Pivotal Battles: Quarterback depth brings intrigue to camps

TORONTO — Deep Canadian talent and a quarterback are the two things everyone says you need to win in the Canadian Football League.

While last month’s draft allowed teams to stock the cupboard with Canadian content, one thing prevalent across the CFL is the growing depth at the quarterback position.

It’s impressive that every team in the league has an established proven starter going into 2016. What’s more impressive is that virtually every team has a solid plan B.

In football, plans have this terrible habit of going sour. Sometimes quarterbacks get hurt. Sometimes they struggle.

Take it from last year: Henry Burris stayed healthy and played all 18 games for the REDBLACKS. He was about the only one.

The Eskimos, Blue Bombers, Argonauts and Tiger-Cats were all hit hard by injuries at the position. Quarterback depth helped the Esks reach the Grey Cup despite not having Reilly for a good part of the season.

It’s smooth sailing in June as every team has its starter intact, but who will be ready when the waters turn stormy? We take a team by team look at the quarterback depth in training camps across the CFL, and what’s left to play out.

BC Lions

The Lions have two separate battles going on in camp: one for the starting job and one for the role of understudy.

Jonathon Jennings enters camp as the favourite to win the starting job but Wally Buono has made it clear the 23-year-old won’t be handed anything. Jennings makes big plays with his arm and legs and is one of the most exciting players in the CFL to watch, but he has to beat out a former Most Outstanding Player in Travis Lulay who’s fully healthy for the first time in a while.

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Jonathon Jennings	Travis Lulay	Greg McGhee	Keith Price

Also on your radar should be the battle for third-string quarterback. It’s important because it’s a developmental spot for a young quarterback to sit and learn. Remember, at this time last year it was Jonathon Jennings fighting for that spot as Lulay and John Beck sat one and two on the depth chart. Things change quickly and both Greg McGhee and Keith Price are young quarterbacks high on potential.

The Lions are in a good situation as far as quarterbacks go, heading into 2016 with one of the best one-two punches in the league.

Edmonton Eskimos

The Eskimos can take plenty of comfort going into the season knowing they have one of the most reliable starting quarterbacks in the league in Grey Cup MVP Mike Reilly.

Reilly has emerged one of the CFL’s top pivots and a perennial candidate for Most Outstanding Player, last season overcoming an early-season knee injury to guide the Eskimos to a Grey Cup Championship.

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Mike Reilly	James Franklin	Jordan Lynch	Thomas DeMarco

There are few questions behind Reilly on the depth chart as well, particularly with young up-and-comer James Franklin checking in at number two. Franklin broke out in limited playing time last season, enough to take the job from veteran Matt Nichols and assert himself as the Esks’ quarterback of the future.

Franklin was a college star at Missouri before being derailed by injuries, but he has all the tools to be an upper-echelon starting CFL quarterback when given the opportunity.

The only question in Esks camp surrounding the quarterbacks involves Thomas DeMarco and Jordan Lynch. If the Esks carry only three quarterbacks into the regular season, one of them will be the odd man out.

Calgary Stampeders

The Stampeders are another team that figures to have a 1-A and 1-B at the top of the quarterback depth chart. It’s pretty well-understood that Drew Tate could be a starting CFL quarterback, but he’s quite happy being a backup to one of the best in the league in Bo Levi Mitchell.

Mitchell already has a Grey Cup Championship and Grey Cup MVP under his belt but will look to reach new heights in 2016, as the quarterback position remains a beacon of stability amid plenty of change in Cowtown.

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Bo Levi Mitchell	Drew Tate	Andrew Buckley	Bryant Moniz

While Mitchell and Tate have one and two locked up, a fierce battle unfolds in camp as national Andrew Buckley and Bryant Moniz compete for third on the depth chart and potentially a roster spot. It’s possible Head Coach Dave Dickenson opts to take four pivots into the regular season, but both would have to really impress.

Moniz, a graduate of Hawaii, is 27 and has been with the team for two seasons while Buckley enters his second year as a Stampeder after last year being drafted.

Saskatchewan Roughriders

All we know from Chris Jones about the Riders’ opening day depth chart is that Darian Durant will be listed as the starting quarterback. Everything else, Jones says, is an open competition, including the spots behind Durant.

No CFL team likely has a larger gap between one and two on the depth chart. Durant remains the face of the Riders despite an injury-marred last two years, as Jones looks to build his offence around a proven veteran winner.

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Darian Durant	Brett Smith	B.J. Coleman	Jacob Huesman

Still, there are questions at the position for the Riders. They start with whether Durant can stay on the field while the question marks continue with spots two through three behind him.

