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SASKATOON — Murray McCormick’s musings from Day 3 of the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ training camp at the University of Saskatchewan:

• Willie Jefferson has picked up where he left off in 2016, when the lanky defensive end was one of the Riders’ top defensive players after signing with the Green and White following an unsuccessful NFL tryout. Jefferson had eight defensive tackles and three sacks in five regular-season games last year. Jefferson has been a force at training camp. He has stretched his 6-foot-5 frame to knock down passes and used his speed and agility to pressure quarterbacks. Jefferson’s best CFL season was in 2015 when he had 23 defensive tackles, six sacks and three forced fumbles with the Edmonton Eskimos. It wouldn’t be a surprise if he surpassed those totals in 2017.

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• Rookie quarterback Maty Mauk earned the dubious distinction of being the first player cut when he was released Monday by the Roughriders. Mauk was in tough from the beginning of training camp. His signing was announced on May 25, which didn’t allow him much time to prepare for training camp. His lack of preparation was noticeable Sunday and he didn’t improve on Monday. The Riders then cut ties with Mauk, leaving them with Kevin Glenn, Bryan Bennett, Vince Young and Brandon Bridge as quarterbacks. The release of Mauk means more repetitions for each quarterback, which can be a good thing.