Photo: Ottawa Redblacks/Brandon Tretter
If there’s one thing the Ottawa Redblacks didn’t do this offseason, it was stand pat.
Instead, another last-place finish and missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons triggered significant change throughout the organization. Head coach Bob Dyce was fired, replaced by Ryan Dinwiddie, who became the fourth bench boss in franchise history.
Ottawa also gave him the title of general manager, while shuffling Shawn Burke to vice-president of football operations. Offensive coordinator Tommy Condell was let go, as was special teams coordinator Rick Campbell. And those were just some of the football staff changes.
In terms of the roster, working in tandem, Dinwiddie and Burke opted for a cultural reset, allowing 24-of-36 pending free agents to exit via free agency. Those departing were replaced through an aggressive spending spree in free agency that saw more than a dozen proven players added to the team, along with plenty of intriguing American rookies. Cold calculations prevailed over sentimentality as fan favourites including kicker Lewis Ward were released.
Additionally, Ottawa shifted its approach to the Canadian draft, prioritizing tenacious players from winning programs that play with an edge. As director of Canadian scouting and analytics Chad Hudson said post-draft, the Redblacks are aiming “to be a team that other teams don’t want to have to play.”
After six months of change and churning over the roster, training camp will open at TD Place on Sunday. Given the new coaching staff won’t have strong ties to the holdovers on the roster, opportunities are abundant at nearly every position. With so many fresh faces on the field, it’ll be up to the newcomers to push incumbents, while the incumbents will need to prove they’re still the best option to get the job done.
Let’s dive into each positional group.
Quarterback
Presumed starter: Dru Brown
In the mix: Jake Maier, Matt Morrissey, Hajj-Malik Williams, Zach Calzada
Since coming to town, Dinwiddie has said all the right things about having Brown as his starter, and yet, money doesn’t lie.
Following an agreed-upon pay-cut in the offseason, Brown is the CFL’s lowest-paid starter, while Maier is the league’s highest-paid backup. That doesn’t mean it’ll be an open competition for the job, but it does mean if Brown falters, and Maier strings together multiple strong practices and preseason games, the team wouldn’t be restrained financially from making a change.
In two seasons as Ottawa’s starter, Brown has thrown 32 touchdowns to 20 interceptions but is coming off a season that saw him limited to 11 games due to neck, hip, and knee injuries. Out of the nine games he started and finished under centre in 2025, the Redblacks mustered two wins.
A big reason why Dinwiddie was hired was his track record for getting the most out of his quarterbacks.
Brown is an accurate short and intermediate passer with good touch, and quickly diagnoses the looks opposing defences throw at him. His deep ball is somewhat limited by his arm strength, and he’s shown a propensity at times for floating balls off his back foot into dangerous areas in the middle of the field. If Dinwiddie can help him clean up that aspect of his game, and if he can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think he’ll lose the starting job.
But as R-Nation knows too well, CFL teams need a starting-calibre backup quarterback in case of emergency. Enter Maier.
The 28-year-old went 1-1 in his two starts for Saskatchewan last season and dressed for every game. Before joining the Roughriders, Maier spent four seasons in Calgary where he made 47 starts — 45 in the regular-season and two in the playoffs.
Maier has had moments of brilliance throughout his career but struggled with consistency. It’ll be interesting to see how he looks under Dinwiddie’s tutelage.
Don’t overlook the fact Maier could’ve stayed in Saskatchewan with the reigning Grey Cup champions but chose to head to the nation’s capital as he felt it offered a better path to increased playing time. He’ll be highly motivated to show the coaching staff what he’s capable of.
Behind Brown and Maier are a trio of Americans with limited to no CFL experience. The 25-year-old Morrissey and 26-year-old Williams both joined the Redblacks organization in September 2025, spending time on the practice roster. Meanwhile, Calzada was signed at the end of April.
If history is any indication, the three American neophytes will be fighting for two jobs — one as the third stringer, perhaps even earning short yardage duties on sneaks, and one on the practice roster.
Running back
Presumed starter: Greg Bell
In the mix: Daniel Adeboboye, Elijah Collins, Jacquez Stuart, Julian Gray
The addition of Bell shouldn’t be viewed as a reflection of the team being dissatisfied with incumbent Canadian back Adeboboye. Quite the opposite actually.
Adding Bell, who is coming off a career-year in which he established himself as one of the league’s premier backs, provides the Redblacks with the 1-2 punch they thought they were getting last season with William Stanback and Adeboboye.
In 2025, Bell was named an East Division all-star as he turned 184 carries into 1,038 yards and five touchdowns and also made 62 receptions, a league-high for running backs, for 426 yards and a score. He’ll be the team’s RB1.
Adeboboye was effective in the limited opportunities he got last season, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 8.1 yards per reception. What will be interesting to see in camp is how large a role Adeboboye can carve for himself. Will Dinwiddie find ways to have both backs on the field at the same time?
