SportsCage analyst Glen Suitor looks at the 112th Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders remaining pending free agents and breaks down who he thinks the team should bring back.
"Samuel Emilus leads that category — no-brainer — got to get him back. A.J. Ouellette and Trevor Harris are best buddies. Trevor Harris signs a new contract, this is automatic, right? They're going to find a compromise and A.J. Ouellette will be a Rider again," Suitor said on the SportsCage.
Ouellette played 17 games for the Green and White in the 2025 regular season, running 248 times for 1,222 yards with eight touchdowns. Meanwhile, the 28-year-old Emilus played seven regular season games for the Riders, recording 37 receptions for 588 yards and two touchdowns.
The last game Ouellette and Emilus participated in was the 112th Grey Cup, Saskatchewan defeated the Montreal Alouettes 25-17. Ouellette rushed 17 times for 83 yards with one touchdown; he also caught one pass for 32 yards. Emilus caught 10 passes for 108 yards and earned the Most Valuable Canadian award. That Grey Cup win for Saskatchewan marked the first in Emilus' career and the second for Ouellette, who won his first with Toronto in 2022.
Next up, Suitor made his pitch for why the Green and White should re-sign Global defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado.
"I didn't get a chance when we did the games to make as big a deal as I would have liked to. I go back and watch the games over and over again, I look at different players, and their study habits — Baldonado kept jumping off the page," Suitor explained.
"Not necessarily statistically every game, but creating havoc. Sort of the Micah Johnson approach, where he blows up the O-line forcing the running back into his own linemen from the opposition."
The 26-year-old Baldonado has been with Saskatchewan since 2023, after the team took him with the 12th overall pick in the Global Draft. In 2025, the six-foot-four, 251-pound defensive lineman played 18 regular season games for the Roughriders, he registered 17 defensive tackles, four sacks, one special team tackle, and one forced fumble.
Despite being over a decade older than Baldonado, Suitor would like to see 37-year-old defensive lineman Micah Johnson sign a contract extension with the Riders.
"When you look at Micah Johnson over his career, statistics aside because sometimes it can be misleading, if you have a year with four or five sacks from a defensive tackle spot, that doesn't necessarily mean your production has dropped," Suitor said.
"I'm not saying that's true with Micah this year, I put those things aside for and watch what he does on the field. Someone has to block his right arm, someone has to block his left arm, and then he has to be blocked by the running back as well. When he draws all that attention and dents the pocket the way he does, you don't need a sack to be accomplishing something really good from that position. It leaves one-on-ones on the outside, and that's why Malik Carney and other guys can have big seasons. "
Carney set a single-season career-high with eight sacks in 2025 and led the team in that category as well. Johnson was tied for second among his teammates in sacks with six, the same number Mike Rose posted.
Suitor highlighted his offensive and defensive player priorities, but did not forget about special teams.
"I thought Aubrey Miller Jr. on special teams was dynamic," Suitor noted. "A guy that was blowing things up, and young, fresh legs."
The 26-year-old Miller Jr. spent his first season with Saskatchewan in 2025, he previously played with the Edmonton Elks in 2024. In nine games with the Roughriders, he totalled 14 defensive tackles and five special team tackles.
General manager Jeremy O'Day and his staff are deciding who their priorities are to re-sign. The CFL free agency communication period begins on Sunday, February 1, 2026 and continues until Sunday, February 8. During that period, players will be allowed to talk to other teams. Officially, CFL free agency opens on Tuesday, February 10.
