On July 29, 2017, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Duron Carter memorably made a one-handed touchdown catch against the Toronto Argonauts, you could count all of Justin Herdman-Reed’s CFL games on one finger.
Herdman-Reed made his professional football on-field debut that afternoon at Mosaic Stadium, suiting up for an Argonauts team that had drafted him in the seventh round not even three months earlier.
Carter’s spectacular, 18-yard touchdown grab, which wowed the crowd shortly before halftime, made all the highlight reels after the Roughriders won 38-27.
Early in the fourth quarter, Carter would score another major — on a 14-yard connection with quarterback Kevin Glenn — and set the stage for a milestone moment in Herdman-Reed’s nascent CFL career.
Leading 27-24, the Roughriders’ Tyler Crapigna attempted (and executed) an onside kick. The 12-yard boot was recovered by Saskatchewan’s Erick Dargan, who was promptly felled by Herdman-Reed.
That was the first of 41 career special-teams tackles — and counting — for Herdman-Reed, who spent three years with Toronto and is now poised to begin his third season with Saskatchewan.
It is fitting, then, that his introduction to CFL combat took place at Mosaic Stadium after he had spent the Argonauts’ first five games of 2017 on the practice roster.
“Playing in Saskatchewan, there were plenty of fans who made the environment special,” recalls Herdman-Reed, 28. “Being able to play my first game in Mosaic Stadium, it was definitely a great atmosphere and it was very exciting.”
Even so, the new stadium — where the Roughriders first played a regular-season game on July 1, 2017 — was hardly foreign to Herdman-Reed.
In March of that year, the pre-draft Combine had been held in Regina during the inaugural CFL Week. Herdman-Reed, formerly of Simon Fraser University, was among the attendees.
“The stadium had just been built, so that was the first time a lot of us got to see inside of it,” he says. “They gave us a big tour during the Combine. We got a sneak peek at the locker room, the meeting rooms … everything.”
Those images were filed away for future reference.
After completing his contractual obligations to Toronto, Herdman-Reed filed for free agency and signed with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in February of 2020.
One problem: The 2020 CFL season was cancelled due to COVID-19.
Again on the open market a year later, he signed with Saskatchewan on Day 1 of the free-agency period (Feb. 9, 2021).
Leading up to that day, he was reminded of that 2017 stadium tour.
“Getting that sneak peek when I was here during the CFL Combine helped me make my decision when I decided to sign here,” he says.
The over-riding factor, though, was the presence of his twin brother, Jordan.
The Herdman-Reeds, both linebackers, were a package deal in 2021.
“We were looking at other teams and seeing who was interested in signing us both,” says Justin, who is two minutes younger than his twin brother.
“Saskatchewan said, ‘For sure, we’d love to have both of you.’ It just made sense.
“It’s definitely the best place to play in the CFL and, along with that, they were interested in both me and Jordan. It was really a no-brainer.
“We definitely wanted to play together at least once in our careers.”
The Herdman-Reeds were teammates in Saskatchewan for two seasons before again testing free agency this past February.
Justin stayed put in Saskatchewan, whereas Jordan signed with the B.C. Lions.
Jordan has come full circle, considering that he debuted in the CFL with the Lions in 2017.
He, too, was chosen in the seventh round, six picks after the Argonauts claimed Justin.
That was one more reminder of how there is only the slightest difference between the Herdman-Reed twins — Jordan being distinguishable due to the birthmark on the left side of his face.
Jordan, like Justin, marked a Roughriders-related career first while playing for a rival team.
Both defensive tackles he registered as a rookie with the Lions were against the Roughriders.
The next 12 defensive tackles Jordan made were all in one game — July 20, 2018 in the Lions’ 29-25 loss to the host Ottawa REDBLACKS.
Justin enjoyed his breakout game the following season, recording his first two sacks — the second of which forced a fumble and a turnover — Hamilton at Tim Hortons Field on Sept. 2, 2019. The Tiger-Cats would win, 38-27.
That was the same score, incidentally, by which the visiting Argonauts had lost in Justin’s CFL debut.
Lately, though, all the road trips have been resounding wins.
Herdman-Reed has spent a considerable portion of the off-season touring Saskatchewan on behalf of the team and the Saskatchewan Roughrider Foundation.
“It’s actually nice to see different sights and different areas of the city and the province,” he says. “I’ve been involved with the reading program and with the safety patrol. I’ve been doing assemblies at different schools, giving certificates to the kids who participate in the safety patrol program.
“It has been a lot of fun. I know the kids appreciate having someone they can look up to, a professional athlete, go to their school and share the importance of reading and take the time to answer questions. It’s definitely a great experience.
“I’m thankful that the Riders are presenting me with these opportunities and hopefully I can continue to do that next year in the off-season as well.”
By then, he hopes to make the rounds as a second-time Grey Cup champion, having initially earned a ring with Toronto in 2017.
“That was a great experience, especially to be a part of that during my first year in the league,” Herdman-Reed says.
“That’s the feeling I’m chasing every year when we suit up and get ready for the season. That’s the goal — to get another one.”
