REGINA — Craig Dickenson has settled on a defensive co-ordinator.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach announced Friday that defensive back coach Jason Shivers has been promoted to the post. He replaces Chris Jones, who resigned as the club's vice-president of football operations, general manager, head coach and defensive co-ordinator to become an assistant coach with the NFL's Cleveland Browns.
"I have had the opportunity to work alongside Jason for several years now," Dickenson said in a statement. "He is a very intelligent coach and communicator.
"He earns the players respect and they feed off his energy and work ethic."
Shivers is entering his fourth season with Saskatchewan.
"I look forward to continuing to work with this coaching staff and the talented group of players," Shivers said. "Saskatchewan is a great place to be a coach and I can't wait to get back to work.”
Shivers played defensive back in the CFL with Toronto (2007-09) and Hamilton (2010-11) before entering the coaching ranks with the Argonauts in 2013 before spending two seasons in Edmonton, winning a Grey Cup in 2015.
ARGOS SIGN FOUR
The Toronto Argonauts have re-signed defensive backs Jermaine Gabriel and Alden Darby, fullback Simon Gingras-Gagnon and linebacker Terrance Plummer.
Darby and Gingras-Gagnon signed through the 2020 season while Gabriel and Plummer signed one-year deals.
Darby, 26, registered 63 tackles, two interceptions (returning one for a TD) and also scored on a fumble recovery. The five-foot-11, 195-pound American is entering his third season with Toronto after spending time in the NFL with San Diego, Pittsburgh and New Orleans.
The six-foot, 210-pound Gingras-Gagnon appeared in eight games last year, his rookie CFL campaign. Toronto selected Gingras-Gagnon in the fourth round of the 2018 CFL draft out of Laval.
Gabriel, 28, heads into his seventh season with the Argos. The Toronto native has appeared in 83 career games, registering 200 tackles, 37 special-teams tackles, five sacks and four forced fumbles.
Plummer, 25, played in just three games last year due to injury. He appeared in 17 games in 2017, recording 32 tackles and six special-teams tackles and also had a key pick-six in the East final versus Saskatchewan.
REDBLACKS RE-SIGN KLASSEN
Canadian defensive lineman Michael Klassen signed a two-year contract extension with the Ottawa Redblacks.
The six-foot-five, 285-pound Calgary native posted career highs in tackles (28) and sacks (four) last season, his first in Ottawa. Previously, Klassen spent time with Montreal and Calgary.
In 79 career CFL games, Klassen has 86 tackles and 12 sacks.
WALL RETURNS TO STAMPS
The Calgary Stampeders have re-signed veteran American defensive back Jamar Wall.
The Texas Tech product was one of the team captains for the Stamps last year. He started 15 regular-season games and two playoff games, recording an interception in Calgary's Grey Cup win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
Wall, 31, finished the season with 36 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries and three knockdowns.
"It's good to be back with my teammates and the organization that gave me an opportunity seven years ago," said Wall. "It's going to be fun showing my versatility and ability to play at a high level at my age."
The Canadian Press
