Checking Down: News and notes from Week 5

TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts enter their bye week as the sole undefeated team in the CFL after beating the BC Lions on Monday to claim the first place in our Power Rankings.

While the defending champions are not taking the field, there’s plenty of football action in Week 5, starting with the Edmonton Elks (0-4) traveling to Regina to face a Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-1) squad coming off a bye week of their own on Thursday.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-1) got back to their winning ways against Montreal last week and on Friday will host a Calgary Stampeders (1-2) team that had a week to rest after an overtime loss to the Riders in Week 4.

During the weekend we’ll have two more matchups with the Ottawa REDBLACKS (1-2) fresh off their first win of the season visiting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-3) on Saturday. The next day the Lions (3-1) and Montreal Alouettes (2-1) face off in BC looking to rebound after dropping their first game of the season.

To get you up to date, we’re Checking Down with the latest from CFL Week 5:

Jump to team:

BC LIONS

QB Vernon Adams Jr. threw six interceptions in the loss against the Argonauts on Monday (Daniel Crump/CFL.ca)

– J. J. Adams recaps the Lions defeat at the hands of the Toronto Argonauts as BC dropped their first game of the season (The Province).

–  The CFL on TSN panel breaks down what went wrong for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. in the loss against the Argos on Monday (TSN.ca).

– Will the Lions rebound against the Alouettes after losing to the Argos on Monday? CFL.ca brings you Writer’s Week 5 Picks for every matchup (CFL.ca).  

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

WR Marken Michel returns to Calgary after a four-year stint in the NFL (Arthur Ward/CFL.ca)

– Reggie Begelton talks about the matchup against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday. The veteran wide receiver is listed as questionable for the game at IG Field (Stampeders.com).

– Daniel Austin writes about Bryce Bell’s versatility on the offensive line for the Stamps. Originally a guard, the veteran has started games as a centre and will now it looks like he’ll feature as a left tackle in the matchup against Winnipeg. (Calgary Sun).

– Quarterback Jake Maier spoke about how much a win in Winnipeg would mean for the Stamps, the return of wide receiver Marken Michel and more (Stampeders.com).

EDMONTON ELKS

– The Elks are going back to quarterback Taylor Cornelius under centre after giving first-year Jarret Doege the nod in last week’s matchup against the Ottawa REDBLACKS. Dave Naylor, Matt Dunigan and Milt Stegall eexamine the QB moves in Edmonton and discuss if Cornelius is the best option (TSN.ca).

– CFL.ca brings you the preview for the matchup between the Elks and the Riders on Thursday. Get caught up on injuries, matchups and quotes from both teams as they prepare to kick off Week 5 (CFL.ca).

– Gerry Moddejonge talks about the struggles of the offensive line in Edmonton as they look for answers in pursuit of their first win in 2023 (Edmonton Sun). 

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

QB Trevor Harris talked about the importance of having RB Jamal Morrow leading the backfield for the Riders (Dave Chidley/CFL.ca)

– The Riders are battling injuries as they prepare to face the Edmonton Elks on Thursday. (The Canadian Press via TSN.ca).

– Trevor Harris, Jamal Morrow and head coach Craig Dickenson talk about last week’s win against the Stampeders, the matchup against the Elks, the running game and more (TSN.ca).

– Rob Vanstone writes about Brandon Council’s journey from signing in Saskatchewan in May to becoming a starter in the offensive line for the first two weeks of the season (Riderville.com).

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

– Ed Tait sat down with Greg McCrae to talk about his nickname, his speed and versatility, his journey from walk-on at UCF to the CFL and more (BlueBombers.com).

– Ted Wyman writes about the family atmosphere around the Blue Bombers, including wide receiver Nic Demski being away from the team to witness the birth of his child last week, quarterback Zach Collaros dealing with a death in the family and more (Winnipeg Sun).

Bombers announce that both newly-acquired players, DB Kerfalla Exume and LB Jared Beeksma, will play vs. Calgary.
Nic Demski will play—was on the roster, but didn’t play last week. https://t.co/aa7oTYhBeS

— Derek Taylor🏈 (@DTonOB) July 6, 2023

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

QB Kai Locksley signed with the Ticats after being released by the Elks (GoElks.com)

– The Ticats have signed former Edmonton Elks quarterback Kai Locksley. The pivot appeared in the first three games for the Green and Gold and now joins a quarterback room in Hamilton with injured-starter Bo Levi Mitchell, Matthew Shiltz and Taylor Powell. (CFL.ca).

– Hamilton also brought back fullback Myles Manalo and signed wide receiver Jequez Ezzard (CFL.ca). 

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

–  The Toronto Argonauts have surged to first place in the CFL.ca’s Power Rankings after beating the previous No. 1 BC Lions 45-24 (CFL.ca).

– CFL.ca’s Matthew Cauz writes about how Chad Kelly has looked the part since his first start in Toronto, including putting the Lions away after an outstanding defensive performance by the Argonauts (CFL.ca).

– Argos’ defensive back Robertson Daniel headlines this week’s CFL Honour Roll powered by Pro Football Focus (CFL.ca). 

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

– The REDBLACKS have confirmed that veteran quarterback Jeremiah Masoli will start on Saturday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the first-time since suffering a season-ending injury in 2022 (CFL.ca).

– While Masoli returns to the lineup in Week 5, backup quarterback Tyrie Adams is out for the season with an ACL injury suffered in the win against the Edmonton Elks in Week 4, the team announced (CFL.ca). 

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Global punter Joseph Zema started kicking a gridiron football in 2017 (MontrealAlouettes.com).

– Head coach Jason Mass says that communication is key for an Alouettes squad looking to improve on offence heading into Sunday’s game against the BC Lions (The Canadian Press via TSN.ca).

– Joey Alfieri tells the story of Global punter Joseph Zema, including his first days playing football, his time with the University of Incarnate Word Cardinals in Texas and more (MontrealAlouettes.com).