Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace did not gameplan to dip so deep into his receiver room, especially so early in the season. “You never know; you don’t hope for that,” he said following Tuesday’s practice. “You do your due diligence throughout training camp, we sit down as a staff and we’ve designed the roster – the practice roster – with guys who we feel can help this team.” Now, the Riders may have to do just that with six receivers dealing with differing injuries of varying degrees. On Monday, five receivers missed practice – including Samuel Emlius (ankle) and Kian Schaffer-Baker (oblique). Most of them returned to team activities on Tuesday, although Emilus and Schaffer-Baker were in a limited capacity. KeeSean Johnson was the lone regular taking full first-team snaps with the offense. Dhel Duncan-Busby, Jaylen Johnson, D’Sean Mimbs, Johnny Johnson III and Daniel Wiebe also saw reps with the starters. “If it does come down to throwing out two, three or four new guys, we’ve got faith in the guys to compete,” Mace said about the depth of the receiving corps. “You saw that last week. We had some guys step up in the moment and they did a heck of a job.” KeeSean led the Riders last week in receiving with 112 yards. Schaffer-Baker was not far behind with 89 receiving yards. After Emilus exited the game before halftime, rookies like Wiebe and Mimbs stepped up to fill the gap. Wiebe made two catches for 48 yards, including scoring his first career touchdown. The former University of Saskatchewan Huskie says, despite the question marks across the board at receiver, this week’s preparation remains the same. “Every one of us has to be ready,” Wiebe told CTV News Tuesday. “Whether we’re playing or not, at the end of the day the preparation stays the same. We have that same standard, we keep that rolling – whoever’s out there come game day.” Mimbs has played all three games to this point of the year, but has been spending much of his time on special teams. On Friday, he too got a chance to see offensive snaps and made the most of the opportunity – making two catches. “Every week is an opportunity as long as you come in and work,” the second-year receiver said. “If my name gets called and I’m ready, there’s no surprises or anything. I can go out and perform. I want to perform.” While the Riders may not have planned to test their depth at this point of the season, the entire room is ready to respond if necessary. Including Johnny Johnson III and Mathew Sexton, who if put into the lineup Friday would be making their CFL debuts. “The foundation has been set in the room,” Johnson said. “For us, it’s just another week, everybody’s staying in their playbooks and staying ready.” Sexton appears to be readying to return kicks with James Letcher Jr. getting injured last week. “It’s a long season, a lot of things can happen,” Sexton said. “No matter who it is, you show up and do your job and do whatever it is.” “The more you know, the more you play,” he added. Going through injuries at receiver is not new for Saskatchewan. Last year, the Riders were without Emilus and Schaffer-Baker for multiple weeks. Down the stretch, Dohnte Meyers also missed time while KeeSean Johnson was out for the West Final and Grey Cup. “It’s not like it’s something that new for us like, ‘Oh, no. What do we do?” quarterback Trevor Harris noted. “If they can’t play, it’s come to work, get better every day and get on the same page. There’s no such thing as over communication. Keep talking through things; go and execute.” Being available and ready is just the first step. “Availability is good, but you can be available and then not know what the hell you’re doing,” Mace added. “That doesn’t do anybody any good. But if you’re reliable, we’ll take that.” Saskatchewan is scheduled for a closed practice Wednesday – which could be the final decider of who may be available for the Riders Friday night in Ottawa. Final line-up decisions for this week’s game against the RedBlacks are expected Thursday morning, although there remains the option to list some players as a game-time decision. Kickoff Friday is 5:30 p.m. SK time on TSN.
