Photo: Ottawa Redblacks. Photo edit: 3DownNation.

The Ottawa Redblacks have made three changes on defence ahead of their trip to Princess Auto Stadium to take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Davion Taylor will start at weak-side linebacker in place of Frankie Griffin, who has been moved to the six-game injured list due to a wrist injury. The 27-year-old native of McComb, Miss. was a third-round pick on the Philadelphia Eagles in the 2020 NFL Draft out of the University of Colorado and spent three seasons with the team. He has played 20 regular-season CFL games since joining the Redblacks last year, recording 45 defensive tackles, 14 special teams tackles, three sacks, and three forced fumbles.

Ottawa has also reconfigured its secondary as field-side halfback Amari Henderson has been placed on the six-game injured list due to a knee injury. Veteran defensive back Deandre Lamont will take over for Henderson, while Robert Priester, who dressed in a depth role the past two weeks, will start at boundary halfback where Lamont was starting.

There has also been a change at field-side cornerback with Alijah McGhee hitting the one-game injured list with an ankle problem. CFL rookie Gavin Heslop will take over his spot in what will be his first career start. The 27-year-old native of Yonkers, N.Y. was a two-time All-Conference selected at Stony Brook University and played two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks as an undrafted free agent.

The Redblacks have listed three players as game-time decisions, so there could be further changes made to the lineup. Field-side wideout Keelan White, who was the third overall pick in this year’s CFL draft, is dealing with an ankle injury, while defensive tackle Cleyon Laing (knee) and safety Bennett Williams (hamstring) are also game-time decisions.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-4) will host the Ottawa Redblacks (3-6) at Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday, August 14 with kickoff slated for 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Redblacks are coming off a 46-42 win over the Toronto Argonauts, while the Blue Bombers suffered a walk-off loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of 29 degrees with a 60 percent chance of showers and a risk of a thunderstorm. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 1200 in Ottawa and 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.