Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Tevaughn Campbell stepped back onto the field Monday for the first time with his teammates since sustaining a break in his forearm early two months ago.
The way he sees it, he’s been out long enough.
“I’m pretty confident that I’m going to come back pretty soon here,” he told reporters after practice. “Just taking it day by day and see how I feel at game day.”
Campbell was only a limited participant at practice, so he’ll have to ramp things up to be ready for Friday’s tilt against the Calgary Stampeders.
Regardless, he’s bound to be in the mix during an important stretch drive before the playoffs.
“My goal was always to come back,” Campbell said. “I never really accounted for it to be season-ending. I just always had my mind on coming back and playing football.
“I feel healthy. I feel as good as I can feel after what I’ve been through. It’s just day by day, getting back to the swing of things.”
It’s taken quite a while for Campbell to get to this point after getting hurt during a road game against the Edmonton Elks on Aug. 1.
“With a broken bone, there’s not a lot you can do after you get surgery,” Campbell said. “You’ve just got to wait until it heals, you get the strength back, and then you can work on physio. Mainly getting strength and range of motion back into my joints like my elbow and my wrist.”
Campbell’s return can’t come soon enough to a secondary that’s also missing Rolan Milligan Jr.
The Riders have been inconsistent in the defensive backfield and have struggled to intercept opposing quarterbacks. Their eight picks put them eighth in the CFL, ahead of only Winnipeg.
The Riders had their challenges against B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke in a 31-24 loss as he threw for 375 yards and four touchdowns. That loss was Saskatchewan’s second straight and fourth in six games to fall to 8-6, tied with B.C. for second. The Riders third in the West Division standings, however, on the tiebreaker.
Riders coach Corey Mace said Campbell is “pretty damn close” to playing again. Getting Campbell back should provide the group with a nice boost.
“We knew that this was going to be around the time,” Riders coach Corey Mace said. “Awesome to have him out here. We miss his playmaking ability and his energy.”
Linebacker Josh Woods was a full participant in Monday’s practice after missing the last three games with an ankle injury.
Receiver Daniel Wiebe (head), defensive lineman Derick Roberson (knee), and running back Quali Conley (wrist) did limited work like Campbell.
Quarterback Trevor Harris (illness) and returner James Letcher Jr. (shoulder) weren’t on the field. Mace said Harris will be fine to start Friday.
