Over the next few days, there's going to be plenty of sweet talking.

Star receiver Weston Dressler is about to win the lottery. Yes, he's that good.

The Ottawa RedBlacks will be among the teams waving all kinds of money at Dressler, who was released by the Kansas City Chiefs on the weekend and cleared NFL waivers on Tuesday.

It may come down to two teams - the Saskatchewan Roughriders, where Dressler starred for six seasons -- catching passes for more than 1,000 yards in five of them, and the RedBlacks, who could outbid everyone.

A report out of Winnipeg suggested the RedBlacks were offering Dressler a contract worth a whopping $250,000 a year (pro-rated over the remainder of this year), making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in the CFL.

It would be tough for the 29-year-old Dressler to say no to Saskatchewan, where Rider Nation loved him and close to his North Dakota home. But Ottawa is all-in on this one, knowing it probably needs to substantially outbid the Roughriders.

Two former Roughriders teammates are waving the RedBlacks pom-poms, hoping Dressler picks Ottawa.

"We need players like Weston to help us get over the hump," said defensive tackle Keith Shologan. "He'd be an amazing pickup just because he brings the mentality and the attitude you want on a football team ... always going, always sprinting, always trying to make a play. Whether he's on the wide side, not even getting looked at, or right in the middle of the action, he's always going 110%. That's what you need, especially in a build-up program like this."

"He's a helluva player and a helluva guy," said defensive tackle Zack Evans. "He is a tiny guy. When you see him, you don't think he's a football player. But as soon as he gets on the football field, he's unstoppable. He's just like a Saskatchewan kid. We're tough. He has that mentality to never quit. He catches anything that comes his way.

"He's a friend. I'm going to stay out of it. But I would love for him to come here."

Both players say Ottawa has been amazing.

"Hopefully, somebody does tell him about the facilities," said Shologan. "I know I've tried. I've talked to some of his really close friends to tell him about this. This is the place that if I had to pick somewhere, this is where it would be. It's a beautiful city, with a small-town atmosphere."

"I've always felt Ottawa was a small Regina (in football terms)," said Evans, who is loving life here with his pregnant wife Jenna (due Dec. 10) and two-year-old purebred golden retriever Ranger. "These fans are insane. They love you. They see you, they'll talk to you, invite you in for a drink, invite you in for food. It's just like Saskatchewan. There's a big buzz here. They love their football. It's been a great experience. I had no idea Ottawa was this gorgeous. There's always something to do."

Add coach Rick Campbell to the Weston Dressler Fan Club. He's seen first hand what kind of impact the 5-foot-7 receiver can have.

"He's a football player, not necessarily the tallest or fastest," said Campbell. "He's not going to test better than everybody else. But he's going to test well on a football field playing football. I had a lot of respect for him because we played against him a lot when I was in the West division (as Calgary's defensive co-ordinator). He's just a football player who comes out and plays hard."

With NFL teams cutting down their rosters, don't expect a complete makeover for the RedBlacks. You will see some new players coming in - on Tuesday, the RedBlacks announced they had signed linebackers Adrian Moten and Philippe Dubuisson-Lebon and wide receiver Eddie Poole - but the idea isn't to gut what they started with.

"There's never an influx of guys who come in and change things," said Campbell. "There are a whole bunch of good football players here, guys who are doing a lot of things right. The answer isn't to bring a bunch of people in here and change a bunch of people. It's usually just a guy or two that comes in and makes an impact."

Dressler could be one of those guys. He's a special guy, with special talent, with a tough choice to make.

"His agent's going to do all the work," said Shologan. "It comes down to GMs and agents. He's got a good situation in Saskatchewan outside of football. He's got an awesome girlfriend. I tried to get my wife (to talk to his girlfriend). She said, 'Oh, no, I'm not getting involved with that.'"

MENKIN SENT PACKING

While the Ottawa RedBlacks try to figure out how to win football games - and when you're 1-7 on the season - there is some figuring out to do - they released Nate Menkin, a guy who was not so long ago thought to be a long-term solution on the offensive line.

It looks like American DJ Young will now be asked to step into a starting role.

“(Menkin’s) a good guy and all that stuff. It just wasn’t a fit for him and for us,” said RedBlacks coach Rick Campbell. “We have some other guys we brought in we want to get a look at."

While the RedBlacks are frustrated with just one win, they go into Montreal for a Friday night showdown somehow still in playoff contention. The Als and Ticats also have just one win.

Campbell said there are positives and the team needs to build on them.

“This is ifs and buts and all that, but if we make a couple more catches the past couple of games, we would think of ourselves differently,” he said.

tim.baines@sunmedia.ca

Twitter: @timcbaines