We’re now just a week away from the kickoff to the 2024 CFL season! Last week, I previewed the four teams from the CFL’s East Division – Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto; this week I’ll be bringing you a quick overview of each of the five West Division teams. Reminder as well to those who are interested – the weekly pick ’em pool is linked below, if you feel like predicting game matchups this season – PoolTracker also has a web app for phones and desktops available here!

https://www.pooltracker.com/join.asp?poolid=231808

In league news this week:

• The BC Lions announced that their new tradition of a season kickoff concert continues this year, with rapper 50 Cent as the featured performer this time around.
• The Toronto Argonauts signed former Bombers star kick returner Janarion Grant this week; having lost special teams rookie of the year Javon Leake to free agency earlier this year, hopefully Grant will continue his success on kick returns with his new team.
• The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are bringing back WR Steven Dunbar, Jr. after he was released by the Edmonton Elks; a former 1000-yard pass catcher, he was due an off-season bonus of $65,000 CAD that the team didn’t want to pay amidst some more tumultuous roster turnover. Dunbar started his career in Hamilton and I think he’ll fit right back in where he left off with them.

I’ll be getting back to doing full league-wide news next week as the season kicks off; tune in June 6th to catch the first matchups of Week 1, 2024! And now, onto the main event.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS

Founded: 1954

Home Stadium: BC Place, Vancouver, BC (54,500)

Grey Cups: 6 (1964, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2011)

2023 Record: 12-6, second in West Division; lost in West final to Winnipeg

GM: Neil McEvoy and Rick Campbell

Head Coach: Rick Campbell

Starting QB: Vernon Adams, Jr.

Famous Alumni:

• Doug Flutie, QB
• Joe Kapp, QB (once fought Ti-Cats defensive lineman Angelo Mosca at an alumni banquet when they were in their 70s!)
• Austin Collie, WR
• Jim “Dirty Thirty” Young, WR/RB (first Canadian USports (university athletic governing body) player drafted to the NFL – Minnesota Vikings, 1965, from Queen’s University. Also a great nickname, though I don’t know where it comes from.)
• Cameron Wake, DE

Fun Facts: One of the main rivals of the BC Lions is actually the Montreal Alouettes, clear across the other side of the country; the two teams have a long-running Labour Day series that is similar to the game traditionally played between Toronto and Hamilton that same weekend. The Lions are also the first team from Western Canada to win a Grey Cup at home, in 1994, and also the only team to beat an American-based team in a Grey Cup, also in 1994 against the Baltimore Stallions.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Lions under Rick Campbell have enjoyed some notable regular-season success as of recent, coming off back-to-back 12-6 regular seasons, but have crashed out of the playoffs with consecutive losses to Winnipeg. With the Bombers poised to take a step back this year, all eyes turn to the Leos to see if they can finally make that step forward and win the division once again – and perhaps even return to play in a Grey Cup game being hosted on home turf. Almost all their offensive weapons are back, save for WRs Dominique Rhymes, who got signed by Ottawa, and Lucky Whitehead, still a free agent; with a dynamic trio of receivers in Keon Hatcher, Jevon Cottoy, and Alex Hollins, they should be able to score points consistently. On defence, the front seven is really going to miss the presence of league sack leader Mathieu Betts, who was signed to an NFL contract by the Detroit Lions, but they have longtime NFL vet Christian Covington, himself a Canadian as well, returning to play ball in his hometown of Vancouver for the first time since 2011, when he graduated high school, and are hoping he can be a solid replacement for Betts; they also signed former Saskatchewan pass-rusher Pete Robertson as well – another solid pickup for the front seven. The pieces are all there for a Grey Cup run – but the real question, as it’s been for the last two years, is whether or not they can get by the Blue Bombers when the chips are down and the card are on the table. Lastly, the Lions need QB Vernon Adams, Jr. to be more consistent – when he’s on, he’s up there with Zach Collaros and Chad Kelly as one of the most dominant players in the league, but when he’s off, such as last year when he threw six picks in one game against Toronto, he’s a one-man disaster.

Key Additions: DL Christian Covington, Pete Robertson, David Menard (FA); DB Ciante Evans (FA); RB William Stanback (FA)

Key Subtractions: QB Dane Evans (retired); DT Mathieu Betts (released to NFL); DL Nick Usher (FA); WR Dominique Rhymes, Lucky Whitehead (FA); RB Taquan Mizzell (released)

2024 Record Prediction: 11-7

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Founded: 1945

Home Stadium: McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB (35,400)

Grey Cups: 8 (1948, 1971, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2018)

2023 Record: 6-12, third in West Division; lost in West semifinal to BC

GM: Dave Dickenson

Head Coach: Dave Dickenson

Starting QB: Jake Maier

Famous Alumni:

• Doug Flutie, QB (won the 1992 Grey Cup as the starter)
• Jeff Garcia, QB (played 1994-98, won the 1998 Grey Cup, and was a 4-time All-Star before jumping to the San Francisco 49ers)
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, LB (was on the 1995 practise roster)

