Redblacks get strong quarterback play and other thoughts on Ottawa’s preseason win in Montreal

Photo courtesy: Montreal Alouettes

For the first time in the Ryan Dinwiddie era, the Ottawa Redblacks took the field to play a football game and emerged victorious.

Yes, it was only a preseason contest, and yes, it didn’t count for anything in the standings, but the process that led to the outcome was plenty meaningful to both the coaching staff and the men trying to earn a roster spot.

Here are my thoughts on Ottawa’s 27-12 win in Montreal.

Maier makes his case

Like most CFL teams when they go on the road in the preseason, the Redblacks left plenty of veterans back at home in Ottawa, among them was projected starting quarterback Dru Brown. He has been Ottawa’s starter for the past two seasons and yet, Brown will be feeling a bit of extra pressure to be at his best under the TD Place lights on Friday given how well the man behind him played in Montreal.

Six-year pro Jake Maier was signed in the offseason to push Brown and provide proven depth behind him. By all accounts, Maier’s had a strong start to camp, and backed that up with an excellent outing against Montreal’s presumed starting defence.

The 29-year-old was under centre for three drives, two ended with passing touchdowns. Maier was surgical, making good reads and got the ball out of his hands quickly as he completed 10-of-14 passes for 155 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

It was also encouraging to see that when the pocket collapsed, Maier was able to buy time with his legs and keep his eyes downfield. Of his four incompletions, only one was truly off-target, and another was a drop. All in all, it was just about a flawless performance from a guy trying to demonstrate why he deserves more reps.

Barnes shines

After Maier left the game, he was replaced by Max Duggan and later Bryson Barnes. Duggan, who led the TCU Horned Frogs to the 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship game, spent time with the Argos in 2025, appearing in three games, completing 76 percent of his passes for 109 yards and one touchdown.

Against the Alouettes, Duggan was under centre for four drives, one resulted in a field goal, and two were two-and-outs. To be fair to the 25-year-old, he was frequently under pressure as a result of some leaky blocking from his offensive line. Still, Duggan completed four-of-seven passes for 20 yards and scrambled three times for nine yards.

Perhaps the most pleasant surprise of the night was the play of the rookie Barnes. Fourth on the quarterback depth, the Utah State product was recently signed by the Redblacks after participating in Cleveland Browns rookie mini-camp earlier in May.

While it should be noted Barnes was playing against guys buried on Montreal’s depth chart, his teammates when he was on the field were also players further down Ottawa’s depth chart. The six-foot-two, 210-pounder looked quite comfortable on the field, completing all eight of the passes he attempted for 109 yards. He also flashed good mobility, scrambling twice for 15 yards and a rushing touchdown.

Of the three drives he was given, not counting the game’s final possession which was to kneel things out, Bryson led the Redblacks to field goal and a touchdown. The other drive was cut short when receiver Roc Taylor had the ball wrestled out of his possession.

Rookie backs flash

With prized offseason addition Greg Bell resting up back in Ottawa, the Redblacks were able to get a good look at two of the other American running backs on their roster. Both Elijah Collins and Jacquez Stuart are CFL rookies, and while neither put up overly impression rushing numbers, both had plays that showed their potential.

Collins turned his five carries into 14 yards, with his longest gain of the night coming at six yards, but was a weapon in the passing game. He was targeted three times on check downs or swing passes in the flats and turned three receptions into 32 receiving yards, 27 of which came after the catch.

As for Stuart, he struggled to get much going rushing the ball because he was frequently hit behind the line of scrimmage as soon as he was handed the ball. His longest rush of the night was a 17-yard scamper that showcased his shiftiness and quick-cut ability. He also looked good as a returner, but more on that in a minute.

White leads the way 

It was a strong outing from Ottawa’s receiving group. Most of the presumed starters didn’t make the trip to Montreal, but those that did in Eugene Lewis and Canadian Keelan White made big plays.

Although his four targets only resulted in a single reception, the pass that Lewis did catch was a 59-yarder that came on a perfectly executed double move which set up a touchdown. As for White, the third overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft came out of the gate strong and showed plenty of chemistry with Maier, snagging a pair of touchdown passes.

As for the plethora of young American receivers looking to make an impression on the coaching staff, a pair stood out. CFL rookie Cade McDonald has been noticeable in camp and that carried over to game day as the 25-year-old hauled in four passes for 73 yards, with 31 of those coming after the catch. After spending 2025 on Ottawa’s practice squad, Sam Schnee is trying to show the coaching staff that he can be a regular contributor when called upon, his four catches for 36 yards were a good start.

Vaccaro cuts his teeth

In his first action as a professional football player, Giordano Vaccaro, the first overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, didn’t look out of place. Vaccaro started at left guard, between Dino Boyd at left tackle and Sam Carson at centre. Vaccaro more than held his own on a number of reps and was frequently running down the field looking for more defenders to engage after passes were caught. That kind of enthusiasm for contact doesn’t go unnoticed by coaches.

American Martez Ivey got the start at right guard, while DJ Jones played right tackle. As a whole, Ottawa’s offensive line struggled to open lanes in the ground game, as demonstrated by the team averaging 3.9 yards per rushing attempt. With that said, they did convert both third and short opportunities, averaging 2.5 yards per QB sneak.

