Don’t let anyone tell you that the Ottawa Redblacks preseason finale didn’t matter — sure, technically the final score (a Montreal Alouettes 24-16 win) didn’t matter, but everything else did.
The game mattered to fans at TD Place getting their first look at the 2025 team, it mattered to the guys hoping to secure one of the 45 spots on the roster — or the 12 on the practice squad — and it absolutely mattered to the guys who feel the cut coming but hope to put enough good reps on tape to attract the interest of one of the league’s other eight general managers.
Here are my thoughts on Friday night’s wet, 54-minute lightning delayed game.
1) With Dru Brown not dressing, all three of the men vying to be his backup had a golden opportunity to seize the job. The battle was a bit anti-climatic, with veteran Matthew Shiltz getting the game’s opening three drives — attempting just two passes — before being pulled. Shiltz completed both attempts for 32 yards, and punched in a quarterback sneak from the one-yard line for a rushing touchdown. He wasn’t asked to do much but looked sharp. His 31-yard strike to Andre Miller, which hit the receiver in stride, stood out.
Following his departure, third-year pro Dustin Crum came in and played the second and most of the third quarter. The 26-year-old was solid, completing eight-of-13 attempts for a total of 96 yards. He also took off running seven times for a total of 37 yards and a touchdown. Crum looked to be the player R-Nation has become familiar with in recent years, comfortably hitting short passes and tucking and trucking defenders when the pocket collapsed.
His running style is tough, and he still doesn’t seem interested in protecting himself. Even in this preseason outing he chose not to slide and fought for every yard. It’s commendable but also makes you hold your breath every time he crosses the line of scrimmage in anticipation of the collision you know is coming.
To close things out, Tyrie Adams entered the game late in the third quarter and played the rest of the way. Adams had a number of incompletions thanks to a handful of off-target throws and a couple of drops. The fourth-year pro completed nine-of-18 attempts for 82 yards and scrambled four times for 34 yards and a touchdown.
Although his completion percentage wasn’t great, from purely an eye-test point of view, Adams throws a better ball than Crum or Shiltz. That said, it doesn’t matter how much zip a pass has if it’s high and wide. Still, for all his off-target throws, Adams had the best throw of any quarterback in the game on his second-last possession. Faced with an untouched blitzing defender bearing down on him, Adams hung in the pocket and delivered an impressive 14-yard strike to Maurice Ffrench.
Historically, the Redblacks have kept four quarterbacks — three on the main roster, one on the practice squad — so it would be a surprise to see any of Shiltz, Crum, or Adams cut. What will be interesting to see is how the depth chart shakes out once the regular season ends, and if whoever winds up on the practice squad is content to bid their time in that role, or if they’ll seek to leverage that into an opportunity elsewhere.
2) A week after dressing but not taking any snaps at the position, Canadian running back Daniel Adeboboye got his first few carries for his new team. The former Argonaut ran hard and never went down on first contact. Adeboboye’s four touches turned in 24 yards and he would’ve had a touchdown if not for being tackled at the one-yard line.
As for the rest of the running backs, Elijah Collins was the most noticeable. The 24-year-old Detroit native averaged 5.2 yards per carry and was involved in the passing game, making three catches for 62 yards, including an impressive 38-yard rumble on a swing pass. Former Pittsburgh Steeler Jaylen Samuels had a rough go of things, managing just five yards on four carries.
3) It wasn’t surprising to see the Redblacks sit all of their expected starters at receiver — Geno Lewis, Justin Hardy, Bralon Addison and Kalil Pimpleton — but the fact that Keelan White, the third overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft, also didn’t play means he’s clearly the Canadian starter in Nick Mardner’s absence.
With White not suiting up, Ethan Jordan, the team’s sixth-round pick, got the start but was held without a catch. The only Canadian to record a reception was Wilfrid Laurier product Raidan Thorne, who finished with one catch for 15 yards.
