As the 2026 season approaches, CFL.ca has a new series making the case for every team as a contender to win the 113th Grey Cup, highlighting three reasons why each club has a path to the championship. The series is not intended to make predictions, but to showcase the strengths and potential routes for each team entering the new campaign.
SASKATCHEWAN — The Saskatchewan Roughriders enter 2026 not as contenders trying to break through, but as the team everyone else is chasing.
After a 12-6 season that ended with a 112th Grey Cup victory, Saskatchewan returns with much of its core intact and an identity that proved it can win in November.
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1. CONTINUITY OF A CHAMPION
Free agency often forces teams to reshape their identity, but the Roughriders had no reason to. With a championship roster already in place, general manager Jeremy O’Day made continuity the focus this off-season.
“J.O. set the tone,” said Harris of his GM’s off-season moves. “He didn’t rest on his laurels.”
Like any Grey Cup champion, Saskatchewan’s roster drew attention from across the league, particularly on defence. But the foundation remains intact. In total, 22 players from the Grey Cup roster signed extensions, including four 2025 All-CFL selections, along with quarterback Trevor Harris and running back AJ Ouellette.
That approach allows Saskatchewan to build seamlessly off last season’s success rather than recreate it.
“We have experience, we got a lot of guys returning, we know our jobs, and this brotherhood is going to be a force for another year,” said Ouellette during the CFL’s off-season content capture in April.
This is not a team trying to rediscover the path to the Grey Cup, it is one doubling down on what’s already worked.
2. COREY MACE’S DEFENSIVE IDENTITY
Under head coach Corey Mace, the Roughriders have become one of the CFL’s most disruptive units, built on pressure, physicality and takeaways. Last season, they allowed the fewest points per game (22.7), had the third most sacks (43) and the third most forced turnovers (41). They were also stout against the run, allowing just 76.0 yards per game on the ground, the best mark in the CFL.
While some of the stars that lined the 2025 unit found new homes in the off-season, Mace’s voice and ability to get the most out of his players on the defensive end remain in place. In his eight seasons behind CFL sidelines, he has coached six defences that ranked in the top three in scoring.
That consistency gives Saskatchewan a baseline it can rely on, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed by rivals.
“He’s going to always have a great defence, year in year out,” said Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira about Mace’s system.
“They have an identity of what they want to be, and they’re going to get after you, and they’re going to hit you,” added Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros.
That identity showed up when it mattered most last season. In the Grey Cup, Saskatchewan intercepted three passes and sealed the game with a late forced fumble. With a third year under Mace, his vision remains one of Saskatchewan’s biggest advantages.
3. A STEADY HAND AT QUARTERBACK
Championship teams don’t need the flashiest quarterback in the league. They need one who controls the game and makes the right reads.
Harris still does exactly that.
The 39-year-old is coming off one of the most efficient campaigns of his career. He completed 73 per cent of his passes, the highest mark among quarterbacks with over 100 attempts, while throwing for 4,549 yards and 24 touchdowns. He followed that up with a Grey Cup MVP performance, completing 23 of 27 passes for 302 yards without a turnover.
His value goes beyond the stat sheet. Harris keeps the offence on schedule, avoids negative plays, and consistently puts Saskatchewan in manageable situations – no matter what opposing fronts throw at him. Paired with Ouellette’s 1,222-yard rushing season and a dynamic group of playmaking receivers, the offence is built on balance and efficiency rather than big-play volatility.
“We have, in my opinion, the smartest CFL player leading the team with number seven,” said Ouellette.