Defence bends but doesn’t break

It wasn’t a Picasso, largely due to some persistently sloppy tackling, but it’s hard to find much to complain about with Ottawa’s defensive effort when the unit was littered with backups and depth players matched up against Montreal’s starting offence.

The Alouettes popped big runs, every one of Montreal’s running backs averaged between six and seven yards per carry, but for all the bending the Redblacks’ defence did, it never broke. In fact, the difference in the game came down to Montreal going one-for-three in the red zone versus Ottawa going three-for-four. Any time the opponent’s lone touchdown comes with less than two minutes remaining in the game, you did something right.

There were a number of strong efforts, and let’s start by highlighting Canadian defensive end Luiji Vilain. After spending a few seasons on NFL practice squads, the 28-year-old started his first game in two years. He responded by notching two tackles and a sack. American linebacker Jamie Pettway had five tackles and knocked down a pass. American defensive backs Jordan Perryman and Marcus Barnes made six and five tackles respectively. Starting at safety, Canadian Scott Hutter also had five tackles.

Ottawa’s lone interception of the night came courtesy of Roterius ‘Ro’ Torrence who stepped in front of a James Morgan throw.

Geelan makes his case

Have to admit, after being used to seeing Lewis Ward’s five-foot-five frame kicking field goals, it was jarring to see Paul Geelan out there at six-foot-six. The Dutchman, Ottawa’s second round pick in the 2026 Global Draft, had a great night, splitting the uprights from 40 and 26 yards. He also went three-for-three on his converts and kicked off three times, averaging 69 yards per kick.

In terms of the punting game, American Noah Gettman punted twice, averaging 47.5 yards per kick, and an average field positional flip of 37.5 yards. His lone kickoff went for 68 yards. He was also the holder on Ottawa’s field goal attempts.

Australian punter James Burnip also dressed, and was called upon twice. He averaged 42 yards per punt, with an average field positional flip of 34 yards.

Seven different players had a special teams tackle but the hit of the night goes to linebacker Josh Connors, Ottawa’s eighth round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft.

New rouge rule rears its head

Running back Jacquez Stuart got an extended opportunity to return kicks, handling three punts and two kickoffs. He averaged 16.3 yards per punt return, with a long of 35 yards, and 14.5 yards per kickoff return, with a long of 21 yards. Receiver Jordan Bly also returned a punt for 19 yards.

Both Stuart and Bly will have coaching moments this week thanks to the league’s new change to how rouges are scored. In the past, any time a kick, be it a missed field goal or punt, went out of the end zone, whether it bounced or went straight out, a team was awarded one point. Now, a team is only awarded a rouge if a returner fields the ball AND fails to get out of his end zone. In effect, the new rule utterly discourages returns, because as long as you let the ball bounce out, your team prevents the opponent from scoring a point and you get good field position.

Against Montreal, both times Stuart and Bly conceded rouges, the ball was likely headed out of bounds anyways, so the correct decision would’ve been not even to attempt a return. It’s silly because one would think the league would want to encourage returns, which are frequently the most exciting plays of the game, but that’s now not the smart play. In 2026, it’s better not to try unless you’re absolutely sure the ball won’t bounce out.

Meet the new Crum, same as the old Crum

Rules change, players swap uniforms, but quarterback Dustin Crum continues to play with an unwavering commitment to extending plays as much as possible. I say this with all due respect, but when he’s scrambling around, either to buy time to complete a pass or while looking for lanes to expose over-pursing defenders, I feel like I’m watching a car in a demolition derby. I hold my breath every time he’s hit but he inevitably bounces up. He’s easily one of the toughest players I’ve ever seen and although he’s no longer with the Redblacks, I’ll be pulling for him whenever he takes for the field for the Alouettes.

Mass gives Dinwiddie flowers

Given how the Alouettes have owned the Redblacks during Jason Maas’ time as Montreal’s head coach, it was interesting to note the respect Maas has for Ottawa’s new head coach.

“Ryan’s a great coach. He’s been successful in his last stop. You could see the strides they’ve made in just one preseason game. I know they’re going to believe in him and his leadership. He’s proven it already with a couple Grey Cups that he’s won,” Maas said post-game.

“I know they’ll be ready to play every week. You gotta play great football to beat them and that’s what we plan on doing.”

While wins and losses don’t matter in the preseason, what does count are the processes that are established and the expectations that are set. If it’s clear to Montreal’s head coach that new standards have been implemented and taken hold in the nation’s capital by Dinwiddie, it should be obvious to R-Nation too.

Up next

Preseason games are about players executing well enough that coaches second guess and agonize over decisions, and staying healthy. In terms of the latter, it seems Ottawa escaped the game relatively unscathed, although Canadians James Peter and King Ambers were shaken up. Both walked off the field with assistance, so hopefully they’re back sooner rather than later. In terms of the former, although Ottawa’s roster at home Friday will feature more veterans, expect to see a lot of same names who stood out this week get extended looks.

With only two games to stand out, and an 18-game regular season looming, the Redblacks preseason finale will be about striking a balance between ensuring veterans are rust-free, keeping everyone healthy and giving depth players a final chance to state their case.