Rare is the opportunity to add one of the CFL’s leading rushers without having to relinquish an asset of any description.
Ryquell Armstead didn’t cost the Saskatchewan Roughriders a player, a draft pick or even a negotiation-list spot.
Any expenditures pertained to contractual terms and the costs borne by flying him into Regina from his home in New Jersey.
Armstead, who was released by the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Sept. 3, landed in Regina late Sunday night and was at practice the following morning.
What did he do on the plane while awaiting his next opportunity in pro football?
“I read and collected my thoughts,” Armstead replied. “I had a five-hour layover (in Toronto), so I actually worked out in the airport. I did a little stretching for about an hour.
“I just keep the main thing the main thing. I don’t really worry about the opportunities, where I’m at, or what I’m doing. I know what I bring.
“I know my value. I just keep continuing to work on me.”
Armstead was fourth in the league in rushing yards (623) when the REDBLACKS released him without providing specific reasons, at least for public consumption.
A fortnight later, he is still the fourth-leading rusher.
“With the sample size he had in Ottawa, I thought he emerged as one of the top backs in the league and did a lot of things well,” Roughriders Head Coach Corey Mace said.
“He runs well. He protects the quarterback very well. He can catch out of the backfield. He had a pretty good stretch there in Ottawa and, humbly, he’s able to come in here and see if he can help us.
“That’s the main thing — just getting him in the building. He’s going to have to learn the playbook from scratch.”
The first impressions have been resoundingly positive.
“If you’re asking me about the guy, he has been outstanding in my time with him,” Mace said. “Until I see anything different, I see him as what he has been.”
As for Armstead, he saw himself as a Roughrider well in advance of joining the team.
“It’s crazy,” he said with a laugh. “Actually, I love the Roughriders.
“When we played them (on Aug. 8 in Ottawa), I told a couple of guys that I was going to be here, whether it was next year or whenever. I just liked the defence and how we went at it and all of that.
“I’m grateful to be here. It’s a blessing. It’s amazing. Ultimately, I’m here to work.”
Armstead joins a running backs room that also includes fellow Americans Frankie Hickson and A.J. Ouellette. Hickson has started six of the past seven games in place of Ouellette, who is on the six-game injured list.
Ouellette is, in the words of Mace, “pretty banged up,” but is expected to be available toward the end of the season.
For the time being, Armstead is a “depth piece” whose priority is to pick up the Roughriders’ intricate offensive scheme.
“But can he help us going down the road? Absolutely,” Mace stated. “You’ve seen it enough during his time in the league but, first and foremost, you’ve got to know where to go and what to do, so we’ll start there.”
