A major need for the Saskatchewan Roughriders heading into free agency was at linebacker, and they addressed it by signing Larry Dean to a one-year deal.

Dean says there was a lot of uncertainty with the COVID-19 pandemic and the rotation of players in free agency, so he’s glad to have found a landing spot.

“Saskatchewan was a place that I had on the radar and all the pieces meshed,” Dean said. “We were able to come to a deal and get it done.”

The four-year CFL veteran out of Valdosta State says signing with the Riders was the best business decision for him and his family.

“From a team standpoint, just the reception and after speaking with the coaches and Jeremy (O’Day) the GM, everything just felt good about it,” Dean said. “At the end of the day, it is a business and we have to handle the business and we stand on that.”

The 32-year-old traditionally wears number #11. Dean says he will likely be wearing something else, as that’s currently defensive back Ed Gainey’s number.

“It’s not really a make-or-break thing for me, or else I’d be on the phone with Ed trying to get him out of it, but it’s not like the NFL where guys are paying bookoo dollars and sending them off on vacations and things of that nature,” Dean said. “Of course, we’re working with a limited budget, and that’s what he’s carved out.”

Dean spent the non-existent 2020 season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Before that, Dean registered 86 tackles and one sack in 18 games during the 2019 regular season in Edmonton.