Riders WR Schaffer-Baker undergoes successful surgery, may miss start of season

Saskatchewan Roughriders wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker recently underwent a procedure to repair a torn labrum and may miss the first three months of the 2023 season, writes Roughriders senior journalist and team historian Rob Vanstone. 

“We are definitely going to miss his playmaking ability and his toughness,” Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson told Vanstone. 

“He [Schaffer-Baker] makes the tough catches in traffic and he is an outstanding blocker in the run game. We hope to have him back after Labour Day and fully recovered.”  

The 24-year-old from Mississauga, Ont., completed his second season with the Green and White, hauling in a career-high 68 passes for a team-best 960 yards. He was the Riders' nominee for the Most Outstanding Canadian Award in 2022. 

A product of the University of Guelph, Schaffer-Baker was selected by the Riders with the 30th overall pick in the 2020 CFL Draft. Schaffer-Baker saw action in 12 games in his rookie season. His 47 receptions and 563 yards were both the second most on the team. He also hauled in two touchdowns and was named the Roughriders Rookie of the Year. 

Schaffer-Baker garnered attention from the NFL alongside Winnipeg Blue Bombers wide receiver and CFL Most Outstanding Rookie Dalton Schoen. But after not signing a deal while the NFL window was open, TSN's Farhan Lalji reported in February that the Riders' top pass-catcher elected to return to the prairies for his third season.