OUT OF THE TUNNEL: LOOKING AT THE QUARTERBACKS

After digging into your own team’s roster, the easiest place to start is the corral of quarterbacks each team has assembled this training camp. Without pre-season games this might be the toughest year for any new arm to make a giant impact and make a team. So there may not be any glaring changes to the starting nine and handful of backups but for the rest of the collection of arms across the CFL, it’s tense times.

This is an incredible list of future CFL Hall of Famers, future stars, long-time backups, washed out NFL’ers and fresh-faced rookies. The easiest way to go through each team’s roster is via their respective website…this is going to be a blast. 

(* denotes potential opening day starter)

Winnipeg Blue Bombers
*Zach Collaros (Cincinnati)
Sean McGuire (W. Illinois)
Dalton Sneed (Montana/UNLV)
Dru Brown (Ok. State/Hawaii)

Zach Collaros turned a handful of games and a run to a Grey Cup championship into a new contract and the starting quarterback spot with the Blue Bombers. This is his season and other than an injury (with Collaros that is a possibility), he should start all 14 games and take almost every snap. Sean McGuire is the only other quarterback with CFL experience and that is a grand total of six plays. Dalton Sneed and Dru Brown bounced around college football with some great success. Sneed played as a freshman with UNLV and finished his career with a pair of record breaking seasons with Montana. Brown was also a standout at Hawaii before enrolling at Oklahoma State as a grad transfer where he was named a captain and finished the year as the starter. Sneed and Brown are two raw rookies in their first professional training camp. 

Hamilton Tiger-Cats
*Dane Evans (Tulsa)
Jeremiah Masoli (Ole Miss/Oregon)
J’Mar Smith (La. Tech)

There is no question who the trio of quarterbacks will be heading into the season but who will start is the big question. Dane Evans took over the starting spot at the end of July 2019 when Masoli tore his ACL and from there he rode it to the Grey Cup. Even with the loss, Evans proved that he is a solid starter in the CFL. Evans is also younger and not as prone to injury. It will take a monumental effort by Masoli to grab the starting spot with the Ticats. You may see Masoli on a different CFL team by the end of the year. J’Mar Smith is in the three-hole and is in his first full professional camp. At Louisiana Tech he played under offensive coordinator Todd Fitch (Ohio State) who is a part of Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day’s coaching tree so Smith is well suited for the CFL game. 

Saskatchewan Roughriders
*Cody Fajardo (Nevada)
Isaac Harker (Col.School of Mines)
Paxton Lynch (Memphis)
Tom Flacco (Towson/W. Michigan)
Mason Fine (North Texas)

The Cody Fajardo story is well documented. Signed with the Riders in 2019 as a backup, named starter after that Collaros injury in game one, add a sprinkle of Jesus and now the Saskatchewan Roughriders could have one of the best starting quarterbacks in the CFL. He will have a great offensive coordinator with him now in Jason Maas, a solid arsenal of receivers and a great running back. At 29-years-old, Fajardo should be the Riders starter for years to come. 2019 backup Isaac Harker started the final game in 2019 but can’t rest on his laurels as there is a lot of pressure coming up behind him. Paxton Lynch comes to the Riders as the first quarterback with NFL starting experience since J.T. O’Sullivan in 2012 (you can get a full dime store education at his YouTube channel The QB School). At 6’7” one would think Lynch wouldn’t be that mobile but at Memphis he was able to collect some solid scramble plays. So if he doesn’t make the team as a backup will he stay in Regina as a third stringer? Tom Flacco was a record breaking quarterback at Towson in the FCS and will push for the third spot. The same can be said for Mason Fine. At North Texas, he played in the air-raid offence under offensive coordinator and former Rider quarterback Graham Harrell (2009).

Edmonton Elks
*Trevor Harris (Edinboro)
Troy Williams (Utah/Washington)
Taylor Cornelius (Oklahoma State)
Drew Anderson (Murray State/Buffalo/SDSU)

Trevor Harris is entrenched as the starter in Edmonton. The now 35-year-old looks to lead the Elks back to the promised land with a new coaching staff and offensive coordinator. Alas the clock is ticking loudly on Harris’s career as he looks to prove he was one of the best CFL quarterbacks of the current era. If he stays healthy, the Elks will be in fine shape but much like Winnipeg, there isn’t much behind him. Troy Williams was Edmonton’s short yardage quarterback in 2019 and attempted just three passes at the end of the year. The two other quarterbacks in camp are giants for CFL standards. The 6’5” Taylor Cornelius was a walk-on at Oklahoma State and finished as one of the most beloved players in Cowboys history. Cornelius was in the top-10 in the country in most passing statistics in 2018. Drew Anderson is an inch shorter but was a solid starter with Utah before current Baltimore Ravens quarterback Tyler Huntley transferred to the Utes and took over the offence.

Calgary Stampeders
*Bo Levi Mitchell (E. Washington/SMU)
Dakota Prukop (Oregon/Montana St.)
Michael O’Connor (UBC/Penn St.)
Jake Maier (UC-Davis)

This is Bo Levi Mitchell’s world and the rest of the Stampeders quarterbacks are just lucky to live in it. The future CFL Hall of Famer is healthy and looking to return Calgary to the top of the West Division. It feels like Mitchell has been in the CFL for 20 years but he is just 31-years-old and looks to have so many more years to add to an already stellar career. Calgary also took some solid steps to help Mitchell. They inked former Toronto Argonaut backup Dakota Prukop who has some nice CFL experience but may be pushed for the backup role by two very young but very skilled players. Michael O’Connor had a record breaking career with the UBC Thunderbirds and can be a CFL starting quarterback but for some reason there is still a stink that follows Canadian quarterbacks, especially those who come from USports. The group is rounded out by University of California-Davis pivot Jake Maier. He led the Rams to their first playoff run in 15 years in 2018 and is in his first pro training camp.

