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Insight and Analysis May 11, 2026

One training camp wish for every CFL team

OttawaREDBLACKS.com

CFL.ca
@TSN_Marsh

Training camps have opened and the 2026 season is finally almost upon us. Across the league, players and coaches alike have hit the turf in their respective cities as preparations for the upcoming campaign begin.

From figuring out the roles of the receivers in Calgary to finding a way to get over the Grey Cup hump for a pair of feline foes, CFL.ca’s Marshall Ferguson has one training camp wish for every team.

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BC LIONS

Refine, Refine, Refine

The Lions feel so close. Since 2021, the West Coast club has lost in the Western Semi-Final twice and the Western Final another two times. The quarterback is everything you could dream of, Buck Pierce is an excellent head coach, and the front office has shown the ability to address needs through free agency, the draft, and everything in between.

Now, the challenge becomes taking those lessons learned and ensuring they don’t have to suffer through them again. The offence should be crisper, huddle mechanics smoother, and opponent-specific preparation greater. The tools are there, but that attention to detail is my wish for the Lions and their fans.

EDMONTON ELKS

Free Agency is Fuel, but 2026 is the Match

How many times have we said Edmonton ‘won’ free agency? This year they were aggressive once again and have assembled an impressive collection of talent, but that talent can only be ignited by the progress they showed late last season when Cody Fajardo took over. The pivot set the organizational tempo with a smart, often conservative passing attack supported by defence and special teams.

The Elks know what their bread-and-butter game plan looked like last year. Now it’s time to see what it looks like with more clearly defined roles and expectations.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Figure Out Your Home Run Hitters

Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was frustrated at times last season, but he recently signed an extension as the Stamps ramp up for a Grey Cup-hosting year. The receiving room is packed with elite pass-catching talent, and the addition of Dejon Brissett in free agency from Toronto should help alleviate the loss of former first overall pick Damien Alford. But when VA is at his best, it’s because he knows when to pick his spots and let it fly.

Calgary needs to hone in on the downfield passing game during training camp to unlock the best version of Adams Jr. Defined receiver roles and tendencies established earlier rather than later will greatly help that process and yield positive early-season results.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Keep the Past in the Past

Congratulations on winning the 112th Grey Cup. It was awesome and the celebration has been immaculate!

Nobody cares. 0-0. Back to work.

That has to be the message from head coach Corey Mace as the Roughriders open training camp. It’s great to have visions of a repeat, but Grey Cup Sunday is many moons away, so the focus can only be on the day in front of Saskatchewan.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Define Your Offensive Identity and Stick To It

Accruing bruisers at every level of the offence, from receiver to fullback and tackle to guard, is the perfect strategy with Brady Oliveira standing in the backfield. But will the Bombers define themselves as a downhill, run-first club, or get stuck in that messy middle ground of wanting to stick to pass-happy CFL tendencies with a veteran quarterback?

What about getting those quirky touches to Nic Demski? Oh man, we haven’t involved Ontaria Wilson in over a quarter. But we have to get Tim White touches, too.

This offence has loads of potential, but Winnipeg needs to establish who they are sooner rather than later and avoid wavering at the first sign of adversity.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS

Evolve

Bo Levi Mitchell has been absolutely fantastic over the last two seasons, and?

The goal for a veteran quarterback and longtime head coach like Scott Milanovich has to be avoiding stagnant thinking and constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible from last season.

The hunger in both men is fierce, especially after a disappointing home playoff exit in the Eastern Final. Now we wait and watch to see what comes of it all.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS

Make Kevin Mital a Focal Point

The Argonauts are a team in transition with head coach Ryan Dinwiddie now in Ottawa and quarterback Chad Kelly back from injury. I get the sense Toronto needs a steadying force, someone they can always rely on to deliver guaranteed returns on investment and who will rarely, if ever, leave a sour taste in the mouths of coaches and fans.

Kevin Mital fits that billing perfectly. He was really starting to come into his own with an expanded route tree at the end of 2025, which makes me excited to see what he’s capable of this year.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS

Set Geno Free

Ottawa acquired Eugene Lewis hoping to take his skill set and apply it to every possible aspect of their passing attack. The result was an awkward relationship not too dissimilar from Jaelon Acklin when he was asked to play all over the field after signing in free agency from Hamilton.

My wish here is simple: put Geno at boundary wide receiver, give him five routes to dominate opponents with, and watch the stats pile up as a simplified approach leads to increased production.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES

Embrace Change

The Alouettes are a team in transition defensively without Darnell Sankey or Marc-Antoine Dequoy. That means larger, and well-earned, roles for Geoffrey Cantin-Arku and others on the back end.

I say embrace it. Enjoy the new look and the increased variance in fronts and personnel.

It’s easy to wish for the past and the iconic Grey Cup memories tied to those two players, but that changes nothing about 2026. Best to move forward and create new moments in Alouettes history.