The most critical position in football is quarterback and, in the CFL, the alarming number of injuries to starting pivots has become the storyline of the season. If this sounds familiar, it’s because it’s still happening — and at an alarming pace.
It feels like every single week, the league’s collective injury report reads like a list of its most important players. What started as a trickle has become an outbreak, threatening to define the 2025 campaign.
Just this past week, we saw Zach Collaros of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Vernon Adams Jr. of the Calgary Stampeders sidelined. Both have since been ruled out for their Week 9 matchups.
Peter Power / THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
A massive part of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ resurgence in the East Division is owing to quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who’s playing at an MOP-calibre level.
These fan bases are predictably on edge given the position’s importance to their team’s overall success. And they’re hardly alone.
In Toronto, Chad Kelly has yet to dress for a game with the Argonauts since breaking his leg in the playoffs last year. In Saskatchewan, Trevor Harris has battled through various ailments, while Ottawa’s Dru Brown has also been sidelined, leading to a revolving door under centre for the Redblacks. Davis Alexander of the Montreal Alouettes remains on the six-game injured list after re-aggravating his hamstring in Week 7.
In total, seven of the nine team’s starters have missed time this year. This is more than just bad luck, and it’s starting to heavily impact the on-field product.
Ask anyone, and football is a game of rhythm and timing, and nowhere is that more important than between a quarterback and the offence. The chemistry built over weeks of practice and games, the unspoken understanding between receivers, the ability to read and react to a defence — all of it is severely challenged when a starting pivot goes down.
As a result, we’re seeing more inconsistent offences, fewer explosive plays and a noticeable dip in the high-flying action that defines the CFL.
What’s more, the constant shuffling of quarterbacks force coaching staffs to simplify playbooks, rely more heavily on the run game or ask backups to perform beyond their capabilities. This can often lead to lower scoring games and the higher likelihood of it being a dud.
While credit belongs to the backups who do step into these big shoes and perform, the reality is that the consistent absence of the league’s best quarterbacks is raising questions about player protection, turf conditions and the sheer violence of the game. For a league that relies on its star power to attract and keep viewers, it’s a genuine concern for the health and appeal of the CFL.
There’s no quick and easy fix. But at the pace we’re seeing players go down, if I’m a general manager with a healthy quarterback, I’m figuring out a way to wrap him in bubble wrap before kickoff. Maybe even during play time.
Now, let’s dive into what else has caught my attention over the last week in the latest edition of CFL Rundown.
1. It’s time to admit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats look for real. Riding an impressive five-game win streak, the Ticats are absolutely rolling, currently tied with the Alouettes for first place in the East Division.
A massive part of their resurgence is owing to Bo Levi Mitchell, who’s playing at an MOP-calibre level, leading an offence dotted with dangerous weapons.
Equally important has been the transformation of the defence, a unit that had struggled for years but has stepped up big time.
There’s still a lot of football left, and things can change fast in this league, but after missing the playoffs the last couple of years, it’s awesome to see the Ticats back in the mix and looking like true contenders.
Their last Grey Cup win was way back in 1999, so it’s been a long wait for the fanbase.
With this year’s Grey Cup in Winnipeg, how fitting would it be for the Ticats to finally get their revenge from 2021, when the Bombers defeated Hamilton on the club’s home turf to claim back-to-back championships.
2. With the Alouettes and Ticats sitting comfortably atop the East, the Toronto Argonauts (2-5) and Ottawa Redblacks (1-6) are struggling to get themselves out of the basement.
Of the two, though, Toronto seems more likely to salvage its season. Ryan Dinwiddie is a brilliant head coach who has been without the services of Kelly, whose leg injury has been called both day-to-day and week-to-week in recent interviews.
In other words, the Argos poor start is largely injury-related and help appears on the way.
Meanwhile, Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce can only hope Brown remains healthy; at 1-6, his job will likely depend on it. Without significant improvement, and fast, Dyce’s seat will only get hotter.
