Jason Halstead/CFL.ca
TORONTO — Week 1 has come and gone and there’s no more time to waste for teams battling for the 111th Grey Cup
The first test for some of the teams has already arrived with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers placing Kenny Lawler on the six-game injured list and having to deal with the absence of running back Brady Oliveira in Week 2. The Montreal Alouettes meanwhile lost defensive back Reggie Stubblefield to a season-ending ACL injury.
CFL.ca is checking down with news and notes from Week 2.
Jump to team:
| BC | Calgary | Edmonton | Saskatchewan | Winnipeg | Hamilton | Toronto | Ottawa | Montreal |
BC LIONS
– The BC Lions home opener against the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday will feature more than 50,000 fans in the stands and is among five must-see home games for the Leos in 2024 (Steve Ewen, The Province).
– Defensive lineman Tibo Debaillie was the first Global player to ever score a touchdown in the CFL after returning a fumble for a score against the Toronto Argonauts on Sunday (Matt Baker, BCLions.com).
– It’s BC Lions Week in Vancouver with a lot of events planned around the city ahead of the team’s season opener against the Stampeders on Saturday (BCLions.com).
CALGARY STAMPEDERS
– Jake Maier is at the head of the class for Week 1 in the CFL Honour Roll powered by Pro Football Focus. The pivot had a stellar outing in his first regular season game of the year, throwing for 252 yards and two majors against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (CFL.ca).
– The Stampeders receiving game found early success in Week 1, led by receiver Cam Echols (Todd Saelhof, Calgary Herald).
– Echols was playing in his first CFL game and shared a little about his journey all the way to the highlight-reel touchdown against the Ticats (Ty Pilson, Stampeders.com).
EDMONTON ELKS
– The Edmonton Elks have signed free agent receiver Tevin Jones, the team announced on Tuesday. The 31-year-old had signed with the Montreal Alouettes in free agency over the winter, but was one of the final players cut from the team’s training camp (CFL.ca).
– The Elks also signed National defensive back Josh Hagerty, the club announced Monday. Hagerty has appeared in 31 games over three CFL seasons (2021-23) with the Argos, recording 39 total tackles and winning the 109th Grey Cup in 2022 (CFL.ca).
– How many points will Eugene Lewis score in fantasy in Week 2? CFL.ca’s Brandon C. Williams answers that and much more in his latest Fantasy Projections (CFL.ca).
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
– Shawn Bane Jr. scored three receiving majors and AJ Ouellette added a score on the ground in the Riders comeback win over the Edmonton Elks on Saturday (Darrell Davis, Regina Leader-Post).
– After throwing three touchdown passes in Saturday’s season-opening, 29-21 victory over the Edmonton Elks, the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ starting quarterback Trevor Harris presented a game ball to head coach Corey Mace (Rob Vanstone, Riderville.com).
– CFL.ca brings you three stats that defined the Riders win over the Elks, including a 21-point scoring blitz in the fourth quarter (CFL.ca).
WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
2023 Most Outstanding Canadian Brady Oliveira will miss Thursday’s game against the REDBLACKS (Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca)
– The Blue Bombers depth chart for Thursday night’s game in Ottawa against the REDBLACKS shows that star tailback Brady Oliveira (knee) will not suit up. Even worse, receiver Kenny Lawler has been moved to the six-game injured list after reportedly fracturing his arm in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Montreal Alouettes (CFL.ca).
– Winnipeg remains the favourite to win the 111th Grey Cup despite losing their season opener against the Montreal Alouettes (Spencer Closs NorthStar Bets via Welland Tribune).
– The Bombers want to set the standard as they enter their Week 2 matchup against the REDBLACKS on Thursday (Paul Friesen, Winnipeg Sun).
HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
The Ticats signed BIg-Ten all-time yardage leader QB Taulia Tagovailoa (University of Maryland)
– The Tiger-Cats announced on Wednesday the football club has signed a pair of nationals, including defensive lineman Benoit Marion and defensive back Siriman Bagayogo (CFL.ca).
– Hamilton also announced on Monday they have signed American quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa to the practice roster. Tagovailoa is the Big Ten’s all-time leader in passing yards (11,256) and completion percentage (67.1 per cent). He also holds various Maryland records including passing yards (11,256), passing touchdowns (76), total touchdowns (89), completions (955) and multiple single-season records including, completions (328) and passing yards (3,860) (CFL.ca).
– The Tabbies showed encouraging signs despite the loss to the Stampeders in their season opener on Friday, including running back James Butler picking up where he left off last season, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell‘s re-configured physique and theoretical approach to the game and more, writes Steve Milton (Ticats.ca).
TORONTO ARGONAUTS
– The Toronto Argonauts have released defensive lineman Shawn Oakman, the team announced on Tuesday. The 32-year-old former Baylor star has 18 sacks through three CFL seasons, all spent in Toronto (CFL.ca).
– Quarterback Cameron Dukes wasn’t surprised with his team’s Week 1 win over the BC Lions, citing a ‘next man up’ mentality for the Double Blue (TSN.ca).
– One of the defining stats in the Argos win over the Leos on Sunday was the total number of sacks that the Boatmen were able to register against quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. (CFL.ca).
OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Recently acquired LB Adarius Pickett makes his debut for the REDBLACKS on Thursday (CFL.ca)
– Linebacker Adarius Pickett wants to bring the energy to the REDBLACKS season opener against the Blue Bombers on Thursday (Tim Baines, Ottawa Citizen).
– Another player making his debut for Ottawa on Thursday is quarterback Dru Brown, who’ll be facing his former team (TSN.ca).
– The REDBLACKS are getting some veteran help for their secondary. The team announced on Tuesday they have signed two-time Grey Cup Champion (2019, 2021) and former CFL All-Star (2019) defensive back Winston Rose to the practice roster (CFL.ca).
MONTREAL ALOUETTES
– The Montreal Alouettes announced on Tuesday that Reggie Stubblefield‘s season is over. The 25-year-old American suffered a torn ACL in the final moments of the third quarter of Thursday’s game against the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg (CFL.ca).
– The current champions will have their depth tested with Stubblefield and wide receiver Tyler Snead suffering injuries in Week 1 (Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette).
– Wide receiver Tyson Philpot picked up where he left off last year by scoring two touchdowns in his season debut. The young receiver wants to establish himself as an elite player in the CFL (Herb Zurkowsky, Montreal Gazette).
