Saskatchewan Roughriders linebacker Solomon Elimimian has a timeline for a return from a nagging calf injury.

“He’s definitely going to be a couple weeks. He has a calf injury that we had looked at – has a calf strain. It’s going to be a few weeks. It’s not going to be a long-term thing, but we don’t know exactly when he’s going to be able to start practicing again,” O’Day said.

“We don’t see it being a super long thing, but we don’t see anything in the immediate future.”

The star defender did not participate in any on-field activities during Riders training camp.

Elimimian signed a one-year contract worth approximately $160,000 in early May after the B.C. Lions released the veteran defender. The final year of the Lions pact would have paid Elimimian in the $200,000 range.

Leos general manager Ed Hervey felt Elimimian’s time is up as an elite player in the CFL. Agent Bardia Ghahremani accused Hervey of ‘shady business’ surrounding the handling and timing of Elimimian’s release.

The 32-year-old Elimimian played nine years in Vancouver and compiled an impressive resume, bursting on the scene in 2010 as the league’s Most Outstanding Rookie. He became the first strictly defensive player to win the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player Award in 2014, earning two Most Outstanding Defensive Player Awards and five CFL all-star nods.

Through 118 career games, Elimimian has made 745 tackles, 36 special teams stops, 29 sacks, eight interceptions and eight forced fumbles. The Lions won the 2011 Grey Cup on home turf with Elimimian as the club’s defensive leader.

Saskatchewan wants Elimimian to be healthy before putting him back on the field.