Former all-star wide receiver Derel Walker has signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Walker has spent most of his 7-year CFL career playing in Edmonton besides a one year stop in Toronto during the 2019 season.
The 6’2 American receiver will be 32 once the CFL season gets underway and Walker will look to rebound from two subpar seasons while playing with the Edmonton Elks. In the 2 years following the cancelled 2020 CFL season he only managed 1 receiving touchdown. Walker has 33 career receiving touchdowns and has amassed 6653 total receiving yards in his 7-year CFL career.
The Roughriders signed quarterback Trevor Harris on the opening day of CFL free agency. Walker previously played with Harris in Edmonton and his familiarity with Harris played a role in Walker’s signing with Saskatchewan.
Riderville.com
Walker seemed to place some of the blame on Edmonton’s quarterbacks the past two seasons while he was being interviewed by 620 CKRM after his signing with Saskatchewan. Walker said, “I wouldn’t say that (Elks’ QBs) are the best.” His comments will surely make the next Elks vs. Roughriders game interesting.
Walker also played a handful of NFL pre-season games with the Tennessee Titans and Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the 2014 & 2017 NFL pre-seasons. The multiple time CFL All-Star never was able to catch on with either NFL team though and ultimately plied his trade in the CFL.
The Texas A&M standout had his best CFL season in 2016 while playing with the formerly known as Edmonton Eskimos. He recorded 10 touchdowns along with 1589 receiving yards. While his prime years are likely behind him the change of scenery and past-connection with Trevor Harris may lead to Walker returning to form in the Wheat Province.
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David Tress
March 7, 2023 at 10:41 am
To catch for 800 yards in the CFL is still respectable. Derel Walker is still one of the elite receivers in the CFL when he is healthy. Most folks south of the border will remember him for that bomb from Johnny Manziel which he caught in the last minutes of the 2013 Chick-Fil-A Bowl, during that epic comeback victory. He makes the Roughriders receiving corps look respectable.