Former Roughrider Dohnte Meyers turns $100 tryout into NFL dream

A $100 tryout helped open the door to Saskatchewan for Dohnte Meyers.

Two seasons, a 1,000-yard campaign and a Grey Cup championship later, the former Roughriders receiver has turned that opportunity into a spot in the NFL.

Meyers has made the Cincinnati Bengals’ 53-man roster after spending the off-season and training camp fighting for a job with the team.

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Speaking with The Green Zone’s Jamie Nye, Meyers said Saskatchewan played a pivotal role in getting him there.

“Honestly, Saskatchewan was pivotal to me, and it had a special place in my heart because it was the first chance that I had to play professional ball,” Meyers said.

He said his time with the Riders taught him how to be a professional while allowing him to learn from veteran players and coaches.

“It just helped mature me, prepare me for the stage I believe I’m at now,” Meyers said. “That’s just something that I’m grateful for, to be able to experience, be able to go across the border and adopt a new family.”

A $100 opportunity

Long before Meyers knew whether he would make an NFL roster, he had to find a way into professional football.

That opportunity came when the Roughriders held a tryout in Atlanta.

Meyers paid the $100 registration fee and showed up determined to make it count.

“It was a very intentional day,” he said. “I went out there with a mindset to capitalize on an opportunity. I wanted to play in Saskatchewan. I wanted to play in the CFL, and I believed that was the opportunity for me.”

Meyers said he didn’t approach the workout like just another open tryout.

“I tried to treat that day like a pro day,” he said. “This is the best opportunity for me to showcase what I have and put my best foot forward.”

He even brought his headphones and went through the same routine he would use for a major workout.

Meyers already knew something about Canadian football. His trainer, Manny Rodriguez, had played in the CFL, and Meyers said his childhood mentor was also familiar with the league.

After failing to land a contract following an NFL minicamp, Meyers decided he would attend any professional workout available in his hometown.

The Riders happened to be holding one in Atlanta.

That decision eventually brought him north to Saskatchewan.

Meyers appeared in four games during the 2024 season before breaking out in 2025, recording 65 catches for 1,056 yards and eight touchdowns.

He capped the season by helping Saskatchewan win the Grey Cup.

Meyers said being part of the culture established by head coach Corey Mace helped prepare him for his next opportunity.

“It was a chance for me to be around like-minded individuals and like-minded people with not only skill set, but a commitment to the game and towards a common goal,” he said.

“I just felt like home.”

When Joe Burrow calls

Meyers signed with Cincinnati during the off-season, putting him into a battle for an NFL roster spot.

One part of that battle included an opportunity to get some extra work in with Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow before training camp.

Meyers said he was prepared to make the trip, even if that meant driving overnight.

“Some things you prepare for and you have a hunch that, OK, well, if an opportunity presents itself, I’m going to go. I’m going to be ready for it,” he said.

“If I’ve got to drive overnight, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Meyers said it was important to show that he was willing to put in the work.

“Working hard is something I’m about,” he said.

As Meyers began turning heads during training camp and the preseason, his story also started receiving attention beyond Cincinnati.

He said he tried not to pay much attention to it.

“My dad always taught me, ‘Keep the main thing the main thing,’” Meyers said. “I kind of let the media be the media and let me be the athlete.”

‘My whole family was boohoo crying’

Eventually came the call Meyers had spent years working toward.

His receivers coach told him he had made Cincinnati’s 53-man roster.

“It was emotional,” Meyers said. “Choked up, trying to hold back tears. It was a long time coming, man.”

For Meyers, the moment meant even more because he had taken an unconventional route to the NFL.

“Not going undrafted, having to go an alternative route to kind of hear that, it meant a lot,” he said.

Then he called his parents.

That was when holding back the tears became impossible.

“I couldn’t hold back any tears,” Meyers said. “Then I was boohoo crying. My whole family was boohoo crying.”

Meyers said his family had been working toward the moment alongside him throughout his football journey.

“To be able to share that with them was something that I dreamed of,” he said.

Still keeping an eye on Saskatchewan

While Meyers is beginning a new chapter in Cincinnati, he hasn’t lost his connection to Saskatchewan.

He remains close with Roughriders receiver KeeSean Johnson, his former teammate and roommate.

“Me and Kee are very, very close,” Meyers said. “Me and him have like a brother-like relationship.”

Meyers said the two pushed each other while playing together in Saskatchewan and have remained in contact throughout the off-season, OTAs and training camp.

“We’re just always competing and have each other’s back,” he said.

“I love the fact that I met him and that we were able to grow in our new environments, our new situations. He’s killing it up there, which I love.”

Meyers even sees a little bit of his former Saskatchewan quarterback in Cincinnati veteran Joe Flacco.

Asked whether the 40-something Flacco reminds him of Trevor Harris, Meyers laughed and agreed.

“Yes, yes,” he said. “I joke with him about it.”

Now Meyers is preparing for his first NFL regular season as a member of the Bengals.

And after taking the long route from a $100 tryout to Saskatchewan and eventually Cincinnati, he has a simple message for players wondering whether taking a chance on the CFL is worth it.

“It is the best decision you can make,” Meyers said. “It’s a beautiful opportunity. It’s an amazing game.

“It’s an opportunity to play professional ball and, most importantly, make your dreams a reality.”