Photo: Calgary Stampeders
With another offseason that was two weeks longer than the Calgary Stampeders wanted, the 2026 version of the Red and White took the field on Sunday afternoon at McMahon Stadium looking to build on the foundation laid by the squad in 2025.
While preseason games don’t count in the standings and their opponent, the Saskatchewan Roughriders, may have left many of their best weapons off the roster, it is never too early to get off on the right foot as the home side won 20-15.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
New Day, New Clock
This was the first game under the CFL’s new clock rules, which keeps a running 35-second clock from the end of the previous play rather than a 20-second play clock that’s whistled in by the officials.
For both teams, this meant the contest was almost more about the rhythm of the game than the results of the plays themselves.
“I felt it was a simple game, meaning they didn’t do much, we didn’t do much. It was just so fast,” said head coach and general manager Dave Dickenson following the game.
“The big thing is that it doesn’t allow a team to sub personnel and go really slow and saunter out there to milk the clock. I think that’s going to be important.”
Dickenson would go on to add that he was glad to see the rules regarding the final three minutes of a half remain the same as they were previously to help the game be decided the way it is supposed to be.
No clarity in QB ranking
With the sudden retirement of backup quarterback P.J. Walker just two weeks before the start of camp, the doors were opened wide for any of three other quarterbacks to be the second string to entrenched starter Vernon Adams Jr., who briefly played in this game, throwing a long interception and a jailbreak 70-yard touchdown toss to Jalen Philpot.
Josh Love had moments, including a scoring drive that featured a 21-yard scramble and a nine-yard completion to set-up a one-yard touchdown plunge, but also didn’t look terribly comfortable. The 29-year-old is a six-year professional, though he only attempted eight throws in six games as a backup last season, his first in the CFL.
Love finished the day five-of-ten for 68 yards in his one quarter of work.
He had more throws than either Ben Wooldridge, who went three-of-four, or Jacolby Criswell, who got just two chances to throw the ball, completing one.
Dickenson thinks all four quarterbacks will likely be on the team come their next preseason game, though he allowed room for change, saying, “You never know who else might become available.”
Practices over the next two weeks will determine the answer, but Dickenson himself noted that practice intensity can’t match that of real game action.
A momentary lapse
Speaking of new rules causing some confusion, early in the first quarter, the Roughriders punted a ball that bounced in bounds before rolling out the side of the end zone.
While the scoreboard official can be forgiven for this lapse, the play was initially posted as a rouge, making it 1-0 for the Flat-landers.
A few moments later, the score was taken down due to the change for 2026, which states that an attempt at a return must be made for a punt into the end zone to count as a single.
Dickenson spoke to the risk of the new rules and the restrictions they impose on special teams.
“One point here, or not getting a point, can change a game, so we are very aware of it. We think a punter has to do an outstanding job of (kicking to the) coffin corner, not pushing the envelope too far and getting too close to the pylon so that you’d go all the way to the 40. To me, that is very, very punitive.”
Over them thar Hills
An early standout in the rookie class of 2026 was defensive lineman Elijah Hills.
The six-foot-three, 282-pound defender out of Wisconsin spent last year substitute teaching and coaching high school football while waiting for his phone to ring.
The 23-year-old certainly answered the call when given the opportunity, gathering four tackles and one sack. The four tackles were the highest of anyone in the front seven, and the second-highest total on the team.
After the game, Hills was called out by name by the coaching staff for his performance.
“It was awesome, hearing my name being called out in front of the whole team. It’s surreal,” said Hills, looking somewhat wide-eyed as reporters surrounded him at his locker.
He also credited his teammates for the “love” he’s been shown and the support he’s been given, calling the defensive line unit the “standard” within the locker room.
When asked about his chances of sticking around when the final cuts are made, he stayed humble.
“I’m not sure,” he said. “I was just given an opportunity and that’s all I need.”
Another performance like this and Calgary will surely be keeping him in the mix.
Hometown Boy Makes Good
A video circulated on social media on the night of the CFL draft as Matt Sibley was recorded saying simply, “I’m staying home.”
The local product was relieved after getting the call to tell him he was the fifth-round selection of the Stampeders after growing up in Calgary and playing four years with the Dinos.
Sibley would turn his two touches in the game into 32 total yards — a 15-yard catch on his only target and a 17-yard run on a jet sweep.
The 22-year-old wore a Ken-Yon Rambo jersey to the stadium as his game day fit, and said he wanted to pay tribute to his favourite player from his youth.
“I remember his 104-yard touchdown against Montreal, and all the big plays that other guys like Nik Lewis made,” he said. “I was a big fan of all those guys.”
After enlisting his parents to handle the ticket requests, of which there were dozens from family, friends, former teammates, and players that he has coached in minor football while attending university, he also wasn’t the only Sibley sibling on the field.
Sister Hannah is an Outrider, one of the Stampeders cheer team.
“It’s a really special moment for me,” Sibley said after the game. “For them to see I’m out here playing for the Stamps and repping the horse is really special.”
The Stampeders will close their preseason on Friday, May 29 when the visit the Edmonton Elks.
