Jamie Nye: Free agency quiet, but good for Riders

When Chris Jones was hired in December of 2015, it was clear the Roughriders wanted to someday become as consistently dominant as the Calgary Stampeders.

Free agency is a sign they’re getting there. This off-season Chris Jones has made a bold move or two to acquire Charleston Hughes and Zach Collaros, but those were pieces that were necessary to fill holes.

However, for the most part, Chris Jones can trim the fat, like cutting Derek Dennis and believe in his scouting to fill out his roster.

Decisions are made not to overpay for a player like Nic Demski or A.C. Leonard but spend some cash to fill another hole at national defensive tackle with Zack Evans.

Look at the last two seasons. The Riders were free agent ‘winners’ in the eyes of me and many others but in retrospect, there isn’t much to show for it.

They’re the prime example that teams make more mistakes in free agency than the alternative.

Jones has a roster that can win now, similar to John Hufnagel in Calgary, so why mess with it?