By his own admission, Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive back Tevaughn Campbell has a decision to make during this CFL offseason.
After suffering major injuries the last two seasons, the soon-to-turn 34-year-old told reporters recently that he was going to take some time to decide his professional football future after suffering major ailments that caused him to miss 13 games over the past two seasons.
Campbell suffered a broken jaw midway through the 2025 campaign and returned just in time for the Riders Grey Cup run. His luck was even worse this season, as a broken forearm arm limited him to only 10 games.
His concern is not hard to decipher.
So it’ll likely be mostly up to Campbell with regard to what happens going forward, and as he’s said, whether he can perform mentally and physically at the level he needs to,
What isn’t in question are his capabilities if he’s at his best.
Campbell was All CFL in 2025 with six interceptions and had 24 tackles in 10 games this season but couldn’t find a pick. Still effective, but not nearly as game-changing as he was prior to the injuries.
It seemed as if the entire Riders defensive back corps had a bit of an ‘off’ season when it came to getting hands on balls, so perhaps just a part of a gremlin in the system?
The Case for Bringing Him Back
2025. Campbell was an absolute ball hawk during that campaign, with a highlight reel punt return touchdown to his credit. His speed makes him one of the fastest players in the CFL, and he seems to have had some luck avoiding major lower body injuries, so that pace is still there.
If he finds that extra pass-snaring gear once again, Campbell could still have a handful of special seasons in him.
The Case for Not Bringing Him Back.
The age, mostly, and possibly the injuries if they keep happenining? Campbell’s breaks have been, well, bad breaks in that you don’t see them very often. If he’s fully recovered from both and still has that confidence, there’s nothing saying he can’t do some serious damage.
It’ll all come down to what Campbell decides, and odds are good that if he’s coming back, he feels the ability is still there.
