Weldon Brown returning to Riderville in 2015

Brown didn’t come to Regina alone. He brought his family with him, one that has grown since his arrival in Riderville. His family was again at his side on Thursday as Brown signed his new deal. It appears they won’t be leaving the area anytime soon either.

“Regina is my home right, we’re just getting adjusted. I do have my family in, we’re just taking our time,” said Brown.

The organization is certainly glad to have Brown back in the fold as well. Brown burst onto the scene in green and white in 2013 having his best season in the CFL. The year also earned him some consideration for the team’s most outstanding defensive player nomination. Ultimately that nod went to safety Tyron Brackenridge, but Brown’s name was certainly in the mix.

What makes Brown so important to the Riders success is his versatility. Brown played four different positions last year spending time at linebacker, and various positions in the secondary.

“I think he’s a very valuable guy to what we do. So, he’s a guy we obviously wanted back,” said vice-president and general manager Brendan Taman.

No contract negotiation is easy but overall this was one of the easier ones for Taman to get done. He and Brown just sat in his office one day and spent time working it out. According to Taman, Brown actually got the whole process going.

Brown’s importance to the team was made obvious last season when he sat out the final game of the regular season. The team simply couldn’t afford for Brown to get hurt in that game that didn’t matter.

In that playoff game, Brown actually ended up playing cornerback – a position Brown feels is actually his best position. That game was a lot of fun for number 35. However, Brown will continue to play wherever he is put on the field.

Just where Brown will end up on the field this season is still yet to be seen with a new defensive coordinator in town. For his part, Brown isn’t really worried about it.

“The only thing I can be prepared for is to bring my production to the field. The changes are going to be made, which they’re made every season,” he said.

News and notes

There doesn’t appear to be much progress at this point when it comes to the Riders big three free agents – Weston Dressler, Ben Heenan and Tyron Brackenridge. Taman still feels there’s about a week to go before it becomes clear everyone who isn’t signed will test free agency.

Taman did elaborate a little more on the Brackenridge situation now that a defensive coordinator is in place. Taman doesn’t expect Brackenridge to be lost because of ratio concerns and if he were to leave, it would be because they couldn’t make a deal on the business side of things.

It was suggested by Taman on Thursday that linebacker Sam Hurl will likely test the market. Hurl obviously wants to see if he can find a bigger role on a starting defence.

Darian Durant’s elbow injury continues to progress. Taman feels that Durant is about a couple of weeks away from starting to throw again. Obviously, they are being conservative with Durant’s rehab as there is plenty of time in the off season.

news@panow.com

On Twitter: @princealbertnow

by Joel Gasson

Weldon Brown returning to Riderville in 2015

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