A number of CFL teams have new looks for 2023 as the B.C. Lions, Calgary Stampeders, and Toronto Argonauts unveiled fresh uniforms during the off-season. This begs the question: what is the best uniform in the CFL?
3DownNation’s contributors graded each uniform independently — all nine home and away uniforms plus six alternates — on a scale from one to ten. These grades were then averaged out to create the rankings below. The score for each uniform is listed alongside each entry in our rankings.
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24) Winnipeg Blue Bombers alternate (5.1)
Our contributors clearly aren’t fans of these duds, which feature the club’s logo prominently on the front of the jersey. Winnipeg will wear these uniforms twice this season, which is the maximum permitted for alternate uniforms over the course of the season. One positive to come from this look is the triple stripe on the helmet, which the team has since incorporated permanently into its home and away uniforms.
23) Saskatchewan Roughriders away (5.2)
There’s a lot of potential here but Saskatchewan’s all-white look isn’t working for our voters. The green blocking around the underarm is outdated and fits awkwardly under the shoulder. It’s time for these uniforms to get an update, which will hopefully feature green pants and improved striping. For a team that sells a lot of jerseys, these uniforms are pretty mediocre.
22) Toronto Argonauts away (5.4)
The Boatmen haven’t worn their road whites yet, so we’ve only seen them in promotional photos. Our contributors clearly aren’t fans of the monochromatic look, which would arguably be improved with blue pants or socks. This uniform might look better once it hits the field for the first time in Week 3 but for now, it’s near the bottom of the list.
21) Saskatchewan Roughriders home (5.6)
These uniforms are the same as Saskatchewan’s lacklustre away uniforms, merely with the colours reversed. The blocking around the underarm still doesn’t work and the white collar looks odd without connecting under the chin. The helmet would also benefit from some type of stripe as it’s currently a little bland.
20) Toronto Argonauts home (5.8)
Cambridge blue is a beautiful colour but sometimes too much of a good thing can be a problem. This look lacks detailing on the helmet and pants and the oars on the shoulders are almost identical to the feathers Montreal used to have on their alternate uniforms. These uniforms read more ‘Tennessee Titans’ than they do ‘Toronto Argonauts.’
19) Ottawa Redblacks home (6.0)
There’s a lot going on with Ottawa’s home uniforms and our voters clearly aren’t crazy about them. The club would also be wise to permanently switch to the helmet design they debuted last season, which featured a large logo on the side and a triple stripe on the top. Fortunately for our voters, it appears the Redblacks will have new home uniforms for 2024.
18) Ottawa Redblacks away (6.1)
The Redblacks appear again here with uniforms that can’t seem to pick a lane. The numbers have a modern font and there’s plaid on the collar and in the striping but the rest of the look is really basic. It also seems odd that the uniform is mostly white despite the team’s name being a combination of two other colours. A more detailed helmet and a pair of black pants would go a long way to improving this look.
17) B.C. Lions away (6.2)
B.C.’s new “fog” uniforms are the league’s only road look that isn’t white, which helps them stand out from the crowd. The orange and black stripes on the shoulder and pants look sharp, though it’d be nice to see more orange overall given that it’s the club’s primary colour. The club’s old away uniforms featured the colour heavily with orange pants and orange around the shoulders.
16) Calgary Stampeders alternate (6.2)
It was common for teams to wear black despite it not being one of their primary colours 30 years ago, a fad the Stampeders have revisited with these uniforms. The numbers pop beautifully and the shoulder stripes are sharp, though the barbed wire on the helmet seems a little over the top. The good news for Calgary is that their home and away uniforms far outrank their alternates.
15) B.C. Lions home (6.3)
The Lions unveiled their new home uniforms last month and our contributors don’t seem overly impressed by the new digs, which are reminiscent of the Cleveland Browns. The numbers are a little bulky and there’s not enough orange on these bad boys. These uniforms aren’t bad but we’re not sure they’re a meaningful upgrade over the old ones.
14) Hamilton Tiger-Cats away (6.4)
This look is solid, though it could probably use more yellow. The thick black collar is sharp and the text and numbering is crisp, even if it’s a little bland. The quadruple striping on the shoulders matches the home uniform nicely, which ranked higher on our list. These uniforms are pretty basic but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometimes simple is good.
