The Saskatchewan Roughriders‘ wide receiver Tommy Nield has made an immediate impact, becoming only the 10th player in team history to catch at least one touchdown pass in each of his first two starts with the club. After recovering from a six-game absence due to an ankle injury, Nield returned to play on July 25 against the Edmonton Elks and quickly rose to a starting position as a replacement for Samuel Emilus.
Nield’s notable performances began with his first two receptions as a Roughrider—made during a nine-play, 79-yard drive against the Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 2—including a 26-yard catch and a 13-yard touchdown scored just five plays apart. In the team‘s recent victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Mosaic Stadium, he secured another touchdown, catching a 26-yard pass from quarterback Trevor Harris.
Reflecting on his rapid start, Nield stated: “That’s an incredible stat (…) I’m just grateful to have the opportunities I’ve had these last two games to get two starts. I just want to keep building off it.”
Harris praised Nield’s abilities and adaptation within the team: “He’s outstanding (…) About three or four days into training camp, I asked the coaches to let me get some reps with him, because he’s just done such a great job understanding his depth and timing and how to win in certain routes and understand leverage. (…) He’s one of those big-bodied guys. He has great hands and he’s just a tremendous guy, too. Getting some reps with him in training camp ended up paying some dividends here when he ended up entering the starting lineup after he came back from his ankle (injury). (…) He’s a guy who we’re very fortunate to have and he’s doing a tremendous job.”
Nield described his game-winning catch while under pressure: “I could see out of the corner of my eye that the safety was coming over, so I knew I was going to take a shot (…) Those types of plays, you’ve really got to lock in on the football and be secure through the catch point and know you’re going to take a hit. You’ve got to squeeze the ball any way possible.”
Nield also commented on playing before Saskatchewan’s home crowd: “You kind of black out for a second,” he said. “You can’t even hear the noise because you’re so fired up. You’re just excited that you made a play for the team. (…) That was incredible. I’ve never played in front of a crowd like that. You could feel the energy the whole afternoon. It’s truly amazing being on the field and having that many people supporting me when I’m out there.”
With Saskatchewan now holding an 8-1 record, Nield is positioned alongside other notable franchise players who have scored touchdowns in their first two starts—a group including Holland Aplin (1952), Mac Speedie (1953), Rhett Dawson (1975), Daric Zeno (1985), Prechae Rodriguez (2010), Anthony Allen (2014), John Chiles (2016) and Bakari Grant (2017). Only Weston Dressler has achieved three consecutive games with such touchdowns at this career stage.
Mac Speedie remains distinguished as both part of this select group and as “the only former Roughriders player in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.” The institution also recognizes Hall of Famer Andy Robustelli—known for his tenure with both Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants—with his Bronze Bust displayed there.
Currently on Saskatchewan’s roster is Joe Robustelli, grandson of Andy Robustelli, who joins Nield among other receivers including KeeSean Johnson, Dohnte Meyers, and Dhel Duncan-Busby.
Before joining Saskatchewan this February, Nield spent four seasons with Toronto Argonauts where he won Grey Cup championships in 2022 and 2024.
