Everything must be earned: Trevor Harris teems with excitement over making the team

Trevor Harris was going to make the team. From the moment he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, you could take that to the bank. 

But he wouldn’t go to the bank, or run any routine errands that even hinted at a guaranteed job with the 2023 Roughriders, until the final cutdown day came and went. 

“I want to earn my roster spot and I want to earn the QB1 position,” the veteran CFL quarterback said in early May, shortly before leaving for Coors Light Riders Training Camp in Saskatoon. “Before I’ve earned that, I don’t want to be called that.” 

Now the label fits — officially.  

Harris, who signed with Saskatchewan as a free agent on Feb. 14, is to make his first regular-season start in green and white on Sunday against the host Edmonton Elks (5 p.m., TSN, CKRM). 

The Roughriders’ final cuts were made on Saturday in Saskatoon. The team travelled to Regina the following day, whereupon life’s logistics took over. 

Before the team returned to the practice field on Wednesday, there was a lengthy to-do list to tackle. 

“Find a place to stay,” Harris said. “Let my family know they can come up for sure. 

“It was just a matter of being able to get all the things done — the administrative stuff with signing your lease and ‘where are you going to bank?’ or ‘what’s going to happen with this and that?’ 

“It has been a busy couple of days, but I’m just glad to obviously be here in Day 1 and to get focused on the next game.” 

Although the priority is to look ahead, Harris did take some time to rewind and reflect on the first time he cracked a CFL roster — with the Toronto Argonauts in 2012. 

“I was walking up the stairs with Zach Collaros,” Harris began, referencing a former Argonauts quarterbacking cohort and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ current No. 1 signal-caller. 

“We knew Ricky Ray was going to start. Our GM stopped us and said, ‘We’re going to keep both of you guys on the roster.’ 

“They didn’t bring us in (for a meeting) or anything, but I remember thinking, ‘Man, this is amazing!’ 

“I was coming off arena football, making 400 bucks a week, and making 60 bucks a day while substitute teaching. I was like, ‘Fifty-two thousand dollars! This is sick!’ I was really excited. It was a benchmark. 

“That’s not to say that I didn’t celebrate that this year. One of the best days of the year is when you have made the team for Week 1 and you’ve made the opening-day roster. That was a cause for celebration for me as well this year.” 

Week 1 does not come without some complications, however. 

Nine names appear on the Roughriders’ injury report, which was circulated after Wednesday’s practice. 

Two projected starters on offence — receiver Brayden Lenius (lower back) and offensive lineman Philip Blake (chest) — did not participate in the opening workout of Week 1. 

The DNP (Did Not Practise) designation was also applied to receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker (who is to miss the early part of the season following hip surgery), defensive back Godfrey Onyeka (chest), punter Kaare Vedvik (hip) and newly signed offensive lineman Colin Kelly (illness). 

Receiver Juwan Brescacin (shoulder), quarterback Shea Patterson (ankle) and linebacker Derrick Moncrief (shoulder) were limited participants in Wednesday’s session. 

But the practice, as a whole, was a productive exercise. 

“The guys were fired up today,” Head Coach Craig Dickenson said. “It’s a nice, hot day, so I thought we got really good work in. 

“It’s nice to start watching film of somebody else.” 

The players and coaches also appreciated the opportunity to practise at Mosaic Stadium for the first time in 2023. 

“It’s awesome,” Harris said. “It feels like game week. You get to come out to Mosaic and play in this beautiful stadium. 

“You obviously go through the meetings and the install and get some workouts in and stay after practice and watch some film together. It just feels like there’s a game coming up. 

“There’s a CFL game on tomorrow night. You get excited to go home and watch some CFL football. 

“The season’s here. It hypes you up, doesn’t it?”