Photo: Gord Weber/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
It appears veteran linebacker Nyles Morgan will be out for the foreseeable future for the Ottawa Redblacks.
“Nyles broke his hand, so we’ll see how we can manage that,” head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie told the media on Wednesday. “He wants to play, put a club on it, but we’ll let the doctor make the final choice on that.”
Dinwiddie indicated that Aaron Casey will likely start in Morgan’s place at middle linebacker, though Lucas Cormier should also see more playing time on defence.
Casey was released by the Toronto Argonauts near the end of training camp and signed with the Redblacks shortly thereafter. The six-foot-two, 235-pound native of Douglasville, Ga. played 15 regular-season games in 2025, making 36 total tackles, six sacks, and one forced fumble.
“You won’t replace some of the things that (Morgan) has in his skill set,” said Dinwiddie. “I thought he played well last week, he flew around. The injury happened in the first quarter, so he fought through that. You can’t question his toughness, and he’s a good leader on the defence.”
Morgan has made 38 defensive tackles and one sack through five regular-season games this year. He ranks first league-wide in tackles, sitting four ahead of Calgary Stampeders linebacker Marquel Lee.
Dinwiddie indicated that defensive lineman Habakkuk Baldonado (ankle) and defensive back Adrian Frye (hand) will also likely be out “for a bit.”
Baldonado has made five defensive tackles and one sack through five starts this year, while Frye has notched six defensive tackles and one special teams tackle over three games.
“It’s next man up,” said Dinwiddie. “Injuries are tough, but it gives some other guys some opportunities.”
The Ottawa Redblacks (0-5) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-2) on Sunday, July 19 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a 30-21 win over the Toronto Argonauts, while the Redblacks lost 40-17 against the Edmonton Elks.
The weather forecast in Ottawa calls for a high of 27 degrees and a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or TSN 1200 in Ottawa.
