Ottawa Redblacks undecided on starting QB against B.C. Lions

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The Ottawa Redblacks have yet to make a decision about who their starting quarterback will be against the B.C. Lions on Friday night. Incumbent starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson and rookie Bryson Barnes are both receiving consideration.

“We’ll see (who the starter is), I haven’t got there yet. We’ve got all three guys reps,” head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie told the media on Monday. “[Barnes] and [Bethel-Thompson] will both play.”

Bethel-Thompson has started the club’s last three games, going 0-3. The 38-year-old native of San Francisco, Calif. has completed 60.0 percent of his passes for 1,300 yards, eight touchdowns, and three interceptions as a member of the Redblacks this season, his eighth in the CFL.

Dinwiddie has previously indicated that Barnes will see playing time before the end of the year, but wants to protect the first-year CFL passer from having to play too early.

The 24-year-old has dressed for 13 regular-season games in a depth role this season, completing 10-of-13 pass attempts for 110 yards and one interception. Barnes has also been Ottawa’s short-yardage quarterback for most of the season, rushing 39 times for 91 yards and nine touchdowns.

“There’s a good chance we’ll play [Barnes] for sure the last two games, we’ll probably go with him there,” said Dinwiddie. “This week, I want to see how comfortable he is in practice before we make that decision.”

The six-foot-two, 210-pound passer attended rookie minicamp with the Cleveland Browns earlier this year.

He finished his collegiate career at Utah State in 2025, where he completed 59.3 percent of his passes for 1,804 yards, 13 touchdowns, and six interceptions over 10 games. He also rushed for 790 yards and five touchdowns, earning a second-team All-Mountain West selection.

The 24-year-old native of Milford, Utah previously played at the University of Utah, where he completed 60.1 percent of his passes for 2,025 yards, 17 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over 24 games. He also rushed for 391 yards and three scores.

The Redblacks fell to 0-15 with a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this past week, setting a new CFL record for most consecutive losses to start a CFL season.

The Ottawa Redblacks (0-15) will visit the B.C. Lions (9-6) on Friday, October 9 with kickoff scheduled for 10:00 p.m. EDT. The Redblacks are coming off a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while the Lions have won seven of their last eight matchups.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa and 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver.