'Ready to help this team win': Armstead joins Riders after being released by Redblacks

Ryquell Armstead (29) at his first practice as a Roughrider on Monday. (Brit Dort / CTV News)

On Monday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders announced they added American running back, Ryquell Armstead to their active roster.

Armstead was released by the Ottawa Redblacks in early September and the team has since signed former Roughrider running back, Jamal Morrow.

“Ultimately, I don’t know [why I got released]. I wish them guys the best and hope everything works out. You know, some people just don’t see eye to eye in some situations. It’s fine, it’s life, it’s a business at the end of the day,” Armstead said to media following his first practice with the Riders on Monday.

In his 11 games with the Redblacks this season, Armstead had 125 carries for 623 yards and three rushing touchdowns. On the receiving front, he also recorded 35 receptions for 284 yards.

“Obviously the sample size that he had in Ottawa, I thought he emerged as one of the top backs in the league. He does a lot of things well. He runs well, he protects the quarterback very well, can catch out of the backfield. So he had a pretty good stretch there. Humbly able to come in and see if he can help us,” head coach Corey Mace said when asked about the signing.

Armstead leaves behind an 8-4-1 second place team in the east division that can clinch a playoff spot this week. He joins a 5-7-1 third place in the west squad that is fighting with every team in their division currently given the tight standings.

The Riders are desperate for a win having not garnered a point since they played Ottawa when their matchup ended in a tie back on Aug. 8.

“We about to turn that around. I’m going to bring a lot of passion and a lot of energy. I’m happy to be here and happy someone wants me,” Armstead shared.

There were questions surrounding Armstead’s team dynamic and why he was released by Ottawa but Mace shut down any negativity.

“I’m big on making my own decisions on that. Everybody individually has their one way of handling things. When we brought him in, we spoke about it a little bit. I reached out to a couple of other people that I trust and just understanding the man. At the end of the day, I know he’s a competitor that wants to win. Certainly there’s a way we conduct business around here and he’s totally on board with that,” Mace stated.

Armstead said that he’s been working on things that may have been a problem in Ottawa’s eyes and is continuing to be better.

“I just want to do my part. I know what I bring, I know my values, so just continue to work on me. I’m just ready to help this team win,” he said.

The addition of Armstead comes as A.J. Ouellete remains on the six-game injured list due to a hip injury he has been dealing with for a majority of the season.

In the meantime, backup Frankie Hickson and Thomas Bertrand-Hudon have taken over. However, the team has struggled to get a run game going and currently sits at the bottom of the league for net rushing yards this season with 1,026.

“We’re expecting him [Ouellette] back at some point but obviously this week he’s still going through it. He was pretty banged up. Armstead’s a pretty dang good back but our system isn’t really the easiest to pick up so right now, [he’s] just a depth piece. But certainly can he help us going down the road? Absolutely. We’ve seen it enough with his time in the league,” Mace said.

The Riders will take on the Calgary Stampeders on the road this week who only sit two points behind them in the standings. The two teams have not played each other this season.

Calgary currently sits last in the league in rush defence and Saskatchewan is last in rush offence so it is expected to be an interesting battle along the ground on Friday night.

The game gets underway at 7:30 p.m. on TSN.