Ryan Dinwiddie’s Ottawa Redblacks debut marred by miscues (& 13 other thoughts)

After aggressively overhauling their roster and coaching staff in the offseason, the Ottawa Redblacks took to the field on Saturday night looking to start the Ryan Dinwiddie era by putting their best foot forward. Instead, the team stumbled out of the gate, opening their 2026 campaign with a 29-21 defeat to the visiting Edmonton Elks.

Here are all my thoughts on the game.

QB carousel

In the CFL, the most important position is quarterback. If you don’t have continuity there, your franchise likely hasn’t been very good in recent years.

In an effort to find that stability, the Redblacks continued an ominous streak last night, opening the season with their seventh different starting quarterback in the last eight years. In 2018, it was Trevor Harris. In 2019, it was Dominique Davis. 2021 was Matt Nichols, 2022 was Jeremiah Masoli, 2023 was Nick Arbuckle, and 2024 and 2025 was Dru Brown. And this year it was Jake Maier.

In his 48th career start — and first as a Redblack — Maier wasn’t bad, but he also wasn’t great. The weather was undeniably a factor; playing quarterback in a heavy downpour is clearly more challenging than playing in normal circumstances, but the 29-year left a lot of meat on the bone.

Although there were some plays in which Maier threaded the needle into tight windows with excellent accuracy, there was also a handful of plays where he was clearly not on the same page as the player to whom he was throwing the ball, leading to some wildly erratic throws.

Maier finished the game by completing 22 of the 37 passes he attempted for 203 yards and a touchdown. Although he didn’t turn the ball over, he could’ve been credited with a pair of interceptions had Elks defenders held onto balls that hit them in the hands. On the flip side, Maier’s numbers would’ve been better if not for a trio of drops from his receivers.

All in all, while it wasn’t the greatest first impression, Maier’s performance likely gets chalked up to tough outing in challenging weather. If he falters in two weeks time against the Argos, though, don’t be surprised to hear chants of “Hooooobart” break out at TD Place.

Puzzling play-calling

The rain isn’t why the Redblacks lost the game, but it was surprising that Ryan Dinwiddie didn’t adjust his play-calling to account for the elements.

On a night when it was wet and slippery and one of his running backs was averaging 7.3 yards per carry, deciding to hand off the ball just 14 times while dialling up 37 passes was certainly a choice. Some of that can be chalked up to the fact that Ottawa trailed for the entire game, but even when the Redblacks were within a score, they never truly committed to the run.

Of the Redblacks’ 16 possessions, eight went two-and-out. Toss in four turnovers — two fumbles and two on downs — and a successful field goal that became a punt after a time count violation, and you’ve got a recipe for a poor offensive showing.

That’s a slippery pigskin!

Max Duggan can’t handle the short-yardage snap and Kordell Jackson (@kordelljackson2) jumps on the loose ball.#CFL #GoElks #AlwaysEdmonton pic.twitter.com/3R4gY7KUkD

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) June 6, 2026

With all that said, there are a few positives for the team to build on. When Ottawa did get into the red zone, they came away with touchdowns, as they went two-for-two inside the 20-yard line. They also converted five-of-six third-down opportunities, with the lone failure coming as a result of a fumbled quarterback sneak.

For whom the bell tolls

As a result of Greg Bell being a surprising scratch due to neck stiffness, American Elijah Collins was given the nod.

After spending 2025 on Ottawa’s practice roster and a strong showing in the preseason, hopes were high for the 25-year-old’s first career start. Unfortunately, he only lasted five touches (two runs for eight yards and three catches for 11 yards) before being benched after fumbling a pass in the flats in the second quarter.

Collins’ benching meant more touches for Canadian Daniel Adeboboye. As has been the case throughout his entire time in Ottawa, when given an opportunity, Adeboboye delivered.

The 27-year-old turned 12 carries into 87 yards and a touchdown. Most impressively, five of his carries went for gains of 10-plus yards. Given how well he was running, it’s disappointing the Redblacks didn’t choose to feed him more.

Adeboboye was also excellent in pass protection and Exhibit A came on Justin Hardy’s touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter. Adeboboye stepped up and delivered a jarring hit on a blitzing defender to buy Maier the time he needed to step into and complete the throw.

