Ottawa Redblacks make seven changes to starting lineup against Winnipeg

Photo: Gord Weber/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

The Ottawa Redblacks have made seven changes to their starting lineup for Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The team released its depth chart on Thursday morning.

Offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais, defensive end Habakkuk Baldondo, and middle linebacker Nyles Morgan will all be back in the lineup after recovering from injury.

Desjarlais missed one game due to a foot injury. The six-foot-three, 315-pound blocker from Belle River, Ont. has been a mainstay at guard with the Redblacks since 2023 when he joined the team as a free agent. He previously won two Grey Cups with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Baldonado recorded five defensive tackles and one sack over five starts to begin the year but was placed on the six-game injured list in mid-July. The 26-year-old helped the Saskatchewan Roughriders win the Grey Cup last year and has made 36 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, seven sacks, and one forced fumble over 41 career regular-season CFL games.

Morgan suffered a broken hand against the Edmonton Elks last month. At the time, he ranked first league-wide in defensive tackles with 38. The 29-year-old ended up missing only three regular-season games due to the injury.

The six-foot, 230-pound defender has tallied 415 defensive tackles, nine special teams tackles, eight sacks, four forced fumbles, and one interception over 67 career regular-season CFL games as a member of the Elks and Redblacks.

Zachary Barlev will make his first career CFL start at right tackle in place of the injured Julian Pearl. The 23-year-old finished his collegiate career at Old Dominion in 2025, where he was named first-team All-Sun Belt.

Zack Pelehos, who previously started at right tackle this season, remains on the six-game injured list. Barlev will be the fourth different player to start at right tackle for the Redblacks this season.

Dennis Briggs Jr. will start at defensive tackle in place of Michael Wakefield, who was placed on the six-game injured list (foot).

Briggs Jr. finished his collegiate career at the University of Illinois in 2024, where he recorded 39 total tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. He spent the first 10 weeks of this season on Ottawa’s practice roster.

Marcus Barnes and King Ambers have been listed as starters in the secondary, where veterans Demerio Houston and Amari Henderson were released this past week.

Barnes initially made the practice roster after training camp but has dressed for Ottawa’s last six games in a depth role, recording six defensive tackles and eight special teams tackles. This will be his first career CFL start, as he lines up at boundary halfback.

Ambers was an eighth-round pick in the 2025 CFL Draft and played nine regular-season games as a rookie, making seven defensive tackles and one interception. He began the 2026 season on the six-game injured list, though he dressed in a depth for the Redblacks last two games, making one special teams tackle. This will be his first start of this year.

Shadwel Nkuba II, who made his first career start last week, has been moved from field-side cornerback to boundary cornerback. Dionté Ruffin, who started at boundary halfback the past three games, has been moved to field-side halfback.

Veteran kicker Brett Lauther has returned to the lineup at kicker after sitting out two games with a quad injury. The native of Truro, N.S. remains a perfect 20-for-20 on field goals this season. Lewis Ward, who filled in for Lauther the past two weeks, has been moved to the practice roster.

Lucus Spencer, who signed with the team earlier this week, will dress at long snapper. Peter Adjey, the team’s veteran long snapper, has been placed on the six-game injured list due to an elbow injury he suffered last week.

Other changes for this week include Canadian offensive lineman Alassane Diouf, defensive lineman Jessie Evans, linebacker KJ Cloyd, and defensive back Christian Matthew being added to the active roster in depth roles.

Fullback Emeric Boutin (ankle), defensive lineman Bryce Carter (Achilles), linebackers Aaron Casey (groin) and Joshua Connors (practice roster) have each come off the active roster.

Longtime B.C. Lions defensive lineman Sione Teuhema, who signed with the Redblacks earlier this week, will not dress on Friday. He has been placed on the practice roster.

The Ottawa Redblacks (0-8) will visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-4) at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday, August 14 with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Redblacks suffered a 42-20 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, while the Blue Bombers were on bye.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for 23 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa or 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.

Eligible sports bettors in Ontario and Alberta can find relevant information for wagering on the games by clicking on their respective jurisdiction. Please bet responsibly.