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The first pre-season game may provide the Riders with an extended opportunity to evaluate Bennett and fellow quarterbacks Vince Young, Brandon Bridge and Marquise Williams during live action. Bennett was fourth on the Riders’ depth chart during their April mini-camp in Vero Beach, Fla., but is now seeded second — behind Glenn.

“It’s surprising how fast (Bennett) has moved up the depth chart,’’ said quarterbacks coach Jarious Jackson. “I knew what we had athletic-wise coming in. I didn’t think that he would be as good as he is right now. There is definitely a high ceiling for him to continue to learn and he still makes rookie mistakes. Those are the kinks that will be worked out in time.’’

Despite being a rookie, Bennett has some CFL experience. He was on the Blue Bombers’ practice roster late in the 2015 season and for all of the 2016 campaign. Bennett is considered a rookie by the CFL because he hasn’t played in a regular-season game.

Bennett put his time in Winnipeg to good use while watching the other Blue Bombers quarterbacks.

“I like what we did last year when we had an opportunity to stand behind the quarterback, see defences and see every single rep even though I wasn’t throwing the ball,’’ said the 25-year-old Bennett. “I was able to get a ton of mental reps. I wasn’t able to physically work on my footwork or make actual throws, but it was a huge help on the mental side of the game.”

Glenn became familiar with Bennett during the latter portion of the 2016 season. The two quarterbacks became teammates when the Montreal Alouettes traded Glenn to the Blue Bombers on Oct. 11.