Montreal Alouettes
*Vernon Adams Jr. (Oregon/E. Washington)
Matthew Shiltz (Butler)
Broc Rutter (North Central)
Darius James Peterson (College of Idaho)

This is also a simple formula for the Montreal Alouettes. After years of bouncing around the CFL, Vernon Adams Jr. was able to prove that he could be one of the elite quarterbacks in the league. His 2019 season was one for the ages as he led the Alouettes back to the playoffs and relevance in a city that will support a winner. The Als also kept his backup from 2019 in Matthew Shiltz. If needed he can lead the Montreal offence and keep them in the playoff race if Adams needs a week off. The third spot will be a battle between a pair of small school stars. Broc Rutter led the North Central College Cardinals to the  NCAA Division III Championship in 2018 and was in the top five in the nation in most categories. Darius Hames Peterson was a four-year starter with the NAIA’s College of Idaho. He led the Coyotes to an undefeated 2019 regular season and their first ever NAIA playoff appearance.

B.C. Lions
*Michael Reilly (C. Washington)
William Arndt (W. Connecticut)
Shea Patterson (Michigan/Ole Miss)
Nathan Rourke (Ohio)
D’Angelo Fulford (Mt. Union)

Michael Reilly already has his ticket punched to the CFL Hall of Fame but we must admit the seemingly indestructible gunslinger is now in the twilight of his career. The next two seasons will seal his legacy but with a team that seems to be in constant rebuilding mode, it might be tough. This is Reilly’s team and he will do anything and everything in his power to drag the Lions kicking and screaming to the playoffs. The Lions have a potentially solid backup with William Arndt. He finished the 2019 season as the Ottawa Redblacks starter but had some hiccups during that time with four interceptions to three touchdowns in four games as a starter. Shea Patterson might be the most recognizable name to American fans. He had an incredible NCAA career with both the Ole Miss Rebels and Michigan Wolverines and should push for the backup role with the Lions. Nathan Rourke had a stellar career at Ohio and the former Bobcat might be the next starting Canadian quarterback. Rourke brought the Bobcats back from irrelevance to three straight bowl appearances. D’Angelo Fulford went to Division III powerhouse Mount Union. He led the Purple Raiders to back-to-back Division III championship game appearances in 2017 and 2018 winning the title in 2017.

Toronto Argonauts
*Nick Arbuckle (Georgia St.)
McLeod Bethel-Thompson (Sacramento St./UCLA)
Antonio Pipkin (Tiffin)
Kenji Bahar (Monmouth)
Nick Tiano (UT-Chattanooga/Miss. St.)

This might be the most intriguing quarterback battle at training camp. Nick Arbuckle showed he can be a CFL starter in 2019 filling in for an injured Bo Levi Mitchell. Over the seven games as a starter, Arbuckle had a trio of 300+ passing games with 10 touchdowns to five interceptions. This stretch garnered him a January 2020 trade to Ottawa where he inked a contract only to see him released a year later when the Redblacks signed Matt Nichols. McLeod Bethel-Thompson is a proven CFL starter and should push Arbuckle for the number one spot. 2019 saw Bethel-Thompson threw for over 4,000-yards and 26 touchdowns. When he is on, Bethel-Thompson can be incredible as proven by his 464-yard game on August 25 (2019) against Montreal but there is a dark side as shown on July 18 and his four interceptions against Calgary.  Antonio Pipkin can be considered a CFL veteran as he started six games in his three seasons with the Montreal Alouettes. Solid ball running and tries to push the ball downfield to a fault with eight interceptions in his six starts. Kenji Bahar is the all-time leader in almost every category after his career at Monmouth. He led the Hawks to their first two ever FCS playoff appearances in 2017 and 2019. Nick Tiano finished a solid career at UT-Chattanooga and is also in his first professional training camp.

2019 should have been a storybook year for Matt Nichols but after a week 10 injury that ended his season it was Zach Collaros who raised the Grey Cup for the Blue Bombers. Now Nichols is on a Redblacks club that finished 3-15 in 2019 and saw a handful of veterans hang up the cleats before training camp 2021 began. A healthy Matt Nichols can help improve the Redblacks but it’s going to be a tall order. Dominique Davis is one of the top backup quarterbacks in the CFL. If needed, he can be an extended starter with the Redblacks but has never stepped up to the next level to solidify himself as a starting quarterback. Davis came out of 2019 training camp as the Redblacks starter by beating out Jonathon Jennings but finished the season with a clipboard in his hand. Taryn Christion is the most intriguing quarterback on the roster. He is South Dakota’s all-time leader in every passing category while leading the Jackrabbits to four straight FCS playoff appearances. Christion also saw pre-season action with the Dallas Cowboys in 2019 as both a quarterback and a receiver. Caleb Evans was a three year starter with UL Monroe and his skillset is well suited for the CFL.

Without pre-season games it will be tough to see how those behind the CFL vets will adjust to the Canadian game. But by the end of this season we will have two or three new names that will be leading CFL offences across the country.