Antoine Brooks Jr. taking full advantage of elevated role in Riders’ defense

The Riders may be without another key defensive back as Nelson Lokombo becomes a game-time decision vs Calgary. Donovan Maess reports.

It has been a long journey to the starting lineup for Saskatchewan Roughriders’ defensive back Antoine Brooks Jr.

Finally getting an opportunity early this season, Brooks took full advantage by making 13 tackles in the Riders’ season opening win over the B.C. Lions Saturday night.

“It meant a lot,” he said Wednesday. “I didn’t really know what I did in the game because I was just playing hard. But at the end of the game, I did feel a little relief.”

The road for Brooks’ chance on the roster began six years ago.

Selected by Pittsburgh Steelers in the sixth round, 198th overall, of the 2020 NFL Draft. He went on to play four regular-season games for the Steelers that season, before signing with the Los Angeles Rams in September 2021.

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He suited up for eight games as a Ram in 2021, becoming a Super Bowl champion that year.

Then Brooks found himself in the XFL – and then in Saskatchewan, where he signed in 2024.

That year, he spent the vast majority on the practice roster, playing just one game.

In 2025, Brooks was given an opportunity on special teams and garnered more responsibility as the season went on in the defense.

“It was good [for me] to be a part of the practice squad and you just focus on myself and the playbook all at once,” he reminisced. “Then the year after that, we started to talk about stepping up and stuff like that. And now we here.”

While he’s had similar performances to Saturday’s before in college, his Week 2 breakout was by far his best in the CFL.

In fact, it took Brooks until Week 20 last season to register his 13th tackle.

After key names departed Saskatchewan this past offseason, he is stepping up to fill the hole.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint in football,” Brooks said. “That’s how I call it and that’s what I tell kids back home about – just take your time.”

The Riders’ coaching staff has noticed that patience and is rewarding the third-year player for his growth.

“To his credit, he waited patiently,” head coach Corey Mace told reporters Tuesday. “It’s not easy. Guys, throughout this league, had to wait a year, maybe two years before they got an opportunity. But they saw it through and it paid off.”

“For him to bide his time, be a great teammate, help the team in whatever his responsibilities were prior to this point and the energy he brings everyday – if he continues to do that, he’ll be a great player,” he added.

• Rolan Milligan Jr. to miss ‘weeks’ due to injury sustained in Riders’ season opener

As Mace told reporters Tuesday, halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. will be out of the lineup for at least the next couple weeks after he exited Saskatchewan’s win over the Lions in Week 2.

The Roughriders are also dealing with another injury in the secondary, as free safety Nelson Lokombo has also been absent from both of the team’s practices this week.

With key injuries early this season, Brooks could continue to see elevated responsibilities, especially as the defense goes up against dual-threat quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and the Calgary Stampeders.

“I just take it as the next man up,” he noted. “I always stay ready and I try to lead that as an example.”