{"id":555941,"date":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","date_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555941\/"},"modified":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-23T19:47:08","slug":"mmqb-4-players-poised-for-bounce-back-seasons-in-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/555941\/","title":{"rendered":"MMQB: 4 players poised for bounce-back seasons in 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

The off-season feels like it\u2019s blasting by.<\/p>\n

The CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness Canada is set for this weekend. We\u2019re just over a month away from the 2026 CFL Draft. And training camps are set to open in less than seven weeks.<\/p>\n

As we continue to look ahead to a new season, this week\u2019s Monday Morning Quarterback is looking at four players poised for big bounce-back campaigns in 2026.<\/p>\n

RELATED
\u00bb MMQB: One key off-season decision for every East Division team<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0MMQB: One key off-season decision for every West Division team<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Subscribe to the CFL\u2019s official YouTube channel<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Subscribe to the CFL\u2019s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0View the entire 2026 season schedule here<\/a><\/p>\n

DRU BROWN | QUARTERBACK | OTTAWA REDBLACKS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

One of the themes you\u2019ll see this week is injury. All the guys we\u2019re focusing on had their seasons disrupted or prematurely cut short by injury, and Dru Brown<\/a> is no exception. Brown arrived in Ottawa for the 2024 season with high expectations after building his resume as a backup in Winnipeg the prior three years. And he was a big part of the REDBLACKS returning to the playoffs after a four-year drought.<\/p>\n

But much like how things went the team, things didn\u2019t go according to plan for Brown last season. After starting 15 games in his first year with Ottawa, a pair of injuries limited Brown to just nine starts in 2025. Those two injuries messed with Brown\u2019s rhythm, especially the early one that prevented him from building on a 413-yard performance to open the season.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m expecting a motivated and healthy Brown to be much closer to his totals from two years ago when he threw for 3,959 yards and 18 touchdowns. With quarterback whisperer Ryan Dinwiddie in as head coach, and with important additions like Greg Bell<\/a> and Ayden Eberhardt<\/a>, it feels like Brown is being setup for success in 2026.<\/p>\n

NICK ANDERSON | LINEBACKER | EDMONTON ELKS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nick Anderson<\/a> burst onto the scene in 2024, racking up a league leading 111 defensive tackles to go along with three sacks, two forced fumbles, and one interception. That debut campaign earned Anderson Most Outstanding Rookie and All-CFL honours and a well-deserved contract extension. But Anderson\u2019s sophomore season didn\u2019t go as envisioned, with that I-word rearing its ugly head.<\/p>\n

Anderson was only able to appear in seven games last year, recording 41 tackles and one sack in the process. But you get the sense Anderson is highly motivated to erase last season with a huge bounce-back. Anderson has spent most of his off-season training and preparing in Edmonton and seems ready to return to the top of the CFL\u2019s linebacker ranks. If that\u2019s the case, the Elks have a great chance of returning to the playoffs for the first time since 2019.<\/p>\n

JAKE CERESNA | DEFENSIVE LINE | WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS<\/p>\n

JAKE CERESNA HALTS THE WINNIPEG DRIVE!<\/p>\n

Both teams have at least one sack and we\u2019ve got a thriller entering the fourth!<\/p>\n

Tune into @westjet<\/a> Canada Day Weekend.
\ud83d\udcc5: @GoElks<\/a> vs Blue Bombers LIVE NOW
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6: TSN, RDS
\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8: CBSSN
\ud83c\udf0e: CFL+ pic.twitter.com\/U74peTEO4r<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CFL (@CFL) June 27, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

One of the winter\u2019s more surprising free agent shuffles saw Jake Ceresna<\/a> sign a two-year deal with the Bombers<\/a>. Coming off the least productive season of his career, you can understand why the two-time All-CFL defensive tackle would be interested in a change of scenery. Ceresna had his 2025 campaign cut short in August by, you guessed it, injury and finished with one sack, 16 defensive tackles, and one interception in 11 games.<\/p>\n

But let\u2019s not forget what Ceresna had accomplished the three years prior. Between 2022 and 2024, Ceresna racked up 20 sacks combined and finished top three in the category in each of those seasons. And by signing in Winnipeg, the 111th Grey Cup champion is joining a veteran team focused on getting back to the top of the mountain and nothing else. It seems like a perfect match.<\/p>\n

REGGIE BEGELTON | RECEIVER | CALGARY STAMPEDERS<\/p>\n

VA connects with Reggie Begelton<\/a> for his first completion in red and white! \u2705#CFLKickoff<\/a>
\ud83d\udcc6: Tiger-Cats vs. @calstampeders<\/a> LIVE NOW
\ud83c\udde8\ud83c\udde6: TSN, CTV
\ud83c\udf0e: CFL+ pic.twitter.com\/MFuhyK1PgQ<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 CFL (@CFL) June 7, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n

Of all the players on this list, no one had their season impacted by injury more than Reggie Begelton. Unfortunately, a rib injury sustained in June, and the procedure that followed, limited Begelton to just two appearances last year. It was a shame, too, because we never really got to see one of the league\u2019s most consistent receivers build chemistry with new quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s one of the main reasons I\u2019m so excited to watch Begelton back in action. As committed to fitness as anyone you\u2019ll ever see, you can count on the 32-year-old to be in top form when camp starts. That\u2019s good news for Adams, as Begelton had posted two straight 1,100-yard seasons prior to last year. Poised to step right back into his familiar position in the slot, I\u2019d expect Adams to be looking Begelton\u2019s way early and often in 2026.<\/p>\n