The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced the signing of five players Wednesday morning – four import receivers and a Canadian linebacker.
Kendall Watson is one of the four receivers, catching 17 passes for 154 yards and a two-point convert in four games with the Green and White in 2023. Kalija Lipscomb spent time on Saskatchewan’s practice roster this past season and Jake Parker attended Roughriders’ training camp in Saskatoon back in May. The other receiver is Dohnte Meyers and the homebrew linebacker is Jaxon Ciraolo-Brown. Following is the news release from the Riders…..
DATE: December 6, 2023
RELEASE TIME: IMMEDIATELY
RELEASE: SR23-148
ROUGHRIDERS SIGN FOUR RECEIVERS AND ONE LINEBACKER
The Saskatchewan Roughriders have signed American wide receivers Kalija Lipscomb, Dohnte Meyers, Jake Parker, Kendall Watson, and National linebacker Jaxon Ciraolo-Brown.
Lipscomb (6’1-201) attended training camp and spent a portion of the season with the Riders in 2023. Prior to that, he was signed by the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent following the 2020 NFL Draft. He spent time with the Chiefs and the Green Bay Packers during the 2020 season. In 2021, Lipscomb attended training camp with the Tennessee Titans.
Lipscomb played four collegiate seasons (2016-19) at Vanderbilt University, seeing action in 45 games. The 26-year-old recorded 198 receptions for 2,356 yards and 22 touchdowns and was used in the run game, logging 24 carries for 149 yards and one touchdown. In 2018, Lipscomb led all SEC receivers with 87 receptions, the fourth best in school history.
Meyers (5’11-186) attended rookie camp with the Atlanta Falcons following the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Georgia native played two collegiate seasons (2021-22) at Delta State University. In 24 games, the former Statesmen recorded 1,542 yards and 13 touchdowns while adding two carries for 30 yards on the ground. In 2022, Meyers was second in the Gulf South Conference in receiving with 877 yards enroute to earning First-Team All-Conference honours.
He previously spent two collegiate seasons (2018-19) at Presbyterian College, where he logged 54 catches for 671 yards and seven touchdowns.
Parker (6’1-210) attended training camp with the Riders in 2023. Previously, Parker spent three collegiate seasons (2019-21) at Howard Payne University. The Texas native saw action in 25 games, making 123 catches for 2,282 yards and 21 touchdowns. The former Yellow Jacket also contributed in the ground game, taking 19 rushes for 138 yards and one touchdown. On special teams, Parker returned 14 kicks for 200 yards and 15 punts for 207 yards and one touchdown.
Parker’s best season came in 2021, when he led the entire American Southwest Conference with 52 catches for 1,113 yards and 13 touchdowns in 10 games. For his efforts, he was named the American Southwest Conference Player of the Year and earned First-Team All-Conference honours. He was also named a First-Team All-Conference in the 2020 season.
Watson (5’10-183) played in four games for the Riders in 2023, logging 17 receptions for 154 yards. He caught a key two-point conversion against the Edmonton Elks in Week 5 to tie the game with just over a minute left.
The 24-year-old played five collegiate seasons (2017-22) at Samford University after joining the team as a walk-on freshman. The Tennessee native suited up for 47 career games as a Bulldog making 167 receptions for 2,064 yards (12.4 average yards per catch) and 14 touchdowns. In his senior season, Watson set career-highs in yards (1,034) and touchdowns (10) and was named Second-Team All-Conference by both coaches and media for his efforts.
Ciraolo-Brown (6’0-200) was selected by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 8th round, 73rd overall, of the 2022 CFL Draft and attended training camp with the team.
The 24-year-old played four collegiate seasons (2018-23) at the University of British Columbia. In 26 games, the Hamilton native recorded 161 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks, four interceptions, four pass knockdowns, and one forced fumble. In 2023, the former Thunderbird was named a Canada West All-Star at the strong-side linebacker position.