It ain’t over until it’s over!

Jake Maier (@jakemaier15) finds Justin Hardy (@FreakMagic2) for his first touchdown pass as a Redblacks.#CFL #RNation #Redblacks pic.twitter.com/JAAJnRSykc

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) June 7, 2026

Even when Bell is ready to go, it would behoove the Redblacks to ensure their Canadian back is still a part of their attack.

Out of synch

It was a quiet night for Ottawa’s receiving corps, not just because of the rain, but because too often the routes they ran didn’t match where their quarterback was placing the ball.

Eugene Lewis and Keelan White led the way with nine targets apiece, but those targets didn’t result in much production. The former wound up with just three catches for 47 yards, while the latter had four for 37 yards.

Newcomer Ayden Eberhardt snagged four passes for 49 yards, while Kalil Pimpleton made three catches for 32 yards. Justin Hardy finished with two grabs for 20 yards and the Redblacks’ lone passing touchdown.

Ryan Dinwiddie serves as his own offensive coordinator. The pass game needs to be more organized for Week 3.

Trial by fire

The fact that the Redblacks were willing to give Giordano Vaccaro, the first overall pick in the 2026 CFL draft, his first start at right guard in his first career game speaks to not only their belief in him, but what he’s shown throughout camp and the preseason.

The 22-year-old didn’t look out of place amongst Ottawa’s starters, and it was telling that the team didn’t hesitate to run behind him by frequently handing off the ball on the right side.

Overall, Dino Boyd, Drew Drew Desjarlais, Sean McEwen, Vaccaro, and Martez Ivey had a fairly strong outing, as evidenced by the fact that they averaged 6.2 yards per rush and only conceded one sack on 37 drop-backs.

While there is definitely room for improvement, familiarity breeds success on the offensive line, so staying healthy and getting more reps together is what will ultimately help the group gel and become better.

Rankin’d

When watching the film, defensive coordinator William Fields will like a lot of the things his defence did against the Elks.

Despite being put in a tough situations four times as a result of offensive turnovers, Ottawa’s defence gave up a total of just 10 points on those short fields. The Redblacks also held Edmonton to just one touchdown in four trips to the red zone.

There were also standout performances. Middle linebacker Nyles Morgan notched seven tackles and always seemed to be around the ball. The same goes for defensive back Bennett Williams, who made five tackles and had a knockdown in the end zone to force Edmonton to settle for a field goal. Fellow defensive back Shakur Brown also finished with five tackles and more than once quickly diagnosed screens and blew them up for minimal gains.

But their efforts were for naught due to total breakdowns on two plays by Edmonton running back Justin Rankin.

The 28-year-old is an incredible talent and his 63-yard catch-and-run touchdown and 61-yard scamper in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference. For the Redblacks, what’s most frustrating is that on both plays, multiple defenders had Rankin dead to rights but simply whiffed on their attempts to take him down.

Justin Rankin made the entire defence look SILLY on this touchdown run 🥴

The Elks’ star RB is over 200 yards from scrimmage tonight!#CFL #GoElks #AlwaysEdmonton pic.twitter.com/U8bhcAv3FD

— 3DownNation (@3DownNation) June 7, 2026

Nothing special about those teams

In a one-possession loss, every play matters, and for the Redblacks, too often when their special teams took the field, the outcome was negative. Although Brett Lauther connected on both of his field goal attempts, he had three points wiped off the board thanks to a time-count violation when the field goal unit failed to snap the ball in time. Those missed three points loomed large late in the game.

American Noah Gettman punted eight times for 51.6 yards per kick, but thanks to sloppy coverage, only averaged a flip of 32.8 yards. Conceding nearly 16 yards per punt return often set Edmonton up needing only a single first down to be in scoring range.

For the Redblacks, Pimpleton handled all return duties and averaged 13.4 yards per punt return (with a long of 31 yards) and 22 yards per kickoff return. In terms of kick coverage, Brian Cole II and Aidan John led the way with each making two special teams tackles.

How long will it take the league to backtrack?

