Matt Dominguez during his workout with the Roughriders.
Photograph by: Karen Brownlee, leaderpost.com
REGINA — Two veterans eager to rejoin the Saskatchewan Roughriders weren’t on the field with the CFL team Tuesday.
One of the players (wide receiver Matt Dominguez) did get a private workout after the Roughriders’ practice at Mosaic Stadium. The other (linebacker Reggie Hunt) didn’t — and it didn’t sound like he would be getting a chance in the near future.
“When I met with Reggie (on Monday), the thing I told him was that we’re going to go right now with the people we have,” Roughriders head coach Ken Miller said.
“We’ve had the injuries, but we’ve had some young players who have stepped in. We’re playing pretty well on defence and the guys who are backing up right now are pretty instrumental in our kicking game.”
The Roughriders have been hit by injuries to linebackers Rey Williams and Kye Stewart, both of whom are special-teams stalwarts. Hunt, who hasn’t played since being released by the Montreal Alouettes after the pre-season, was mentioned as a possible signing if the Roughriders were interested in a replacement.
Hunt, 31, didn’t return a phone message from the Leader-Post on Tuesday.
Dominguez, meanwhile, is trying to return to the team which didn’t invite him to training camp this season, ostensibly due to his history of knee injuries.
Dominguez, meanwhile, is trying to return to the team which didn’t invite him to training camp this season, ostensibly due to his history of knee injuries.
The 31-year-old worked out for about 35 minutes after Tuesday’s practice, running routes and catching passes from quarterbacks Cole Bergquist and Graham Harrell.
Miller, director of player personnel Joe Womack and offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice watched, as did members of the media, a few Roughriders players and a handful of fans in the stands.
Dominguez made a leaping, one-handed sideline grab early on — there was applause from the fans and one shout of “Sign him up! Sign him up!” — but he tired visibly as the session continued.
He also dropped a couple of passes that he later termed “easy ones.”
“I would like to think (the chances of returning to the Roughriders) are pretty good,” Dominguez said. “If I take anything away from the workout, (it’s that) I still can catch, still can run routes. If the only thing I have to work on is lung capacity, that’s easy enough to fix.”
Dominguez ran a 4.62-second 40-yard dash and was to undergo some other physical testing on his surgically repaired left knee. Miller said the Roughriders want to see how Dominguez did on those before making any kind of a decision on his future.
Dominguez said he didn’t have any problem auditioning for the Roughriders despite the fact he’s a six-year CFL veteran.
“Any business looks out for the business,” he said. “If it’s for the greater good that they try me out and I’m not what they need, then I won’t be around. Should the opposite be true, that this is what has to happen, then this is what has to happen.”
Dominguez knows he’s not in game shape, but he suggested he could play about half a game until he gets his wind. He also admitted he would get some closure if the Roughriders decide not to bring him back.
“If it doesn’t work out, I’ve done all I could to be ready, I’ve had my workout to show what I can do and I’ve done everything I could,” said the two-time 1,000-yard receiver. “Should it not work out, it wasn’t meant to be.”
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