MMQB: Answering some East Division questions

Pat Steinberg

CFL.ca

@Fan960Steinberg

Earlier this year, prior to the opening of 2025 CFL Free Agency, we asked one big off-season question for all nine CFL teams.

Now that free agency is well underway and teams have completed most of their off-season player personnel work, I thought it would be good to revisit those questions and see where we’re at.

Starting in the East Division, here are the questions we asked and the answers we’ve gotten a couple months later.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES: WHO DO THEY SURROUND DAVIS ALEXANDER WITH?

The Als committed to Alexander as their long-term starting quarterback by signing him to a three-year extension in November. And it looks like Montreal is going to let Alexander take over the reins with a very similar offence he impressed with in a handful of starts last season. By and large, the Alouettes haven’t made a lot of changes.

Either by extensions this winter or because they were already under contract for 2025, Montreal has a ton of important offensive pieces coming back. Even with Kaion Julien-Grant signing with Edmonton, Austin Mack, Tyson Philpot, Cole Spieker, and Charleston Rambo are all back at receiver. And at tailback, both Walter Fletcher and Sean Thomas-Erlington are returning.

On the offensive line, I like the addition of Cyrille Hogan-Saindon, which should help with Philippe Gagnon leaving for Saskatchewan and Kristian Matte retiring. Otherwise, a good portion of last year’s starters are back, which includes East Division All-CFL left tackle Nick Callender.

Finally, let’s not forget the quarterback room Alexander will be a part of. Caleb Evans returns after signing a one-year extension, while the Als acquired veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson from Edmonton in December. Bethel-Thompson signed a one-year deal a few weeks later to avoid free agency and give Alexander a great guy to lean on in his first year as a starter.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS: HOW MANY FREE AGENTS ARE RETAINED?

With the salary cap being what it is, and with the Argos winning two of the last three Grey Cups, pragmatic roster management has become a must. Few teams in the CFL have been able to execute in that regard quite like Toronto. Over the last few winters, this team has said goodbye to several big-name free agents for cap reasons, yet their on-field performance has rarely suffered.

This winter hasn’t been overly different with the likes of Jake Ceresna, DaShaun Amos, Robbie Smith, and Tunde Adeleke all signing elsewhere. But Toronto has also retained a number of key players from their latest Grey Cup squad, which is part of why they ranked first in our Way Too Early Power Rankings presented by AMSOIL.

Leading that list of extensions is Wynton McManis, who could be the league’s best MIKE linebacker. Right there with him are tailback Ka’Deem Carey, fresh off running for 1,060 yards and seven touchdowns, and defensive back Tarvarus McFadden who excelled at field corner in 12 appearances last season.

Other key players retained include receiver Damonte Coxie, return dynamo Janarion Grant, and backup quarterbacks Nick Arbuckle and Cameron Dukes. And, when you factor in outside additions like Ciante Evans, Bryan Cox Jr., and Cameron Judge, this Argonauts group is shaping up nicely for a run at another championship.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS: CAN THEY IMPROVE THEIR GROUND GAME?

The answer to this question feels like an emphatic yes.

That’s thanks to Ottawa’s signing of William Stanback in January shortly after he was released by the BC Lions. Stanback missed matching his career high by just one yard last season as he ran for 1,075 on 231 carries to go along with three touchdowns. In the passing game, the always versatile Stanback added a career best 413 receiving yards and two more touchdowns.

The REDBLACKS pounced immediately on Stanback because he’s an outstanding player. But also because Ottawa was the league’s worst rushing offence in 2024, averaging 83.7 rushing yards per game while experiencing a revolving door of tailbacks. Stanback’s addition should stabilize one of the team’s biggest areas of need this winter.

With Stanback and what should be a significantly improved run game, and with quarterback Dru Brown ready to take a step in his second year as a starter, this REDBLACKS offence looks like it could be a handful.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS: HOW DO THEY SHORE THINGS UP DEFENSIVELY?

The Ticats made improving their defence a priority this winter, and for good reason. While boasting the CFL’s most potent aerial offence last season, Hamilton also ranked near the bottom of the league in most defensive categories from interceptions to sacks, net yards, points against, and more. Some reinforcements were needed.

Perhaps most notable is the signing of defensive back DaShaun Amos after three years in Toronto. Spending most of last season at field halfback, Amos tied a career high with five interceptions while also recording one defensive touchdown and 25 tackles. Amos should be a nice fit with a Hamilton secondary looking to take a step forward in 2025.

Also notable is the three-year contract agreed to with defensive back Reggie Stubblefield. On the shelf for almost all of last season due to injury, Stubblefield isn’t that far removed from his 2023 rookie campaign that saw him rack up 38 defensive tackles, three sacks, two interceptions, and one forced fumble.

Also on the list of defensive additions is Brian Cole II, who appeared in 11 games with Winnipeg last season, mostly at WILL linebacker. During that span, Cole had 24 defensive tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. Finally, just last week, the Ticats signed familiar face Julian Howsare. The defensive end played his first four CFL seasons with Hamilton before spending the last two in Calgary.

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