When Ottawa Redblacks’ QB Dru Brown’s protected in the pocket, he’s one of the best in the CFL: Ryan Dinwiddie

Photo courtesy: James Paddle-Grant/CFL.

Ottawa Redblacks’ general manager and head coach Ryan Dinwiddie has become bullish on quarterback Dru Brown.

“Quarterbacks make you win and they can change games. Dru’s a good player, very comfortable with Dru, I think he’s a capable guy. We got to keep him protected, when he’s in the pocket and he’s protected, I think he’s one of the best in the league. Very comfortable with Dru,” Dinwiddie said from the winter meetings in Calgary.

“We spent a week together and really value his opinion on some things that they’ve done in the past offensively, and we want to add to that, but I want him to be comfortable. We have to win with him. Absolutely, he’s our starter, we never wavered off of that. We feel good about Dru, and we’re going to build the future to make sure it’s advantageous for him to win football games.”

Brown dressed for 11 regular-season games in 2025 and made nine starts while fighting through neck, hip and knee problems. He completed 71.5 percent of his passes for 2,389 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions to rank eighth league-wide in passer rating and posted a 2-7 win-loss record.

The 28-year-old was acquired by the Redblacks leading into the 2024 season. He started 15 games that year, producing an 8-6-1 record to lead Ottawa to the postseason. He completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,959 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.

“Reviewing the film, I think he played his best games in his biggest moments at times. He’s played good football. Obviously, last year was a tough year for him with the injuries, and how the season laid itself out. But I think Dru’s a competitor and wants to get better, highly motivated. There’s things we got to work on, absolutely, but I think he can give us a chance to win football games,” Dinwiddie said.

“You always want to have two guys, not one guy is always going to play the whole 18 games of the season, so you got to have two guys. We’ll look to add some depth, as far as quarterback position, but feel really good about Dru and at the same time, competition is healthy for a football club.”

Brown restructured his contract for the 2026 CFL season. Meanwhile, Dustin Crum is a pending free agent. The 27-year-old dressed in 17 regular season games last year and started six with a 2-4 win-loss record. He completed 70.9 percent of his passes for 1,771 yards, six touchdowns against two interceptions. The six-foot, 210-pound QB added 78 carries for 429 yards plus 11 majors on the ground.

“I would love to have Dustin back, I think he’s a competitor. Haven’t got a chance to coach him,” Dinwiddie said. “I think he’s got all the skill sets that you need to be successful in this league, but haven’t got a chance to get there yet. If the price is right and he wants to come back and have an opportunity to compete, I love that.”