13) Montreal Alouettes away (6.8)
There’s some beauty in how simple and clean these uniforms are. The white is crisp and there’s a nice balance of blue and red to compliment what can otherwise be a pretty bland colour. There’s nothing earth-shattering about these uniforms but they’re serviceable and a solid upgrade over what the Als used to wear.
12) Hamilton Tiger-Cats alternate (6.8)
Hamilton’s “made in the hammer” alternates were unveiled last season and pay strong tribute to the roots of Steeltown. The looks is complete with an alternate logo, which uses two hammers to form the negative space of the letter ‘H.’ The Ticats haven’t officially confirmed that they’ll wear these uniforms again in 2023 but we incorporated them here nonetheless. All in all, they’re solid.
11) Edmonton Elks away (6.9)
These uniforms are identical to Edmonton’s home look, only the jersey’s green and white colours have been reversed. The look is clean, sharp, and stylistic. The yellow shoulder stripes are a little tough to see against the white background but it’s hard to criticize anything else. The antlers are strongly present, though going back to the iconic ‘EE’ on the helmet was obviously the correct choice.
10) Calgary Stampeders away (7.0)
These uniforms are essentially just the reverse of Calgary’s home uniforms, which means they’re slick. The striping on the pants and shoulder is classic and the side logo pops against the red background. In all, these uniforms are a massive upgrade over the uniforms they replaced, which featured ugly black blocking under the arm and an awkward number font.
9) Ottawa Redblacks alternate (7.1)
According to our contributors, Ottawa’s best uniforms are their alternates. These jerseys do the best job of marrying red and black, the team’s primary colours and namesake, with the white numbers popping off dramatically. If the club paired these uniforms with their alternate helmets, this look would be even better.
8) Hamilton Tiger-Cats home (7.2)
These uniforms do a great job of boldly featuring Hamilton’s colour scheme with black on top and yellow on the bottom. The shoulder stripes are a little busy but they’re original and balance the jersey well with the relatively simplistic name and numbers. Of all the uniforms the Ticats have worn over their long history, these might be the best.
7) Edmonton Elks home (7.4)
The Elks nailed their redesign ahead of the 2022 season, which improved upon the first set of uniforms that followed the team’s name change. The large ‘EE’ logo looks slick on the helmet and the antlers on the shoulder and pants reinforce the club’s new identity. Overall, these uniforms do a great job of balancing tradition with modernity.
6) Montreal Alouettes home (7.7)
The Als seem to have finally landed on an identity after decades of wearing a hodgepodge of silver, black, white, and multiple shades of blue and red. This new look is simple and clean. The white detailing around the logo helps it stand out against the dark helmet, though it’d be nice if the new Vidéotron chest patch matched blue-and-red colour scheme a little better.
5) B.C. Lions alternate (7.8)
These “gun metal” uniforms are ultra-popular with fans and it appears as though our contributors like them a lot, too. The numbers can be tough to read at times but that’s really the only knock on this look. It’s bold, modern, and B.C. does a good job saving it for rare games, making it a special event whenever they don these uniforms.
4) Winnipeg Blue Bombers away (7.9)
The royal blue really pops on these uniforms, which underwent a subtle change in 2019. The nameplate sits a little awkwardly above the numbers on the back of the jersey but it’s hard to criticize this look otherwise. It does an excellent job of highlighting the team’s primary colours despite most of the jersey being a neutral white.
3) Calgary Stampeders home (8.0)
The Stampeders have fully embraced red and white as their primary colour scheme and our contributors are clearly big fans of the change. The club rid their uniforms of the last vestiges of black this off-season as they changed to white facemasks, which was a subtle but sharp alteration. The look is an excellent modern take on classic elements and one of the best in the CFL.
2) Saskatchewan Roughriders alternate (8.8)
It’s a shame the Riders only wear their throwback alternates once per year given how popular they are with our contributors. These uniforms are a dramatic upgrade over the club’s primary home and away uniforms and harken back to the club’s golden era of Ron Lancaster and George Reed. If Saskatchewan is going to change their primary uniforms in the near future, they needn’t look further than these beauties for a brilliant design.
1) Winnipeg Blue Bombers home (9.2)
The Blue Bombers are no strangers to the top spot on the CFL standings, so it’s only fitting that they have the league’s best uniforms. In hindsight, it’s probably not a coincidence that Winnipeg started playing well when they permanently changed their uniforms from navy blue to royal blue in 2016. These uniforms are virtually beyond reproach.
