Jovon Johnson would love to get his hands on a Grey Cup ring with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
That’s not overconfidence on the part of the newly signed 33-year-old defensive back. Instead, it’s a sign of regret that Johnson sold the ring he received after the Roughriders won the 2007 Grey Cup — a game in which he didn’t participate.
Saskatchewan put Johnson on the practice roster prior to the CFL’s championship game in ’07, so he sold the bauble he received for being on that team because he didn’t feel he had earned it.
He has been feeling seller’s remorse for 10 years.
“I’ve regretted selling it since the days that I actually sold it,” Johnson said Monday, when it was announced the Roughriders had added him to their practice roster — again. “I wish I could get it back.
“I’m going to talk to some people in the organization and see if there’s some way that I could get it back because I do want it back.”
Johnson played two games with the Roughriders in 2007, then signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in April of 2008. He spent six seasons with the Bombers and two with the Ottawa Redblacks before joining the Montreal Alouettes in 2016.
The 5-foot-9, 188-pound product of Erie, Pa., went to training camp with the Als this season but was cut. He subsequently got a phone call from Roughriders assistant vice-president of football operations and personnel John Murphy, whom Johnson knew from their days in Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan’s secondary is in flux, thanks to a rash of injuries in camp and the pre-season. If Johnson figures out the Roughriders’ defence in the next couple of days, he could be inserted into the starting lineup for Thursday’s game against the host Alouettes.
“Jovon has got a lot of experience in the league and he has been a great player in the league for a while,” said Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones. “Not only that, he has gone against some of these (Montreal receivers) for a couple of years.
“It’s a good opportunity for him to get back on the field and a good opportunity for us to have a veteran DB out there.”
Johnson doesn’t have any doubts that he’ll be ready to go Thursday.
“I’ve seen pretty much every defence in this league,” he said. “I’ve been on four or five different teams. It’s all relatively the same, but (with) different terminology and things like that. You kind of catch on to what they want to do and you get it quickly.”
Johnson joins a group of Saskatchewan defensive backs that includes seasoned veterans like Mike Edem, Ed Gainey and Jeff Hecht, but also some younger players like Kacy Rodgers II, Chris Lyles and Sam Williams.
Johnson, who was named the CFL’s most outstanding defensive player in 2011, can provide leadership to the younger DBs. He also can show them the ropes, just as others did for him in ’07.
“When I first got here, I was a young kid from the NFL, a hothead, itching to get on the field and make a play,” Johnson said. “Guys like Eddie Davis, James Johnson and those guys who were here at that time, they had a really tight group and they showed me the way.
“It helped me become a better pro. It also taught me a lot about myself, that you have to be able to control your emotions and be able to learn. It’s OK to take the backseat and let the guys who have been around show you the way.”
Johnson also will be a source of information for the Roughriders as they prepare for Thursday’s game.
He plans to meet with his fellow DBs to tell them everything he can about the Als’ receivers. He also will huddle with Saskatchewan’s offensive coaches and players to tell them about Montreal’s defence.
“The guy’s coming from the team that we’re going to play this week, so of course we’re going to get the inside scoop from him,” Roughriders quarterback Kevin Glenn said. “We’re not going to get the information and not use it to our advantage. But we still have to play the game.”
Johnson’s addition was one of three announced by the Roughriders on Monday. National linebacker Dillon Grondin and international linebacker Jordan Burton also were added to the practice roster.
Jones admitted he and his staff faced some difficult decisions on cutdown day Saturday, especially when it came to players who didn’t get to fully show their abilities in training camp because they were injured.
“It’s tough to play when you’re hurt,” Jones said. “The reality is the (regular-season) games are coming, we’ve got a salary cap to adhere to and so we have to make the necessary decisions for our football club.”
One injured player who was released was quarterback Vince Young, who sustained a torn hamstring during a training-camp session June 6 in Saskatoon.
The injury brought to an abrupt halt the attempted comeback by the former NFL first-round draft pick and two-time Pro Bowl quarterback. Because Young was a CFL rookie, the Roughriders were able to release him even though he was hurt.
“Vince is retired,” Jones said when asked Monday about that transaction. “He has got quite a training schedule that he’s going to have to be on for the next eight weeks. A torn hamstring is no small injury.
“It’s a matter of him getting well, No. 1, then deciding exactly what direction Vince wants to go.”
Calling Young “a good guy,” Jones noted that the 34-year-old QB would be welcomed back by the Roughriders if he wanted to resume his comeback attempt.
