Saskatchewan Roughriders’ head coach Corey Mace doesn't want to rush A.J. Ouellette and Rolan Milligan Jr.'s recovery.
"They've been cleared to practice. We’ll still take a look at everything and see if they're good to go for the game," Mace said.
"To get these guys out here, to be able to see if they can, that's been a positive for us."
The Riders won their first game in the 2025 CFL regular season when the Green and White beat the Ottawa Redblacks 31-26. During that tilt, Ouellette and Milligan Jr. were forced to leave the game with head injuries.
Ouellette likes his team’s progression with regard to how the group’s preparing for Week 2 in the CFL.
"Take off day by day, improve yourself, fix the mistakes that we had during the game," Ouellette said to voice of the Riders, Dave Thomas. "O-line’s working great together."
From last year to this season, Ouellette admires the camaraderie among the offensive linemen and was not surprised that unit ranked high in the CFL’s honour roll awards.
"Everybody that's up there, we've gotten to know from last year. Even changing positions, you still know how they're going to block, what their mindsets are and how they're going to move," Ouellette said. "Chemistry is always improving, but we're light years ahead of last year.”
A valuable asset to Ouellette and the Riders’ running backs is Andrew Harris who was added to the coaching staff this year.
"A running back and a master at this position," Ouellette said. "Even on great plays, he can always find something to improve on. Best running back coach in the league. We just got to follow."
Ouellette and Harris were teammates with the Toronto Argonauts from 2022 through 2023 and won a Grey Cup together.
"We can still joke like we were teammates, but we know when to take it seriously and get down to business," Ouellette said.
"I love road games, go in there and get a win on someone else's turf. Coming from Toronto, Hamilton fans are always eager to get after me. Excited to hear what they have to say."
The Green and White travel to Hamilton to face off against the Tiger-Cats on Saturday. Catch the pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 2 p.m. and hear the game call with Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder at 5 p.m. You can hear all extensive coverage on the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
