MontrealAlouettes.com
TORONTO — It’s time. The regular season is finally upon us and it’s time for the action to start.
Rosters are set (check out the final cutdown tracker) and teams injury reports are coming in as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prepare to host the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday to kick off the 2024 CFL season.
Who’s going to win the 111th Grey Cup? It all starts now.
CFL.ca is checking down with news and notes from Week 1.
Jump to team:
| BC | Calgary | Edmonton | Saskatchewan | Winnipeg | Hamilton | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal |
BC LIONS
DB Garry Peters returns for his sixth season in BC (Timothy Atticus/CFL.ca)
– Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and owner Amar Doman are featured in this week’s ‘24 people who will impact the 2024 season’. Check out how these two Lions can impact the quest for the 111th Grey Cup to be played in November at BC Place (CFL.ca).
– Lions defensive back Garry Peters talked to TSN’s Farhan Lalji about his eagerness to help the young players on the roster develop, how he’s approaching his leadership role this season and more (TSN.ca).
– The Jonas Brothers will be featured in the Grey Cup Halftime Show presented by Twisted Tea in the 111th Grey Cup (CFL.ca).
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
DB Titus Wall was among the players released by the Stampeders on Saturday (The Canadian Press)
– The Stampeders will feature a new-look secondary when they open the season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday, writes Todd Saelhof (Calgary Herald).
– Calgary has made its final cuts in preparation for Week 1, including releasing veteran defensive back Titus Wall (Glenn Campbell, CTV News).
– Natasha Staniszewski checks in with quarterbacks coach Beau Baldwin for a breakdown on his position group ahead of the home opener (Stampeders.com).
EDMONTON ELKS
QB Dakota Prukop was released by BC in late May before being signed by the Elks on Monday (The Canadian Press)
– The CFL has shifted its Week 1 contest between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, June 8, to a 2 p.m. MT/4 p.m. ET start time. Originally scheduled for a 5 p.m. MT/7 p.m. ET kickoff, the shift allows fans to attend or watch the Elks season opener, as well as Game 1 of the Stanley Cup Finals (CFL.ca).
– Expectations will be high for the Elks in 2024 after bringing in names like McLeod Bethel-Thompson and Kurleigh Gittens Jr., as Chris Jones enters his third year in Edmonton (Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press via Global News).
– The Edmonton Elks have signed American Dakota Prukop, the team announced Sunday. The veteran CFL quarterback returns for a second stint with Edmonton after being released by the BC Lions in late May. Prukop suited up in eight games for the Double E in 2021, racking up 134 rushing yards and two touchdowns (CFL.ca).
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
QB Mason Fine was one of the players released by the Riders on their final cuts before the season (Matt Smith/CFL.ca).
– The Saskatchewan Roughriders announced their post-training camp cuts on Saturday. Among those released was quarterback Mason Fine, who spent the last three seasons with the Riders. In 2023, the 27-year-old threw for 1,043 yards, three touchdowns and five interceptions. He had signed a two-year extension with the Riders in January, 2024 (CFL.ca).
– The Riders announced on Tuesday they have signed 2022 CFL All-Star defensive back Marcus Sayles, who had been released by the Lions after their final preseason game (CFL.ca).
– Sayles has already practiced with the Roughriders and gave his reasons for choosing Saskatchewan as his next CFL destination (Riderville.com).
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
RB Brady Oliveira is one of the reasons why the Bombers rank first on the latest PFF Running Backs ranking (Kevin Sousa/CFL.ca)
– Despite leading the CFL in several statistical categories in 2023, Bombers’ head coach Mike O’Shea is not concerned with the numbers, saying his team’s only focus is to find ways to get better and win (Paul Friesen, The Winnipeg Sun).
– The Blue Bombers and Brady Oliveira sit at the top of PFF’s running back rankings for 2024 after a stellar 2023 season that saw the National tailback break the 2,000 yards from scrimmage mark (Pro Football Focus).
– Winnipeg has a new defensive coordinator and that could mean a completely different defensive unit in 2024, with its evolution one of the most fascinating sidebars to the Blue Bombers ’24 season, writes Ed Tait (BlueBombers.com).
– Zach Collaros has been named the top player on the CFL on TSN’s annual top 50 players for 2024 list (CFL.ca).
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Hamilton announced on Monday they have signed American DB Jonathan Moxey (Greg Fulmes/CFL.ca).
– The Hamilton Tiger-Cats announced on Monday that the team has signed American defensive back Jonathan Moxey (CFL.ca).
– Head coach Scott Milanovich is about to enter his first season ahead of the Tiger-Cats and says the CFL is still the most fun he has ever had (Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press via The Hamilton Spectator).
– Does the Ticats season rely on a healthy Bo Levi Mitchell? The CFL on TSN panel analyzes what’s at stake for the veteran quarterback as he enters his second season in Hamilton (TSN.ca).
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
DB Mason Pierce had the top 2023 coverage grade of all defensive backs (The Canadian Press)
– Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie is embracing the underdog label given to the Argonauts ahead of the 2024 season, saying it might add some fire to the locker room (Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press via TSN).
– The Argos were ranked fifth in the latest 2024 Power Rankings presented by AMSOIL after losing defensive coordinator Corey Mace – who departed to take on the head coach position in Saskatchewan – and being without quarterback Chad Kelly for the first nine games of the season due to suspension . Check out where each team was ranked (CFL.ca).
– Defensive back Mason Pierce finished with the best coverage grade amongst all defensive backs in 2023 according to Pro Football Focus (CFL.ca).
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
The REDBLACKS revealed their new jerseys on Tuesday (CFL.ca)
– The Ottawa REDBLACKS are donning a new look ahead of their 10th anniversary season, as the team officially revealed their new home uniforms on Tuesday (CFL.ca).
– Ottawa has a Week 1 bye and general manager Shawn Burke sees it as an advantage from a logistical standpoint (TSN.ca).
– CFL insider Dave Naylor sees the REDBLACKS as one of the most intriguing stories of the 2024 season after bringing in plenty of new faces like quarterback Dru Brown, receiver Dominique Rhymes and linebacker Adarius Pickett (TSN.ca).
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
WR Tevin Jones was released by the Alouettes on Saturday (Dave Chidley/CFL.ca)
– The Alouettes open the season against the Blue Bombers on Thursday at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg and the players are using the road start as motivation, writes Salim Valji (TSN.ca).
– Another source of inspiration for the Alouettes – who ranked first in this week’s edition of the 2024 Power Rankings presented by AMSOIL – is proving that their 2023 championship wasn’t a one-hit wonder (The Canadian Press via TSN.ca).
– Montreal has released wide receiver Tevin Jones in their final round of cuts before the regular season. Check out all the players released by the current champions (CFL.ca).