Nobody saw more targets than American rookie Lincoln Victor, who turned seven targets into four catches for 21 yards. Ayir Asante managed a trio of receptions on six targets for 27 yards, while Latreal Jones made four catches for 30 yards, with 15 of those coming after the catch.
4) While Ottawa fielded a roster light on projected starters, there was one positional group that featured a number of players still hoping to lock down a starting role: the secondary. When you consider that the group was the weakest part of the 2024 squad and that up to four jobs were up for grabs, it’s not shocking that the battle for those spots came down to the second and final preseason game.
What was surprising — and honestly a bit concerning — was how easy things looked for Montreal quarterback Caleb Evans given the number of veterans were on the field for Ottawa. I’ve been a fan of Evans since he was a rookie with the Redblacks, but he’s not exactly the second coming of Anthony Calvillo.
In his first action since returning from a season-ending knee injury suffered in 2024, the 26-year-old third-stringer picked Ottawa’s secondary apart while playing with backup receivers. Evans completed 73 percent of his passes for 111 yards and a touchdown. He also scrambled for an easy 12-yard rushing touchdown.
Preseason performances need to be taken with a grain of salt and shouldn’t be over-analyzed but it would have been reassuring if this unit looked better.
In terms of a defender who stood out for the right seasons, Deandre Lamont finished with five tackles, a sack that came on a well-timed blitz, and a knockdown.
5) Veteran linebacker Frankie Griffin was probably in no danger of being cut, though his three special teams tackles will almost surely have locked down a spot on the roster. No other player made more than one.
As for the rest of the special teams units, kicker Lewis Ward made the one field goal he attempted, splitting the uprights from 11 yards out. Richie Leone punted twice for an average of 50.5 yards per kick, but the average field flip was only 26.5 yards. It wasn’t a case of the veteran out-kicking his coverage but rather missed tackles.
Noah Gettman was given a number of opportunities as well and punted five times. He averaged 46.6 yards per kick and an average flip of field position of 39.8 yards. Gettman has had a strong preseason, but I’m not sure he’s done enough to make Leone expendable.
In terms of the return game, Lincoln Victor returned three punts for 58 yards, with his longest of the game being 42 yards. Ayir Asante fumbled his first punt return, but rebounded nicely to secure his other three returns and managed a total of 22 yards. Victor and Asante split kickoff returns, with each handling two returns, totalling 42 and 43 yards respectively. Both had gains of 25 yards.
6) The heavy rain kept many away from the stadium, but it’s nevertheless impressive that the Redblacks sold 15,411 tickets to their preseason game. Part of that might be due to the fact that R-Nation has yet to see their team this year, with the organization holding training camp in Kingston for the first time in franchise history. Another part of it might be the buzz surrounding the team.
Vibes are high coming off of last season’s impressive 7-1-1 mark at home, a return to the playoffs and the off-season work done by general manager Shawn Burke to boost the team’s talent while also retaining his own stars.
Had the weather been better last night, a good walk-up crowd (which isn’t unusual in Ottawa) could have added thousands more.
7) With final training camp cuts due at 10 p.m. EST on Saturday night, R-Nation won’t have to wait long to see the final roster take shape. Currently, CFL teams are carrying 75 players, which will need to be reduced to a 45-man roster with a 12-man practice squad, excluding those on the injured lists.
It’s always a bittersweet time of year because while it’s exciting to see the hard work of rookies and newcomers pay off, it’s balanced out by the players who see their dreams of starting (or continuing) a pro football career come to an end.
8) After Burke and the coaching staff finalize their roster, it will be full-steam ahead focusing on the season opener. The Redblacks are fortunate enough to take part in this year’s CFL regular-season opener, which will occur Thursday night in Regina.
Bob Dyce’s squad will be facing former Redblacks pivot Trevor Harris and company. Kickoff will be at 9 p.m. EST and the game will be on TSN.
