The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed kicker Campbell Fair and according to head coach Corey Mace, Brett Lauther could kick on Saturday against the Stampeders — however, with Fair on the team that decision could be up in the air.
"That's the anticipation, but you never know how that goes," Mace said. "Id love to say everybody's going to play, but still got a couple days of practice."
Mace explained why the Riders signed Fair and pointed to his familiarity with the Canadian game.
"You bring in guys all year. Certainly having another one in the building, I think it's good for Campbell, I think it's good for Brett, they already have a previous relationship as well," Mace said. "As an organization, we're going to look at everything and it's not saying anything other than we got another guy on the roster. We’ll see how it all plays out, but certainly, I think you guys know how I feel about Brett."
Some fans might wonder why Fair was brought in now and not during the bye weeks for Saskatchewan.
“There's a couple things going into it, some of it could be personal related," Mace said. "That's not for me to speak on, but the timing was what it needed to be."
During practice, Mace made sure to put Fair to the test as he hit two field goals, one of which was from 56 yards.
"He had a long travel day, put him in, right off the plane," Mace said. "I thought he had a good day; Brett's had a couple good days as well, so it's nice to have both."
Fair was originally selected by the Edmonton Elks in the sixth round, 51st overall during the 2023 CFL Draft. He attended the Calgary Stampeders training camp in the same year. This will not be unfamiliar territory for Fair because he spent some time on the Riders' practice roster in 2023.
"Not in totality, there are certainly things that it does help that he would know some people on the roster. Overall we looked at a few guys, his resume, being around the league, a couple training camps, he's been behind some good kickers throughout his career to this point," Mace said. "Certainly he knows what it's like to kick around this way, so there are a few things that went into it, but ultimately we're just happy it worked out."
The Green and White play in Calgary on Saturday against the Stampeders. Make sure to tune in to the pre-game show with Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates at 2 p.m. Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder have the game call at 5 p.m. Listen to our detailed coverage at the 620 CKRM Co-operators Rider Broadcast Network.
