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Riders sign John Chiles following his NFL stint, bring back Dylan Ainsworth

Toronto Argonauts John Chiles reacts after missing a pass in the end zone against the Hamilton Tiger Cats during the first half of the CFL eastern final football game in Toronto, November 17, 2013. REUTERS/Mark Blinch (CANADA - Tags: SPORT FOOTBALL) (REUTERS)

The Saskatchewan Roughriders got the CFL free agency ball rolling with a pair of deals Tuesday morning, even though neither technically needed the noon Eastern start of free agency to take place. The team agreed to a deal (pending a physical) with former Toronto Argonauts' receiver John Chiles, who signed with the Chicago Bears last offseason but was cut by them in August and didn't find another NFL landing spot, and they also managed to reach a new deal with pending free agent Canadian defensive end Dylan Ainsworth. These aren't the splashiest moves out there, but they could still be important ones that make a difference for the team this coming year.

Chiles, who played college football at Texas and then had brief NFL stints with the New Orleans Saints and St. Louis Rams before coming to Toronto in 2013, showed off some potential during his time in the CFL, but injuries hurt his consistency. He had 44 catches for 725 yards and eight touchdowns in 2013, but only had 29 receptions for 475 yards in 2014. Those 2014 totals came in just eight games, though, so he did demonstrate some ability when healthy, and he's also just 27. We'll see how he fits in in Saskatchewan, but his signing may help ease the offseason loss of Weston Dressler (cut) and the potential losses of players like Ryan Smith and Chris Getzlaf to free agency.

Ainsworth may matter even more, even though he hasn't put up big CFL numbers yet. The Riders' second-round draft pick in 2014 (11th overall) has mostly contributed on special teams so far, posting 30 special teams tackles in 35 career games. His university career at Western and his performance at the 2014 CFL Combine suggest he may have the ability to be a regular defensive player, though, and he's just 23, so there could be a long CFL career ahead of him. We'll see how the Riders use him, but he could well turn into an important cog for them.

It's going to be interesting to see what else the Riders focus on as free agency rolls on. There have been plenty of suggestions that new Saskatchewan head coach and general manager Chris Jones will try and bring over some of his former players from Edmonton, and there are plenty of  intriguing targets there, including defensive back Aaron Grymes and wide receiver Kenny Stafford. The Riders did already make one significant splash with the January signing of Shawn Lemon, but they should still have some more money following the jettisoning of big-money players Weston Dressler and John Chick. We'll see what they do with it, but the Chiles and Ainsworth moves may be just the start.