Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive end Keion Adams lines up against the offence during training camp on July 14, 2021. (Saskatchewan Roughriders)

By Britton Gray/ CJME News

From bounty hunting to chasing QBs, Keion Adams looking to make Riders roster

Jul 27, 2021 | 4:16 PM

Even when he wasn’t on the field, Keion Adams was used to chasing people down.

The 26-year-old worked in executive protection and private security, and as a bounty hunter in Atlanta.

“I had gotten my degree in criminal justice and a minor in sociology so just started to get experience in that field. They always tell you football isn’t forever and I was starting to go through that phase. I knew that I still had passion and love for the game so if I was to get back into it, I didn’t want to go into that next step without that experience once football is done,” Adams told media after Saskatchewan Roughriders training camp earlier in the month. “It kept me in shape with the running and hand-to-hand combat and all that types of things.”

“I don’t know the stipulations of what I can share and what I can’t share so I’ll need to figure that out.”

Adams said he did security for Gucci Mane, Rick Ross and Lil Baby among other rappers.

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But while Adams was preparing for life after football, he always wanted to find a way back onto the field.

The defensive end was taken by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the seventh round of the 2016 draft after a collegiate career at Western Michigan University.

Even then, the Roughriders were trying to see if he wanted to come north of the border to play in the CFL.

“(The Riders) had reached out towards the end of draft and said, ‘Hey, if your name doesn’t get called, we have a spot up here for you,’” Adams said.

The Steelers did end up calling his name, but just months after signing a contract in the NFL, Adams landed on injured reserve with a shoulder injury.

Two years later, Adams was released from his contract with the Steelers. In 2019, he signed with the New York Giants but once again found himself on the injured reserve.

In 2020, he would be out of football until he signed a contract with the Riders in December.

“Canada is treating me well. I feel like I’m at home. The coaches are treating me well, I love the teammates. There’s a great camaraderie as far as everyone meshing,” Adams said a week into his first CFL training camp.

Adams, who was dealing with a leg injury of his own during camp, has an opportunity to crack the starting lineup due to the growing medical list.

Freddie Bishop III was one of the four players who tore their Achilles tendons just days before camp. The defensive end was one of the favourites to replace Charleston Hughes, who signed with the Toronto Argonauts this past off-season.

On Monday, head coach Craig Dickenson announced defensive end Tim Williams had also suffered a torn achilles last Friday and defensive lineman Sterling Shippy suffered a broken foot in Saturday’s Green and White game.

As Adams prepared to come to the CFL, he actually took notice of Hughes and what the veteran has accomplished.

“He was the sack leader in Saskatchewan (in 2019) and coming up, I did my research and homework to see who was going to be (in Saskatchewan). I guess they called him Chuck and he was a demon off the edge,” Adams said. “He’s someone I watched and continued to learn from as far as how this league is different from the NFL and emulate what he does and take things from his bag that I can add to myself.”

It would mean a lot to Adams to make a professional roster after all the adversity he has faced.

“When the opportunity presents itself, that’s when you have to attack it and hop on it so that’s what I’m doing right now. I’m just taking it each and every day and when you look up and the final roster is here, hopefully, I’ll be there,” Adams said.

Notes: The achilles tear for Williams makes it five for the Roughriders since the beginning of July. “I’ve never seen that many Achilles injuries ever and to lose another one is really tough,” Dickenson said. “Hopefully that’s the last one but you never know – it’s a violent game and guys are playing hard and being explosive and sometimes those things happen but we certainly hope we’ve seen the last of those.” Williams is the fifth player to suffer a torn Achilles for the Riders this year – Bishop, linebacker Larry Dean, running back Jonathan Femi-Cole and defensive back Nelson Lokombo are the others … Safety Mike Edem (groin) and wide receiver Justin McInnis (hamstring) left Monday’s practice early. Dickenson doesn’t think either injury is serious … Offensive tackle Terran Vaughn (shoulder) was at practice but the team will see how he does Tuesday when more contact takes place with pads on … Defensive end AC Leonard (hamstring) was kept out of practice Monday … Dickenson couldn’t say with 100 per cent certainty but believes defensive back Jacob Janke suffered a torn ACL.