With rookie camps completed and training camps already underway, CFL football is officially back.
As teams start their preparation for the 2026 season, beginning June 4 on TSN, every franchise has one big question heading into the new campaign that needs to be answered.
And the biggest question facing the Saskatchewan Roughriders from the team’s training camp in Saskatoon is: How is the defensive lineup going to shake out?
There are a lot of changes from what was a championship-winning unit last season, beginning at the top, as head coach Corey Mace has passed play-calling duties to Joshua Bell, who’s been a defensive backs coach since 2018 after retiring as a player.
“Many teams would want Joshua Bell to be their defensive coordinator, and it’s something that wasn’t a secret for myself or Josh,” said Mace from the CFL’s off-season winter meetings in Calgary. “It’s something that we talked about and certainly have been prepping and pushing Josh to prep for taking that next step over the last couple years. It was just his time.”
The 41-year-old Bell is technically inheriting a defence that finished top three in points allowed, net offensive yards allowed, rushing yards allowed, sacks, turnovers forced, and second down conversion rate last season, but there’s been some turnover.
Five spots out of the front seven have been vacated and will need to be filled, and there’s a big mix of rookie Americans, backups that have been in the system, and experienced veterans that have been brought in through free agency to fill the void.
Up front, edge rushers Malik Carney, Habakkuk Baldonado, and Shane Ray have all moved on, while five-time All-CFL defensive tackle Micah Johnson retired and became the team’s defensive line coach. And in the linebacking core, weak-side backer A.J. Allen and nickel C.J. Reavis bolted to the nation’s capital.
The favourites to slot in on either side of the returning Jameer Thurman seem to be Josh Woods on the weak side and Antoine Brooks Jr. on the strong side. The former racked up 152 tackles in 55 games across five seasons with the BC Lions, while the latter has been in Saskatchewan’s program for the past two years and rotated in more defensively late last season.
Along the line, Mike Rose is the only returning starter, while American Caleb Sanders and 2025 fourth-overall pick Ali Saad also return and figure to soak up the majority of snaps along the interior. On the edges, a big group of rookie Americans will compete for spots, as well as veteran James Vaughters, who had career highs in tackles (36) and sacks (six) last season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The physicality of Saskatchewan’s front seven was the identity of the unit in 2025, it remains to be seen if that can be replicated in 2026. What can be replicated is the back end, which fully returns the Grey Cup-winning group from last season.
Corners in Canadian Tevaughn Campbell and American Marcus Sayles, halfbacks in 2024 Most Outstanding Defensive Player Rolan Milligan Jr. and DaMarcus Fields, as well as safety in former second-overall pick Nelson Lokombo form an outstanding group. This unit is dynamic, fast, and Bell knows exactly how to utilize the group, having coached them previously.
The stout defensive play, especially up front, was the identity of the Riders in 2025, and they’ll need to replace that production to have the same success defensively in 2026.
