Saskatchewan Roughriders' receivers coach Marquay McDaniel commends the progress of rookie receiver Daniel Wiebe and his adjustment to the CFL game.
"Rookie, eighth-round pick, wasn't too big for him. He came out to camp, and he put in the work. Same thing, even last year, I was putting him in spots, put him all over the offence; he knew what he was doing," McDaniel told voice of the Riders, Dave Thomas.
"Whatever you need him to do, he can do. He makes tough catches, even at his size. He got bigger guys all on his back, making tough catches. But even in a spot, he was in the game, had him practice there since camp. Came right in, knew what he was doing, made some big plays for us. So just a pro. Love to have those guys on your team, and you love to see it work out for them in an actual game."
Wiebe played his first CFL game with the Riders as the team lost to the Toronto Argonauts 40-34, catching two passes for 48 yards and scoring his first touchdown. Before being with the Riders, Wiebe was with the University of Saskatchewan Huskies from 2021-2025.
After Wiebe, McDaniel shared his observation on another newcomer to the Riders, Johnny Johnson III.
"He came in late to camp, so we had to move him around a little bit, but I think he's found a good spot there where we like him. It's more about the details for him, slowing down a little bit, learning the CFL game, because it's a little different spot than where he played down South," McDaniel said.
"The slot up here is a little different than down South. He's been putting in the work, been looking good, getting reps, and hopefully that shows in the game, but I think he will because he put in the work."
Johnson III previously played with the Houston Texans from 2022 to 2024 before joining the Riders. In Saskatchewan's next game, the University of Oregon product will make his CFL debut against the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday.
The Riders will face former players who are now with Ottawa: Brett Lauther, Jake Maier, A.J. Allen, C.J. Reavis, and Habakkuk Baldonado. All of them went to the Redblacks in free agency.
"We know those guys, but at the same time, their defence is who they are. To me, if you're more familiar with the guy, you should actually play better against him because you know what he's good at, you know what he's not good at, you know what his weaknesses are," McDaniels said.
"Then putting in the work, watching the film. For us, it's more so how do they drop, little stuff like that, little details that we hone in on, but I don't think they're worried about who they're playing so much. We know what those guys do, so they should be pretty comfortable."
The Rider Broadcast Network will have the pre-game show for Saskatchewan's game against Ottawa at 2:30 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder will have the game call at 5:30 p.m. You can either watch the stream or listen on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
