Larry MacDougal/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The year after Bo Levi Mitchell, Mike Reilly and Trevor Harris headlined an unforgettable free agent class, it’s safe to say this coming winter will not feature quite the same bravado on the open market.
Still, there are plenty of intriguing quarterbacks due to become free agents, from veteran starters like Matt Nichols and Zach Collaros to one of the league’s top prospects in Nick Arbuckle. Add in a career journeyman in McLeod Bethel-Thompson and an injured star in Jeremiah Masoli and you have a wide range of options for potential shoppers come Feb. 11.
Six of nine teams may already know their opening day starter, but every club faces questions before training camps open in May. With that, CFL.ca breaks down this year’s group of pending free agent quarterbacks:
Experienced Starters
Jeremiah Masoli — HAM
Zach Collaros — WPG
Matt Nichols — WPG
McLeod Bethel-Thompson — TOR
BC, Calgary, Saskatchewan, Edmonton, Hamilton and Montreal likely already have their starters locked in for 2019. The remaining three teams, however, have plenty of options to consider either via free agency or trade.
Coming off an injury-shortened season, Jeremiah Masoli tops the list of pending free agent quarterbacks. The 31-year-old was the East Division’s Most Outstanding Player in 2018 but tore his ACL six weeks into the new season. Dane Evans has since emerged as a future starter after leading the Ticats on a trip to the Grey Cup, leaving Masoli’s future up in the air.
Though it’s possible Masoli will miss some time in 2020 as his recovery continues, he’ll draw plenty of interest should he reach the open market. The dual-threat quarterback showed he is one of the CFL’s most talented players in 2018, throwing for 5,209 yards and 28 touchdowns while averaging 9.1 yards per attempt.
Another quarterback with an injury history, Matt Nichols deserves credit for the Bombers’ turnaround. With him behind centre, Winnipeg has gone from afterthought in the highly-competitive West to annual Grey Cup contender, compiling four straight seasons of double digit wins. He turns 33 in March, but Nichols is coming off one of the best years of his career, throwing 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions before his season-ending injury in August.
2020 FREE AGENCY
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Nichols is one of three options the Bombers have at quarterback going into the off-season, all of which are pending free agents. Chris Streveler and Zach Collaros could also sign elsewhere come Feb. 11, and the club must carefully consider bringing back the latter after what he accomplished in November. Just weeks after being acquired at the trade deadline, Collaros made his first start as a Bomber on Oct. 25 and then ran the table, winning back to back road playoff games followed by the Grey Cup vs. Hamilton. If the Bombers do strike an agreement with Collaros, it’ll come at the cost of a first round pick as a result of their trade with Toronto.
One name you may not hear a lot of is McLeod Bethel-Thompson, yet the longtime journeyman had a career year in 2019, throwing for 4,024 yards and a league-leading 26 touchdowns to go with an average of 8.2 yards per attempt. The 31-year-old may not be a long-term answer for the position, but is at worst a short-term, stop-gap solution for a quarterback-needy team. If a starting job isn’t on the table, he should be one of the most popular backup options in free agency.
The Future is Bright
Nick Arbuckle — CGY
Chris Streveler — WPG
Dakota Prukop — TOR
Despite a short resume, Nick Arbuckle could be the most coveted quarterback on the market this winter. The 26-year-old is blocked on the Stamps’ depth chart by Bo Levi Mitchell, but after compiling a sparkling 106.5 quarterback rating and 11-5 touchdown to interception ratio as a backup, he is likely to become a full-time starter in 2020. Arbuckle has shown upside comparable to that of breakout stars Cody Fajardo, Dane Evans and Vernon Adams Jr.
Less polished is Chris Streveler, who won the hearts of Bombers fans as a rookie straight out of the University of South Dakota in 2018 after Matt Nichols was injured. The 24-year-old is far from a finished product, particularly as a passer, but the upside is hard to ignore. Streveler’s athleticism and football sense played a key role in the Bombers’ playoff run, including an 18-yard pass to Andrew Harris in the Grey Cup. According to Justin Dunk, NFL scouts have their eyes on the dual-threat quarterback.
Largely a mystery, Dakota Prukop only has 30 career pass attempts to his name, but has been in the Argos’ system since the start of 2017. Much like Streveler, the 26-year-old has a skill-set that is quite unique to the three-down game, showing some of that untapped potential vs. Ottawa and Hamilton late in the season, when he combined for 216 yards on 10-of-17 passing with three touchdowns and no interceptions. After three years of development, the Argos likely want him back on the roster for 2020.
Post-Hype Sleepers?
Jonathon Jennings — OTT
James Franklin — TOR
Once considered two of the league’s most highly regarded prospects, Jonathon Jennings and James Franklin face an uncertain future in the CFL. Franklin had a new lease on life with the Argos following the departure of Marc Trestman, but endured more of the same struggles after being injured early in 2019. Franklin was the league’s most wanted quarterback as the backup to Mike Reilly in Edmonton, but those days are gone — now his best hope is a training camp invite in the spring.
A year ago at this time, many wondered whether Jennings could rediscover himself somewhere else after moving on from the BC Lions — but the 27-year-old struggled his first season in the nation’s capital, throwing more than twice as many interceptions (7) as touchdowns (3) while averaging just 7.1 yards per attempt. Suddenly, a 5,200-yard season in 2016 is a distant memory as Jennings’ time as a starter might just be numbered.
Of course, there have been late bloomers before, and Franklin and Jennings both flashed potential earlier in their careers.
The Backups
David Watford — HAM
Montell Cozart — CGY
Logan Kilgore — EDM
Brandon Bridge — BC
Danny O’Brien — BC
If 2019 taught us anything, it was the value of a good backup quarterback. Every opening day starter was forced to miss time due to injury, while Cody Fajardo, Dane Evans, Vernon Adams Jr. and Nick Arbuckle made the most of their opportunities to emerge as rising stars at the position. Which backups could draw some interest on the open market?
In Hamilton, David Watford emerged as a secondary option following a season-ending injury to Jeremiah Masoli. He’s yet to get a shot as a starter, but offers the ability as a short-yardage quarterback and is dangerous with his legs. Watford completed five of eight passes for 74 yards against the Argos in the season finale.
Montell Cozart served as the primary backup to Nick Arbuckle when Bo Levi Mitchell was sidelined for Calgary. The 24-year-old has just one career passing attempt to his name (a completion for 11 yards) but given John Hufnagel and Dave Dickenson’s track record for developing quarterbacks, he’s certainly a person of interest. Should Arbuckle head elsewhere, Cozart could sign with Calgary and compete for the No. 2 job.
Signed during training camp, Logan Kilgore was a natural fit for the Eskimos and Jason Maas’ offence. With Maas out of the equation, a return to Edmonton appears to be unlikely. Once considered a promising prospect, Kilgore failed to make much of an impact in 2019, throwing more interceptions (9) than touchdowns (6) while averaging just 6.9 yards per attempt. His career touchdown to interception ratio is 8-19.
Some pundits remain high on the potential of Brandon Bridge, who signed with the BC Lions late in the season when Mike Reilly was injured. The latest Canadian quarterback to start a playoff game, Bridge completed 14 of 22 passes for 194 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions in the season finale vs. Calgary. While no longer considered a top prospect, Bridge belongs in a training camp in the spring.
Rounding out this year’s free agent quarterback crop is Danny O’Brien, somewhat of a CFL journeyman after six seasons between Ottawa, Edmonton and BC. The 29-year-old had his most extensive playing time last year, completing 57 per cent of his passes for 341 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, with an average of 5.0 yards per attempt. He was Reilly’s primary backup throughout 2019.