Brett Smith showed enough promise last season as a young quarterback prospect to compete for the number two job, and all indications going in are he’s the favourite to win it. But Jones brought in two others, B.J. Coleman and Jacob Huesman, who could push Smith for the role.

Jones and Offensive Coordinator Stephen McAdoo have a proven keen eye for quarterback talent, so keep an eye on the Riders’ developmental prospects in camp. One of them could be the team’s quarterback of the future.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

The Bombers should have full confidence in their quarterback situation this year, and it starts with the No. 2 spot where Matt Nichols slots in. Drew Willy is the starter and will look to play all 18 games this season, but if anything goes wrong Nichols can step in and shoulder the offence.

It’s a nice change from a year ago, when Willy went down and unproven options such as Robert Marve and Brian Brohm struggled to move the offence.

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Drew Willy	Matt Nichols	Dominique Davis	Bryan Bennett

The biggest question this year will be whether the Bombers’ O-line can keep Willy standing, and if so, whether he can take the next step as an elite CFL quarterback.

With Willy as the clear No. 1 and Nichols behind him, up-and-coming pivots Dominique Davis and Bryan Bennett will compete for a developmental role in the background. Davis started his first career CFL game but struggled in the season finale against the Argos last season.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats

Zach Collaros is the Ticats’ number one quarterback but for the purpose of training camp, he won’t be pictured below as he continues working his way back from last year’s season-ending knee injury.

The battle behind Collaros is one of the most intriguing across CFL training camps this off-season, and it starts with Jeremiah Masoli and Jeff Mathews.

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Jeremiah Masoli	Jeff Mathews	Jacory Harris	Jake Waters

There’s no real timeline on Collaros right now, but whoever starts the season against the Argos on June 23 is getting a chance to step into the spotlight in a big way.

Masoli played well in the Eastern Final last year while Mathews is a 24-year-old prospect with plenty of upside. Don’t count out Jacory Harris and Jake Waters, who are currently competing at camp and will look to show something in two pre-season games.

Toronto Argonauts

The Argos’ quarterback depth chart is considered arguably the biggest question mark heading into the 2016 season, despite the return of a healthy Ricky Ray.

Ray spent his first fully healthy off-season in a few years training with quarterback guru Tom House, and the results have showed early on as his passes, by all accounts, have some extra zip on them. If the future Hall of Famer can return to his form of old, the Argos will be in a good position this season.

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Ricky Ray	Adrian McPherson	Logan Kilgore	Cody Fajardo

At the same time, there’s always going to be that question of Ray’s health. Injuries caught up to the 36-year-old in recent years and while he’s healthy now, the Argos are without Trevor Harris this season after his departure to the Ottawa REDBLACKS.

Logan Kilgore has been talked about as a solid up-and-coming prospect for the Argos while Adrian McPherson is the steady veteran. With Cody Fajardo also in the mix, it appears the Argos’ depth chart is wide open behind Ray.

Ottawa REDBLACKS

It’s between the Lions and REDBLACKS for the best QB tandem in the league, but with the Most Outstanding Player and last year’s league leader in touchdown passes in Henry Burris and Trevor Harris respectively, we give the nod to Ottawa.

Head Coach Rick Campbell has assured there is no controversy in Ottawa — Burris is the starter — and the REDBLACKS are in really good hands. Whatever happens, there’s no doubt quarterback play will be a strength whether it’s Burris or Harris in the huddle.

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Henry Burris	Trevor Harris	Brock Jensen	Danny O’Brien

The real question in camp surrounds the third spot on the depth chart, where Brock Jensen and Danny O’Brien battle it out. Both are 25 years old while O’Brien has thrown 76 passes in his first two seasons in the league.

Montreal Alouettes

Jim Popp has a likely starter in Kevin Glenn, but outside of that the Alouettes’ head coach and general manager has some work to do finalizing the team’s depth chart at quarterback.

Jonathan Crompton’s status is largely unknown while speculation has it national quarterback Brandon Bridge and recent addition Vernon Adams have jumped ahead of the rest of the field for the second and third spots on the depth chart.

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Kevin Glenn	Brandon Bridge	Vernon Adams Jr.

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Tajh Boyd	Rakeem Cato	Jonathan Crompton

Once considered one of the league’s brightest upcoming stars, 23-year-old Rakeem Cato is in risk of losing his roster spot if he doesn’t have a strong training camp. Another young prospect in Tajh Boyd rounds out the Als’ quarterback depth chart in one of the more interesting competitions across all training camps.