Rob Bagg had a new look Tuesday — and he might have a new look Wednesday as well.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders’ receiver wasn’t wearing his familiar No. 6 jersey when he took the field at Mosaic Stadium for the CFL team’s practice. Instead, Bagg was sporting the No. 82 jersey usually worn by Naaman Roosevelt.
Roosevelt was injured during Sunday’s 15-9 loss to the visiting Calgary Stampeders. So was receiver Devon Bailey, whose No. 83 may be on Bagg’s back for Wednesday’s closed practice.
“These are my brothers,” Bagg explained. “You enjoy going to war with them because of the mutual respect you have for one another.
“When a guy goes down, it’s not like he’s forgotten. It’s a next-man-up mentality, but at the same time, you’re playing for the guys who are a part of this unit and a part of this team.”
Roosevelt was injured during the second quarter Sunday when, after making a reception over the middle, he absorbed a blow to the head from Calgary defensive back Tunde Adeleke. Roosevelt’s head hit the ground when he landed and it appeared that he had been knocked unconscious on the play.
After receiving medical attention on the field, Roosevelt was helped to the Roughriders’ locker room and didn’t return to the game. Not surprisingly, he wasn’t at practice Tuesday.
“I don’t think that he’ll be playing this week,” Roughriders head coach-GM Chris Jones said. “Antwane Grant will be in his spot. That’s kind of how we’ll roll this week.”
Saskatchewan has a short week, with just five days between Sunday’s game and Friday’s contest against the host Ottawa Redblacks. That turnaround likely hindered Roosevelt’s availability for Friday’s game.
“We’ll monitor his progress,” said Jones, whose squad visits the Toronto Argonauts on Oct. 7. “It probably looks more like the Toronto game.”
Bailey suffered an undisclosed injury while making a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter of Sunday’s game.
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With Bailey sidelined, the Roughriders have added Brett Blaszko — and he could play Friday.
“There are still some hours to do of work and studying with the guys,” said the 24-year-old product of Oakville, Ont. “But you came here for a job and you’re expected to do your job right away. It’s just another thing that I have to do, but I’ll be ready to go.”
The Roughriders acquired Blaszko from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Monday in exchange for a conditional pick in the 2018 CFL draft.
The 6-foot-4, 204-pounder out of the University of Calgary was selected by the B.C. Lions in the third round (23rd overall) of the 2016 CFL draft. He spent that season on the Lions’ practice roster and then signed with the Bombers in June.
He spent all of this season on Winnipeg’s practice roster before Monday’s trade.
Blaszko was thrilled to join a Saskatchewan team that has a history of great receivers — specifically Canadian receivers — and he hopes to get a chance to follow that path.
“We’ve got Bagg and, in the past, they had (Andy) Fantuz and (Chris) Getzlaf,” Blaszko said. “That’s exciting. It also kind of puts me in my place and makes me realize where I’m at and all the hard work that I have to do.
“I’m excited to be here and I’m willing to do whatever I have to do to solidify my spot here.”
Getzlaf, by the way, was released by the Edmonton Eskimos on Tuesday. Also Tuesday, receiver Ricky Collins Jr., whom the Roughriders traded to Hamilton on Aug. 18, was released by the Tiger-Cats.
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The game Friday will provide the Roughriders with their first look this season at the Redblacks.
The defending Grey Cup champions have a 5-8-1 record, but Saskatchewan quarterback Kevin Glenn isn’t buying that Ottawa is a team in trouble.
“When you look at their record, sometimes people look at it and it’s misleading,” Glenn said. “But when you look at their stats and where they rank in the league, it shows the type of team they are.
“We’re going into a hostile environment and we’re going to play a team that is searching for a win but at the same time, they’re built defensively and offensively to get wins. We’ve got to make sure we go out there on our A game.”
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The Roughriders announced the signings of two players and the releases of four others Tuesday.
A pair of internationals — defensive lineman Rakim Cox and offensive lineman Jarvis Harrison — were added to the practice roster.
The 6-foot-4, 260-pound Cox played 46 career games at Villanova University, recording 105 tackles, 33.5 tackles for losses and 18 sacks. The 26-year-old product of San Diego had NFL stints with the Minnesota Vikings, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers.
Harrison, a 25-year-old from Navasota, Texas, played 48 games during his career at Texas A&M University. The 6-foot-4, 330-pounder was selected by the New York Jets in the fifth round (152nd overall) of the 2015 NFL draft and also made a stop in that league with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Released Tuesday were tailback Josh Harris (who had one carry for two yards in Sunday’s game), receiver/returner Joe Craig (whose signing was announced Monday), defensive lineman Montori Hughes and defensive back Mohammed Seisay.
Hughes and Seisay have been on the practice roster since signing Sept. 20 and Sept. 11., respectively.
