Shane Ray learned the right way.
Upon joining the Denver Broncos in 2015, Ray became a part of master-class-level defensive meetings that included NFL greats Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware.
The Broncos’ roster at the time also included a legend named Peyton Manning, whose exhaustive film study set a template for all quarterbacks.
A decade later, it is Ray who provides an invaluable veteran influence while sharing his wisdom as a first-year member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“Shane is a monster,” fellow Roughriders defensive lineman Micah Johnson marvelled leading up to [Friday’s CFL home date with the Calgary Stampeders (7 p.m., Mosaic Stadium).](https://www.ticketmaster.ca/saskatchewan-roughriders-vs-calgary-stampeders-regina-saskatchewan-07-11-2025/event/110062479CBD3093?CAMEFROM=CFC_SASKATCHEWANRR_WEB_RIDERVILLE_TICKETS)
“We appreciate what Shane brings to the team. Just talking football with him a lot, he’s one of those cerebral guys. He always has an iPad in his hands, watching film. That’s the type of guy he is. I like bouncing ideas off him and continuing to talk with him.
“And he’s playing good ball right now. Everybody sees what he’s doing.”
But you have to be in the meeting rooms to see and appreciate everything he is absorbing and imparting.
“After my third or fourth year in the league, I really started understanding the best,” said Ray, whose first four NFL seasons were spent with Denver.
“Going into my second year, I went from having my hand in the dirt (as a defensive end) to playing outside linebacker and having to learn concepts and defensive coverages and all that stuff.
“My second and third years were really where I felt comfortable. My fourth year, obviously, I felt more comfortable. After that is when I felt like I could start giving back to guys and talking to guys and just sharing my knowledge.”
He continues to do that in the same selfless, studious manner that helped to make Miller and Ware such accomplished and respected players.
“Early on, I had a pretty decent film study habit, but I think when I got to the NFL, just being around Hall of Famers — watching Von, watching DeMarcus, and watching how they watch film — it took my understanding of what I was watching to another level,” said Ray, who in 2015 was Denver’s first-round draft choice (23rd overall) out of the University of Missouri.
“Being around guys like (cornerback) Chris Harris Jr., he was one of the best film guys I’ve ever seen. The guy would be calling out the (offence’s) play while we were on the field.
“I just wanted to challenge myself to get my IQ to that level and to see the game and understand the game at the highest form and not just be, ‘OK, I’m running and I’ve got to beat this guy.’
“I wanted to see the whole big picture, just to make myself better.”
Nobody has ever understood the big picture better than Manning — whose lengthy list of admirers includes the Roughriders’ current starting quarterback, Trevor Harris.
“Peyton is one of those guys whose routine is the same every day — film, iPad,” Ray said. “I remember seeing Peyton do the same type of routine. He’d come in, go in the hot tub. He’d have a newspaper and an iPad.
“His career just tells you the kind of guy that he is. To be able to go into an NFL game and change the entire call at the beginning of the play and stuff like that, you can’t do that unless you’re watching hours and hours and hours of film.
“Obviously, he was on a different side of the ball, but if you want to watch some film, that’s somebody who you should definitely look at.”
Ray commanded attention from the moment he entered the NFL, given his skills and draft status.
He registered two defensive tackles and forced a fumble in the climactic game of his rookie season — the Broncos’ 24-10 victory over the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50.
The following season, Ray produced eight sacks (doubling his total as a rookie) while starting eight of the Broncos’ 16 games. Three of the sacks came in one game.
He spent two more seasons with Denver before joining the Baltimore Ravens. He was among the Ravens’ final cuts in 2019.
Having overcome injuries, Ray returned to the gridiron in 2021 when he signed with the Toronto Argonauts.
He was a member of the Argos’ Grey Cup-winning team in 2022, when he worked closely with Defensive Co-ordinator (and current Roughriders Head Coach) Corey Mace.
NFL teams took note of Ray’s resurgence in the CFL, with the result being tryouts with the Buffalo Bills (2023) and Tennessee Titans (2024). He signed with Saskatchewan this past Jan. 27.
“I love Sask,” Ray said. “It has been great. The community is great. Being here in the facility, I always have a smile coming in here. There’s always great energy.
“That’s what you want when you’re playing football. A sport like this requires you to come in and have great energy every day.
“I think it’s a blessing. To be around the D-line that I’m with, too, I’m playing with a bunch of dogs. We have a great offence and we’re scoring points.
“I have nothing that I can complain about as a player. I have everything I need to be successful.”
The same words were applicable a decade ago, when Ray checked several boxes while quickly attaining goals that are the fodder of dreams for many players.
First-round draft choice: _Check._
Seasoned, accomplished NFL player: _Check._
Super Bowl champion: _Check._
It would be easy for Ray to rest on his laurels, but here he is in green and white, as passionate as ever about his favourite sport.
“I just want to be the best,” he said. “For whatever reason, that fire has never left me.
“When I got injured and I got out of the league for a while, I couldn’t watch football. I couldn’t be around it because it means that much to me. With the type of player that I am and the calibre of player I think that I am, I’m always trying to get better and striving to be the best.
“I feel like I still have that at 32. A whole decade later, I’m out here still trying to prove that I’m the best. That’s what it’s all about for me.
“I want to solidify my name. When they talk about me, I always want it to be, ‘He’s an incredible player … a playmaker,’ and all that. That’s on my board.
“And I want to win. I’m about winning and I’m about being around great guys. This situation with Mace was like a drop in the bucket.
“To be with my coach again, I know his system. With a great D-line, with a great secondary and a great offence, I’m like, ‘Hey man, I want to win.’
“Let’s go make plays.”
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