As the Saskatchewan Roughriders prepare for the upcoming CFL season, the team is starting to see its offence come together with big-time running back Jerome Messam looking to prove he’s still got a lot to give.

Messam is currently fighting for a starter spot at Rider training camp, after the Calgary Stampeders chose to not re-sign the former Most Outstanding Canadian this offseason.

"Just more motivation,” Jerome Messam said.

The Riders hope that motivation will spill over into the 2018 CFL season.

"When you think of Calgary, especially on offence, you think about the quarterback and the running back. And he's going to come out here, hopefully with that chip on his shoulder, and lead us to a championship I hope,” running backs coach Kent Maugeri said.

The Riders say they were only too happy to fill a position of need.

"I’ve gone against him for years and years, and I know yesterday was our first day together, and he came over and he's like, ‘hey finally we get to be on the same team!’ again, he needs to make sure that he gets in great shape, and keep pressing hard. Because we compete. We compete every day. There's no gimmies,” head coach Chris Jones said.

The Riders haven't had a running back rush for more than 650-yards since Jerome Messam racked up 826 in 2015, before being packaged in a trade to the Stampeders in exchange for Tyler Crapigna.

Messam says Saskatchewan was the first place he thought to re-sign in the offseason.

"When I was here, I feel like I had some unfinished business to take care of, back here in Saskatchewan. The opportunity arose where I could come back, so I jumped at it,” Messam said.

Messam, 33, is the oldest fulltime running back in the CFL, but that isn’t a concern for the Riders.

"Diesel? Yeah there's no leaded or premium, that thing is diesel,” Maugeri said.

"I got a lot, you guys will see on game day. It's camp, it's a grind, and you know the legs are pretty heavy so you're not going to see too much burst these next few weeks. But in the season I'll be ready to go, and I’ll get my job done,” Messam said.

-With files from a report by Pat McKay