As for Collins, the 25-year-old joined Ottawa’s practice squad last season following a short stint in the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals. The six-foot, 212-pounder is more of a power back. Stuart, on the other hand, is five-foot-eight and 182 pounds, but is a speedster with a knack for making defenders miss in the open field. During his six seasons at the University of Toledo, Stuart was a two-time All-Conference selection as a kick returner.
Fullback and tight end
Presumed starter: none
In the mix: Anthony Gosselin, Émeric Boutin, Daniel Adeboboye
Historically, Ottawa hasn’t placed much emphasis on using their hybrid fullbacks and tight ends as part of their attack, but it is something Dinwiddie incorporated into his offences during his time with the Argos.
Following Nigel Romick’s retirement, Gosselin is the longest-serving member of the Redblacks. For the majority of his career, Gosselin has been strong special teamer that chipped in offensively with his blocking and a handful of catches per season.
The team’s decision to release veteran Marco Dubois caught many in R-Nation by surprise because even if Dubois had never been called upon frequently in the offence, he did average 21.6 yards per catch over the past three seasons.
Perhaps the move was foreshadowed when the team selected Boutin in the Canadian draft, adding him with the No. 13 overall pick. The Laval University product checks in at six-foot-three and 230 pounds. Boutin will cut his teeth on special teams, but training camp will give him a chance to show the coaching staff that his two first-team U Sports All-Canadian selections were no fluke and that he can contribute if called upon in offensive packages.
Not only is Boutin younger and cheaper than Dubois, but given how Ottawa’s roster projects, it wouldn’t have made sense for them to keep two very similar players at the position. Dinwiddie is also familiar with Adeboboye from their time together in Toronto and he’s someone who can be on the field in a fullback-tight end role, depending on the personnel package.
Receiver
Presumed starters: Justin Hardy, Eugene Lewis, Kalil Pimpleton, Ayden Eberhardt, Keelan White, Nick Mardner
In the mix: Sam Schnee, Daniel Jackson, Ethan Jordan, Cade McDonald, Matthew Sexton, Roc Taylor, Jordan Bly, Rory (RJ) Starkey, Christian Horn, John Dunmore, TJ Speight
The Redblacks’ receiving group might be the deepest and most talented position on the team. As such, available starting jobs will be few and far between. That doesn’t mean there won’t be intrigue because depending how Ottawa chooses to manage their ratio at the position, there will be ripple effects across the rest of the roster.
Theoretically, the club could choose to start two Canadians in White and Mardner, with Jordan, and even Boutin, providing depth. But if someone like second-year pro Schnee impresses, Dinwiddie and Burke might instead choose to go with one Canadian pass catcher, and rotate starts between White and Mardner.
Former NFL speedster Andy Isabella was signed in February but recently had a setback and won’t be with the team to start training camp. As for the rest of the American newcomers, though they’re all new to the Canadian game, Sexton, Bly, Taylor, Jackson, McDonald, and Starkey all have brief NFL stints under their belts.
Offensive line
Presumed starters: Dino Boyd, Drew Desjarlais, Sean McEwen
In the mix: Zack Pelehos, Martez Ivey, DJ Jones, Sam Carson, Gregor MacKellar, Nouredin Nouili, Giordano Vaccaro, Alassane Diouf, Quez Yates, Chaz Neal, Gabriel Brown, Jamal Mull
Ottawa’s starting offensive line is partially set with Boyd at left tackle, McEwen at centre, and Desjarlais nestled between them at left guard. McEwen, a three-time All-CFL selection, missed all of 2025 due to a torn ACL he suffered in Saskatchewan’s training camp, but is now healthy.
It’s the right side of the line where things get interesting because how things play out will affect the ratio.
When Peter Godber announced his retirement, the Redblacks were not caught unaware. That impending news didn’t influence the team’s Canadian draft, which saw them select two offensive linemen in Vaccaro and Diouf, as they simply stuck to their philosophy of selecting the best player available, regardless of need. Both of Ottawa’s 2026 Canadian Draft picks will compete for snaps at tackle and guard.
Someone else who will get moved around is Pelehos. Heading into his fifth season, the former Gee-Gee has spent most of his career at right tackle, but will be given snaps at guard throughout camp. Carson and MacKellar are other Canadian names to watch.
In terms of Americans who can play tackle, Ivey is heading into his sixth season in the CFL and comes to town from Edmonton after suiting up for 18 regular-season games with the Elks last year. Jones also isn’t new to the CFL, playing three games for Ottawa in 2025.
Neal is a monster at six-foot-nine and 315 pounds, and was last in the NFL at a New York Giants rookie mini-camp. Yates, Mull, and Brown will get reps and both tackle and guard.
