Saskatchewan Roughriders' running back A.J. Ouellette recently unveiled his new physique, which includes losing 25 pounds.
"This shows me that he's dedicated and he's ready to go," Darian Durant said on The SportsCage. "He hears the whispers, he hears the talk about the Riders not having a good run game and his injury history. I think this is motivation for him and seeing his physique: Man, I'm looking forward to big things from A.J. for sure."
During the 2024 CFL season, the Riders ranked sixth in the league for rushing yards with 1,613. Ouellette came to Saskatchewan from the Toronto Argonauts as a free agent. He suited up in eight regular season for the Green and White last year, producing 550 yards on 130 carries and scored three touchdowns.
The most regular season games Ouellette has played in a season during his CFL career was in 2023. He played 15 that year while rushing for 1,009 yards on 178 carries and eight touchdowns.
When Durant was playing in the CFL, he had to come back from two major injuries in his career. The first time was in 2014, he tore a tendon in his right elbow in a game against Winnipeg, ending his season after 10 games. The following year, he ruptured his achilles in the season opener against the Blue Bombers.
"Whenever you're going through this phase, I've been through it a couple of times, especially when I was coming back from injury, you don't want any sweets," Durant said. "You don't want anything that could mess you up. One meal, one piece of sugar, anything could stop your progress. Kudos to him for having the discipline to do this."
According to Ouellette, he was initially 225 pounds before he cut weight for his body transformation down to 200.
"What he did is amazing, but I think he'll play at around 200-205," Durant explained. " That's the ideal weight for a running back in the CFL, especially the guy who was only five-foot-eight in height, he doesn't need to be 225. He needs to have the stamina, the quickness, everything that it takes to be able to function on the huge field that you play on in the CFL."
The other running back who worked with Ouellette last season was Ryquell Armstead, who joined the team on September 16. He previously played with the Ottawa Redblacks, who released him. He dressed for 13 games while rushing for 862 yards on 160 carries and scored three touchdowns.
"This is a guy that's motivated," Durant detailed. "This is a guy who's seen a team bring in help mid-season to try to take his spot. The motivation is there and you can tell he's ready to go -- just look at him. You can look at the fire in his eyes -- I can tell when a guy's fired up and ready to go, that's the look he has."
