The Ottawa Redblacks have had quite an offseason, adding impact free agents following a disappointing campaign.
Vice president of football operations Shawn Burke went out and brought Ryan Dinwiddie to the nation’s capital from Toronto, hiring him as general manager and head coach in November. That was a major get and the two top football decision-makers in Ottawa seem to be working well together.
The Redblacks were aggressive, as Dinwiddie publicly stated, in the team’s approach to free agency. Ottawa signed 12 players who suited up for other CFL franchises last season, including four from the Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders.
There are five new starters on defence: defensive end Habakkuk Baldonado, weak-side linebacker A.J. Allen, middle linebacker Nyles Morgan, strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis, and boundary corner Demerio Houston.
Field-side cornerback remains up for competition in training camp and preseason. C.J. Coldon has the first chance to lockdown that spot after starting games last season, but expect Shakur Brown to push Coldon. Fans should also keep an eye on Canadians King Ambers and athletic cover man Eric Cumberbatch.
If Amari Henderson recovers from a torn ACL suffered in August, he could compete with Mark Milton for the field-side halfback position.
Running back Greg Bell and receiver Ayden Eberhardt are explosive starters who have been added to an offence that should be more dynamic under Dinwiddie.
Ottawa’s receiving group looks stacked on paper with Eugene Lewis, Justin Hardy, Kalil Pimpleton, and Keelan White starting alongside Eberhardt. Longtime NFLer Andy Isabella and his 4.31 speed should give the Redblacks even more juice.
Dru Brown needs to be protected better in 2026 to feed the aforementioned big-play threats, which leads us into the offensive line.
Incumbent starting right guard Dariusz Bladek suffered a season-ending leg injury last year. He re-signed in the offseason but needs to earn his spot back as Gregor MacKellar and Zack Pelehos could push Bladek. Pelehos could also start at right tackle but if Martez Ivey can regain his 2024 form, he can compete to start due to the team’s ratio flexibility.
It’s worth tracking the returner competition. With Pimpleton becoming a full-time receiver who has 1,000-yard upside, Ottawa needs some options to step up in the return game, especially after DeVonte Dedmon went to Montreal.
Ottawa Redblacks 2026 CFL free agency checklist
Re-signed:
RB Daniel Adeboboye (N)
REC Justin Hardy (A)
OL Dariusz Bladek (N)
OL Dino Boyd (A)
DL Aidan John (N)
DL Blessman Ta’ala (G)
DL Michael Wakefield (A)
LB Lucas Cormier (N)
LB James Peter (N)
DB Adrian Frye (A)
DB Amari Henderson (A)
DB Bennett Williams (A)
Re-signed from practice roster:
RB Elijah Collins (A)
REC Latreal Jones (A)
REC Robert Lewis (A)
DL Jessie Evans (A)
DL Deionte Knight (N)
LB Jamie Pettway (A)
DB King Ambers (N)
Signed in free agency:
QB Jake Maier (A)
RB Greg Bell (A)
REC Ayden Eberhardt (A)
OL Martez Ivey (A)
OL Gregor MacKellar (N)
DL Habakkuk Baldonado (G)
DL Dylan Wynn (A)
LB A.J. Allen (N)
LB Michael Brodrique (N)
DB C.J. Reavis (A)
DB Demerio Houston (A)
DB Scott Hutter (N)
Not re-signed:
QB Dustin Crum (A) — signed with Montreal Alouettes
QB Matthew Shiltz (A) — retired
QB Tyrie Adams (A) — free agent
RB William Stanback (A) — free agent
REC Bralon Addison (A) — free agent
REC Luther Hakunavanhu (N) — free agent
OL David Knevel (N) — free agent
OL Jacob Ruby (N) — free agent
OL Eric Starczala (N) — free agent
DL Kene Onyeka (N) — signed with Hamilton Tiger-Cats
DL Nigel Romick (N) — free agent
LB Frankie Griffin (A) — free agent
LB Jonathan Jones (A) — free agent
LB Les Maruo (G) — free agent
LB Jovan Santos-Knox (A) — signed with Winnipeg Blue Bombers
LB Davion Taylor (A) — free agent
LB Tyron Vrede (G) — signed with Saskatchewan Roughriders
DB Justin Howell (N) — free agent
DB Deandre Lamont (A) — signed with Winnipeg Blue Bombers
DB Adarius Pickett (A) — signed with Toronto Argonauts
DB Robert Priester (A) — signed with Toronto Argonauts
KR DeVonte Dedmon (A) — signed with Montreal Alouettes
P Richie Leone (A) — free agent
