

WATCH: Former Toronto Argonaut Ka’Deem Carey practiced with the Roughriders for the first time on Tuesday. Jacob Carr has more.

Tuesday marked Ka’Deem Carey’s first practice as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Carey became a free agent after being released by the Toronto Argonauts this season, and the Riders were quick to scoop the 32-year-old CFL veteran up.

Before registering over 1,000 yards rushing last season and helping the Argos to a Grey Cup Championship, Carey spent 2019-2023 with the Calgary Stampeders. This created an overlap with many of the current Riders’ coaches and players, including Head Coach Corey Mace, so Carey said joining the team was a no-brainer.

“When free agency was going, I was in big talks with Mace, he made it very, very easy. We have a lot of relationships in the past, [Marc] Mueller, everybody over here, [Jameer] Thurman, it was just very simple. I saw the team play last week and the way they were clicking and the way they were looking, I just wanted to be a part of it,” Carey said.

Mace told CTV News that bringing in a player with Carey’s pedigree will only make the locker room stronger.

“Yeah, I think everybody understands the player that he is. He’s won championships, you can’t have too many people in the building like that who can push the message of what it looks like to win.”

Carey’s first practice as a member of the green and white reaffirmed his desire to play for Saskatchewan, albeit it in a smaller role than he had in Toronto.

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“They have chemistry, performance, Trevor Harris. I just went out in practice, and he was spinning that ball, that looks great. And then you have AJ Ouellette, everything is just falling into place. I just feel like I can be a piece that can be vocal, anything that gets this team over that last hump,” Carey said.

Mace relayed that Carey will be placed on the team’s practice roster, as starting running back AJ Ouellette participated in practice after leaving Thursday’s game with a head injury.

Regardless of who suits up in the backfield on gamedays, the Riders know they have a talent-laden running back room.

“That running back room, we can say we’re the best in the league now officially. So, we’re just going to ride and push each other, if [AJ] gets banged up, I get banged up, we’re here as a running back group to be the best in the league,” Carey said.