The final test has arrived for players on the bubble

SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Roughriders hopefuls have one last chance to make a lasting impression.

The Roughriders are to complete their CFL pre-season schedule in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions on Friday (8 p.m., TSN) — one day before the league-mandated roster deadline arrives.

For some players, the game at BC Place Stadium will be make or break; they’ll either play their way onto the Roughriders’ roster or they’ll be sent packing.

“We’ve got some guys who are veterans who have played very well and who have solidified positions and then certainly there are a couple of races that are yet to be decided,” Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said. “We’ll let the game decide exactly who lands where.”

Three weeks of practices have given Saskatchewan’s coaching staff a basis for a roster, but Jones always likes to see how players do in games before making final decisions. That’s why the veteran coach suggested the CFL should follow the NFL’s lead and give each team four pre-season games.

But alas, the Roughriders — like every CFL team — get just two exhibition games, so the players must make the most of their limited repetitions.

That abbreviated process continues Friday.

“Everyone who isn’t an incumbent starter looks at the final pre-season game as a chance to move up or a chance to make the team, to solidify yourself or make a name for yourself,” said rookie offensive lineman Eddie Meredith. “I look at it the same way. I just want to show my best self and show what I can do. I’m preparing to that end.”

He’s not the only one.

Defensive tackle Greg Milhouse Jr., joined the Roughriders late in the 2016 regular season and appeared in one game down the stretch. That experience could give him a leg up on other hopefuls, but Milhouse Jr., isn’t counting on that to win a roster spot.

“I feel like I’ve been properly prepared and I’ve been practising well, so I just have to continue doing what I’ve been doing and not put any extra, added pressure on myself,” he said.

“You’ve been playing football since you were a little kid and it’s still just a game. (In this situation) you don’t stress about making plays; you just do your assignment, fit where you’re supposed to fit in the defence and let the rest handle itself.”

In other words, the pressure is off in what could be a pressure-packed situation.

“I’m a pretty positive guy and an optimistic guy and I find that drives me to work hard,” Meredith said. “I don’t look at anything in dire terms. I have a great opportunity here. I don’t want to waste it.”

The Roughriders still have decisions to make all over the roster.

The starting quarterback position is set with Kevin Glenn, but the backup spot is still up in the air. Brandon Bridge may have the inside track based on his showing in Saskatchewan’s 25-25 pre-season tie with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday, but Bryan Bennett and Marquise Williams are right there.

Who’s going to be the No. 1 tailback also remains a question. Anthony Allen, Cameron Marshall and Greg Morris are among the candidates (with Kienan LaFrance currently on the shelf) so Jones and his staff face a decision there.

“The coaches decide what goes on in their room and we just play,” Marshall said. “I’m just going to take whatever opportunities I get Friday — just like I know Anthony, Greg, Quincy (Walden) and (Johnathon) Thebaud are going to do.”

The offensive line and receiving corps are loaded with veterans, so there aren’t many uncertainties there. The only real questions involve backups, so prospects will have to stake their claims Friday.

Defensively, there are some holes to fill in the starting lineup.

The secondary has two vacancies on the field side, with CFL rookies Crezdon Butler and Mark Roberts currently holding down the halfback and cornerback spots, respectively. They’ll need strong showings Friday to hold off players like Warren Gatewood and Chris Lyles.

CFL neophytes Erick Dargan and Sam Williams are slated to start at the outside linebacker spots Friday, but others will be pushing them. And, with A.C. Leonard and Jonathan Newsome out with injuries, someone could lay claim to a spot at defensive end.

One of those hopefuls is Davis Tull who, like many other CFL rookies, spent training camp getting used to new surroundings.

“I feel good about it,” Tull said. “Obviously, you could always do better. You’ve got to clean up things and keep working at it every day no matter where you are.

“But so far, I feel like I’ve learned a lot and picked up a lot from Coach (Ed) Philion while learning the nuances of a new position, a new defence and a totally new game, really. It has been fun learning it all.”

Now comes the final test for Tull and others like him. When the lights come on at BC Place on Friday, some of the Roughriders’ newcomers will fit into the coaches’ roster blueprint — and others won’t.

“There are some good players who we’re going to have to put on the street, really good kids who have worked hard and done some good things,” Jones said. “Then there will probably be a veteran or two who we have to release.

“It’s never easy when you’ve been around somebody who has worked hard for you.”

EXTRAS: The Roughriders announced Thursday the signing of defensive lineman D.J. Pettway, a 24-year-old product of Pensacola, Fla. The 6-foot-2, 270-pound Pettway played at the University of Alabama before signing with the NFL’s New Orleans Saints in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. To make room on the roster, Saskatchewan released national receiver Mitchell Baines.