3. In the wild, wild West Division, the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Calgary Stampeders have separated themselves from the pack, boasting a 6-1 and 5-2 record, respectively.
While both have had strong starts to the season, the Riders’ success seems more sustainable due to their quarterback depth.
Harris and Jake Maier have allowed Saskatchewan to weather injuries far better than Calgary, whose reliance on P.J. Walker behind Adams is problematic, to say the least.
Kicker Brett Lauther is Saskatchewan’s only glaring weakness right now; his field goal percentage is shockingly low, worse than Harris’s completion percentage. Outside of that, life is good in Riderville.
Heywood Yu / THE CANADIAN PRESS
Edmonton Elks head coach Mark Kilam confirmed shortly after the club’s defeat to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday night that quarterback Cody Fajardo (left) will be the team’s No. 1 moving forward.
4. A mushy middle has formed in the West, occupied by the Bombers (3-3) and B.C. Lions (3-5).
While both teams have a good chance of making the playoffs, especially with the Redblacks and Argonauts floundering in the East, they aren’t quite keeping pace with the top tier in their own division.
Both clubs rely heavily on the health and consistency of their No. 1 quarterbacks, meaning any prolonged absence or dip in play could prove catastrophic.
Both could also desperately use a little more help on defence.
Consistently getting stops and limiting an opponent’s time of possession will be crucial if they hope to contend for top spot in the West. Neither unit is getting it done right now.
5. The Bombers have struggled mightily with ball protection, giving up an eye-popping 17 turnovers in the last three games, including seven against the Argos last week.
That’s had the biggest impact on Winnipeg’s three-game losing skid and why the Bombers are sitting at .500, looking nowhere near the team that went to the last five Grey Cups.
6. The Edmonton Elks made the correct decision in starting Cody Fajardo over Tre Ford despite another loss.
Fajardo’s performance, throwing for 346 yards and two touchdowns, was more than enough to earn him another game.
In case there was any doubt, head coach Mark Kilam confirmed shortly after the defeat to the Riders that Fajardo is their No. 1 quarterback moving forward.
Fajardo’s numbers are particularly impressive given the horrific performance by the Elks’ offensive line, which surrendered eight sacks.
Elks offensive co-ordinator Jordan Maksymic also owns some of this, as scheme and play-calling can greatly impact line protection.
Life doesn’t get any easier for Edmonton this week, as they welcome the red-hot Ticats to town.
Despite a lot of hope heading into the season, 2025 is already starting to feel like a lost campaign in the City of Champions.
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
7. I don’t usually gush over an individual play, but we need to talk about Robert Carter Jr.’s interception against Mitchell.
While the Hamilton quarterback delivered a perfectly thrown ball, the sheer athleticism from the Lions defensive back to lay out and make that one-handed grab was insane.
Carter had a similar highlight-reel interception while at Robert Morris University in a game against Utah State just last year.
When asked to compare them, Carter gave the edge to his pick in college, revealing he made that one with a broken hand.
Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca
Week 8 Results
Montreal Alouettes 23 vs. Calgary Stampeders 21
Edmonton Elks 18 vs. Saskatchewan Roughriders 21
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 17 vs. Toronto Argonauts 31
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 37 vs. B.C. Lions 33
Week 9 Schedule
Thursday, July 31: Calgary Stampeders @ Ottawa Redblacks (6:30 p.m. CT)
Friday, August 1: Toronto Argonauts @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7:30 p.m. CT)
Saturday, August 2: Hamilton Tiger-Cats @ Edmonton Elks (2 p.m. CT)
Saturday, August 2: Saskatchewan Roughriders @ Montreal Alouettes (6 p.m. CT)
CFL Standings
East Division
Hamilton Tiger-Cats 5-2
Montreal Alouettes 5-2
Toronto Argonauts 2-5
Ottawa Redblacks 1-6
West Division
Saskatchewan Roughriders 6-1
Calgary Stampeders 5-2
Winnipeg Blue Bombers 3-3
B.C. Lions 3-5
Edmonton Elks 1-5
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.
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