TORONTO – Mario Anderson Jr. won’t help the Saskatchewan Roughriders defend their Gray Cup title.
The All-American was among 19 players released by Saskatchewan on Saturday as CFL teams made their final cuts before the start of the 2026 regular season.
The 5-foot-8, 205-pound Anderson appeared in nine regular-season games with Saskatchewan last year. He ran for 134 yards and two 24-yard touchdowns (5.6-yard average) while adding four catches for 13 yards.
But Anderson ended his CFL rookie season on the injured list with one game left in Saskatchewan’s 25-17 Gray Cup win over the Montreal Alouettes.
He appeared in both preseason games for Saskatchewan this spring, rushing 10 times for 65 yards while adding three catches for 18 yards.
CFL teams must trim their active rosters down to 44 or 45 players, with a minimum of 21 Canadians.
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A maximum of 19 players, excluding quarterbacks, may be American with a minimum of one non-North American (global) player.
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Canadian defensive lineman Benoit Marion was placed on the one-game disabled list, while offensive lineman Darius Bell and receiver Dylan Djete, also both Canadians, went on the six-game disabled list.
Saskatchewan also placed 13 players on the practice roster, including all-around Tyron Vrede, who signed with the Riders in February after five seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks.
The Riders begin their defense of the Gray Cup on June 13 hosting the BC Lions.
The Montreal Alouettes also released 19 players, including quarterback James Morgan and Canadian Arnaud Desjardins.
Morgan appeared in 10 games last season with the CFL club, completing 55-of-93 passes for 547 yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions. The 6-foot-4, 229-pound quarterback from Green Bay, Wisc., also ran six times for 17 yards.
The 15-foot, 215-pound Arnaud played collegiately at Laval and signed with Montreal on May 18. The Montreal player was the RSEQ Most Valuable Player in 2024 and 2025.
The Alouettes also placed 13 players on their practice roster. Montreal opens the ’26 season on Thursday on the road against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Receiver Jackson Tachinski’s bid to make the hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers roster ended on a disappointing note as he was among 25 players released by the CFL club. The 6-foot-4, 215-pound Tachinski played quarterback in Manitoba but was trying to make a change in the pro ranks.
He joined the Bombers earlier this month after being released by the Edmonton Elks. But a more surprising move was Winnipeg’s release of American forward Kendall Randolph, who started all 18 regular-season games last season.
Randolph spent two seasons with Winnipeg, starting 23 of 24 games. The 6-foot-5, 306-pound forward played collegiately at Alabama and was a member of the Crimson Tide squad that defeated Ohio State 52-24 in the ’21 American College Championship game.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on May 30, 2026.
&copies 2026 The Canadian Press