The CFL made a mistake changing the rouge this offseason.

Yes, I’m biased, as I’ve always believed the rouge was completely fine the way it was since it rewarded field position and made the game more strategic, but even though it’s only Week 1, it’s clear the new 2026 tweak to the rouge has backfired.

We first saw it in the preseason and through three regular-season games there’s been a clear trend of returners choosing not to return punts, instead allowing them to bounce through the end zone. There is now more incentive for a returner not to return the ball. By letting it bounce out, a team gets possession on their own 40-yard line, which is baffling.

Look at last night for example. In the third quarter, Ottawa had the ball on Edmonton’s 42-yard line and could have attempted a 49-yard field goal. Instead, they chose to punt.

Gettman’s boot landed around the six-yard line, and Javon Leake simply let it bounce into the end zone where it eventually rolled out the side. Leake, one of the game’s most explosive players, chose not to return the ball as by waiting, his team got it on the 40-yard line. So punting netted Ottawa no points and changed field position by a whole two yards.

Up until this season, Leake might have chosen to field that ball and try to return it to avoid conceding a point (which would’ve factored into the game later in the fourth quarter). The league’s tweak to the rouge has resulted in teams coaching their players not to make exciting plays, which sucks for fans.

Flag fest

With 17 flags thrown in the first half of the game, and 24 total, the officials were a significant factor in the game.

But of all the calls, it’s the one that wasn’t made that will stick with R-Nation. Ottawa’s last pass to Keelan White on third down as they were driving to attempt to tie the game in the final minute certainly looked like defensive pass interference, and given how quick the refs were to reach into their pockets throughout the game, it was surprising they chose not to call it.

Regardless, Ottawa gifting 100 yards to Edmonton played a significant part in their loss. Six of Edmonton’s 29 points came on drives where the Redblacks had gotten a second-down stop, only for a penalty to give the Elks a fresh set of downs. When you factor in the flag that wiped out an Ottawa field goal, there’s your nine-point losing margin.

Cause for concern

With an announced attendance of just 15,038 at TD Place, it’s clear the Redblacks have a lot of work to do to win fans over.

The good news is OSEG is aware of the challenge they face and know that winning is ultimately the best way to put butts in seats. And while the rain was certainly a factor in keeping some fans away — Ottawa typically has a strong walk-up crowd on game day — almost 9,000 unsold tickets for the home-opener is very concerning.

With four of their next six games coming at home, the Redblacks need a win in the worst way to pump some belief and energy into their fan base.

TSN, hear me out

Recently my colleague Joel Gasson had some suggestions for DAZN’s 2027 broadcast. I’ve got some ideas for TSN that they should implement immediately.

First off, is it possible to better cover up and protect some of their main cameras? I understand that rain can be tricky, but it’s unacceptable that sometimes there’s too many droplets on their camera for viewers to make out much of the action. I’m not asking for perfect, but surely they can do better than this?

Second, can they please show the 35-second clock sooner?

Not just last night, but all through Week 1, on too many plays, the 35-second play clock wasn’t shown on the score bug until there was 10 or so seconds left on it. For fans, it’s maddening not being able to know how much time is actually left while their team is huddling up and going to the line of scrimmage.

A familiar script

If R-Nation is feeling a bit of déjà vu, they aren’t alone.

As has happened too often in recent years, the game seemed to unfold following a familiar script. The offence started slow, the defence held strong until it didn’t, and a rally came up short and resulted in a one-score loss. It’s a horror film that fans and players have experienced too many times.

We need shamans, priests, monks, everybody, to come in and cleanse Lansdowne.

New (very talented) players, ownership, coaches, and it’s like the script is somehow the same on repeat.

They have so many BALLERS man… it’s honestly crazy!!!!! It’s a good team with good coaches!!!

— Nathaniel Behar (@natebehar11) June 7, 2026

Up next

Ryan Dinwiddie’s team will have some time to chew on the loss, as the Redblacks will be off in Week 2.

When they return to action in Week 3, they will need to be a lot sharper in all three phases of the game. If the Redblacks can build off the positives and clean things up, Dinwiddie has the opportunity to somewhat fittingly get his first win with his new team against his old one.