First overall CFL draft pick Giordano Vaccaro to start Ottawa Redblacks preseason opener

Photo: CFL

Giordano Vaccaro will make his Ottawa Redblacks preseason debut at left guard on Friday night when he starts against the Montreal Alouettes, according to the team’s official depth chart.

The Winnipeg native was taken with the first overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft out of Purdue University, where he played 12 games in 2025.

The six-foot-two, 307-pound blocker previously played at the University of Manitoba, where he won the J.P. Metras Trophy as the top lineman in the country in 2024. The Bisons finished atop the Canada West standings for the first time in almost 20 years and ranked first in U Sports with over 250 rushing yards per game.

Jake Maier will start at quarterback ahead of Max Duggan and Bryson Barnes. Maier signed with the team in February after serving as the backup with the Saskatchewan Roughriders last year, while Duggan joined the team following his recent release from the Toronto Argonauts.

Luiji Vilain will start at defensive end after signing with his hometown team late last month. The 28-year-old spent parts of the last four seasons in the NFL as a member of the Minnesota Vikings, Carolina Panthers, Cleveland Browns, and Dallas Cowboys, earning nearly $1.4 million USD. Ottawa recently acquired his CFL rights in a trade from the Argonauts.

CFL veterans who will start for the Redblacks include receiver Eugene Lewis, offensive linemen Dino Boyd and Martez Ivey, defensive linemen Blessman Ta’ala, Dylan Wynn, and Aidan John, and defensive backs Demerio Houston, Bennett Williams, Scott Hutter, and Adrian Frye.

Notable players who have not been listed on the depth chart include quarterback Dru Brown, running back Greg Bell, receivers Justin Hardy and Kalil Pimpleton, offensive linemen Drew Desjarlais and Sean McEwen, defensive linemen Habakkuk Baldonado, Michael Wakefield, and Bryce Carter, linebackers A.J. Allen and Nyles Morgan, and defensive backs C.J. Reavis and Alonzo Addae.

Ottawa’s full depth chart can be found below. The game will begin at 7:00 p.m. EDT at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal.

The Ottawa Redblacks opened training camp on May 10. The team will play its two preseason games against the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, May 22 and Friday, May 29. Final roster cuts are due on Saturday, May 30, after which the team will play its first regular-season game against the Edmonton Elks on Saturday, June 6.

Ottawa recently selected Purdue offensive lineman Giordano Vaccaro with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft and it appears he could be a day-one starter. The team’s other major offseason additions include quarterback Jake Maier, running back Greg Bell, linebacker A.J. Allen, and strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis.

In 2025, the Redblacks finished fourth in the East Division standings with a 4-14 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth time in the last six seasons. Ryan Dinwiddie was hired as the team’s head coach and general manager after the firing of Bob Dyce.