MMQB: Answering some West Division questions

Pat Steinberg

CFL.ca

@Fan960Steinberg

We’ll officially hit the one-month mark of 2025 free agency later this week and, as you know, it’s been extremely busy.

A couple months ago, we asked a question for all nine CFL teams going into free agency and many of those have been answered over the last number of weeks.

Last week we took a shot at answering those questions from the East Division. This week, then, we’re going to take those same questions from the West Division and see what answers we’ve got a couple months later.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS: HOW DO THEY ADDRESS THE PASS RUSH?

We asked this question because the Stamps finished last year with 32 sacks, which put them second last overall. For a team that had built a reputation of a feared pass rush over the last decade, it was an area I wondered about for Calgary. And they’ve definitely made some significant changes.

Most notably, the Stampeders swung a huge trade with Toronto when they acquired star defensive end Folarin Orimolade. Not only is Orimolade returning to the place he started his CFL career, but Calgary is also adding one of the league’s very best pass rushers. Last season saw Orimolade record six sacks in 12 appearances, while also finishing as the league’s second most effective edge defender according to Pro Football Focus.

Orimolade and second year defensive end Clarence Hicks, who recorded four sacks and two interceptions in 2024, should help pick up the slack for the departing James Vaughters (Winnipeg) and Julian Howsare (Hamilton). And in the middle, the signing of defensive tackle Miles Brown will be an interesting addition after the surprise release of Mike Rose.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS: HOW MUCH DO THEY RUN IT BACK?

Not surprisingly, the answer to this question is simple: the Bombers are running it back as much as they can. When you’re a team with five straight Grey Cup appearances in a salary cap world, it’s not going to be possible to keep everyone. But, with Winnipeg hosting this year’s Grey Cup in November, it was a pretty good bet they were going to bring back a good chunk of their core. And that’s exactly what they’ve done.

On defence, centrepieces Willie Jefferson and Jake Thomas are back for another run as are important contributors Evan Holm, Tony Jones, Kyrie Wilson, and Shayne Gauthier. Offensively, we’re talking about Dalton Schoen, Patrick Neufeld, and Stanley Bryant all back again. And this list doesn’t include the numerous key players who were already signed for 2025.

Of course, with a winning tradition like Winnipeg’s, there are always off-season sacrifices. This year, for instance, we’ve seen defensive back Tyrell Ford sign with Edmonton while receiver Kenny Lawler is now a member of the Tiger-Cats. But with a core group led by Zach Collaros, Brady Oliveira, and the returnees we’ve already highlighted, the Blue Bombers are well positioned to take a run at a 112^th Grey Cup appearance in November.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS: HOW DOES THE PASSING GAME EVOLVE?

We only have partial answers to this question and won’t be able to get a full scope until the season kicks off in a few months. But with quarterback Trevor Harris back for a third year in Regina, I remain very intrigued about what kind of growth we might see in the passing game. After all, Harris was one of the league’s most effective quarterbacks last year when healthy and started to develop real chemistry with his receivers.

And all four of Saskatchewan’s leading receivers from last year are back for 2025. That includes budding superstar Samuel Emilus along with KeeSean Johnson, Shawn Bane Jr., and Kian Schaffer-Baker. On top of that, the Riders have also added an experienced backup in Jake Maier in the event Harris has to miss time. All of this adds up to what should be a very interesting, and potentially very explosive, passing game in 2025.

EDMONTON ELKS: IS JUSTIN RANKIN THE REAL DEAL?

Much like our Saskatchewan question, we won’t really get an answer regarding Rankin until he touches the ball for the first time this season. But I think we’re all expecting the answer to be a resounding yes with how Rankin finished the season upon bursting onto the scene with the Elks in early August. From there on out, Rankin racked up 765 rushing yards in 11 appearances while averaging a whopping 7.8 yards-per-carry.

Rankin’s emergence allowed Edmonton to move on from tailback Kevin Brown at the end of last season. As such, they’ve decided Rankin and Javon Leake is the ideal tailback tandem with the latter being extended by the Elks in December. Edmonton has undergone a major overhaul almost across the board this winter, but it’s telling there’s one area they’ve been adamant to keep the same and that’s at running back.

BC LIONS: HOW CAN THEY ENSURE NATHAN ROURKE IS SUCCESFUL?

While we won’t know the actual results of BC’s off-season labours, you can’t help but take notice of the work they’ve done.

Most of that work has been on the offensive line. it started with January’s huge addition of two-time defending All-CFL right tackle Dejon Allen, who just happened to take home the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award in 2023. Then in free agency, the Lions signed former fifth overall pick David Foucault to help stabilize things at guard.

And you can’t overstate the importance of BC extending Justin McInnis, either. The National receiver exploded for a league leading 1,469 yards last season to go along with seven touchdowns. With McInnis and a healthy Keon Hatcher in the fold for 2025, and two key adds on the O-line, Rourke should have plenty to work with.

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