Fun Facts: The 1948 Stampeders are the only professional Canadian football team to ever have a perfect season, when they went 12-0 and won the Grey Cup in Toronto against the Ottawa Rough Riders; the celebrations were so epic that they had a giant pancake breakfast on the steps of Toronto’s City Hall and even rode horses through the lobby of that city’s famous Royal York hotel.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Stamps weren’t good last year. Granted, they had some significant injury issues preventing them from reaching their full potential, but they were darn fortunate to back into the third and final playoff spot in the West by virtue of a better head-to-head record against Saskatchewan, who finished with an identical 6-12 record. A lot of the team’s struggles last year had to do with an anemic offence; quarterback Jake Maier struggled in his first season as the undisputed #1 in Cowtown. The team heads into 2024 looking to shake things up; they have two new DBs in Demerio Houston and Rodney Randle, Jr. to help shore up a position that has had some ups and downs for the Stamps over the last two seasons; they also brought in former Tiger-Cat QB Matthew Shiltz to try and push Jake Maier a bit more during training camp. Ideally, they’ll also have some receivers back healthy this year too; unfortunately, 2022 top pass-catcher Malik Henry missed almost all of last year, and will miss this year as well, having torn his patellar tendon. Jalen Philpot, who was out for 2023 after hamstring surgery, should fortunately be back. I think the Stamps have the potential to be better, but then again, so do Edmonton and Saskatchewan; it’s been a long time since Calgary last missed the playoffs, but it wouldn’t shock me if that streak ends in what is shaping up to be a competitive West Division.

Key Additions: QB Matthew Shiltz (FA); DB Demerio Houston, Rodney Randle, Jr. (FA); OL Trevon Tate (FA)

Key Subtractions: Ka’Deem Carey (FA); WR Luther Hakunavanhu (FA); OL Ryan Sceviour (FA); LB Jordan Herdman-Reed (FA); DL Derek Wiggan, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund (FA)

2024 Record Prediction: 8-10

EDMONTON ELKS

Founded: 1949

Home Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB (56,302)

Grey Cups: 14 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2015)

2023 Record: 4-14, fifth in West Division; missed playoffs

GM: Chris Jones

Head Coach: Chris Jones

Starting QB: McLeod Bethel-Thompson

Famous Alumni:

• Warren Moon, QB (longtime Houston Oilers QB and 5-time Grey Cup winner, 2-time Grey Cup MOP, 1983 CFL MOP)
• Joe Anoa’i, DT (now famous as current WWE superstar Roman Reigns)
• Henry “Gizmo” Williams, RB (5’6″, 185 lbs, a forerunner to Darren Sproles & Devin Hester – one of the greatest kick returners in CFL history with 31 kick return touchdowns – 26 punts, 2 kickoffs, and 3 on missed FGs)
• Chris Getzlaf, WR (brother of NHL Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf)
• Willie Pless, LB (greatest defensive player in the history of the CFL; five-time Best Defensive Player, 11-time all-star, Grey Cup winner, and the league’s all-time leading tackler with 1241)

Fun Facts: The Elks won 5 straight Grey Cups between 1978-82, and this streak of dominance is considered to be the best that the CFL and all of Canadian football has ever seen in its history. The team also made the playoffs in 34 consecutive years between 1972-2005, a feat no other team has equalled in any North American pro sports league. Commonwealth Stadium is the largest stadium in the CFL, and is also the traditional home of the Canadian national soccer teams due to its size and its use of a real grass field until 2009.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt:  While that 4-14 record from 2023 sure doesn’t look like much at all, surprisingly, it represents a major step forward for the Elks compared to the season prior. They managed to snap their horrendous 22-game home losing streak at long last, while dropping a number of close games towards the end of the season; much better than getting shut out twice by the BC Lions in the first half of the year. More notably, Canadian QB Tre Ford took significant steps forward in his development, and while the team’s acquisition of free-agent veteran pivot McLeod Bethel-Thompson point to their feeling that Ford still isn’t ready to be the #1 guy on a full-time basis just yet, there’s now a clear mentorship, development and succession plan in place for the future. Chris Jones’ acquisition of Bethel-Thompson, who was a key part of the Toronto Argos’ 2022 Grey Cup victory before jumping ship to the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers last year, is a sign that the team is ready to really push hard for a return to relevance after a series of down years on the field and poor fan attendance at home. I think the defence remains suspect still, but Bethel-Thompson’s pocket presence and arm strength give Edmonton’s offence some more potency to the passing game that it has lacked over the last few years. Expect to see receive Eugene Lewis, who led the league in passing yards in 2022, return to being one of the league’s best from a statistical perspective this year. As for Tre Ford, despite the blow of losing the starter’s job again after wrestling it away from Taylor Cornelius last year, I think in the long run, this is actually a decision for the Elks to make. There’s no doubt that Ford is an excellent running QB and great improviser when leaving the pocket, but like with so many young QBs, he needs further work on reading defences and considering better throw optimization. At 26, he’s still fairly young as a QB. Not sure the Elks make the playoffs still, but I’m fully on board with this plan for their offence – at least in the long term. They’ll definitely be a better team than 2023 – but will it be enough?

Key Additions: QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson (FA); KR Javon Leake (FA)

Key Subtractions: QB Taylor Cornelius (released); DB Aaron Grymes, Ed Gainey (released); DL A.C. Leonard (FA); WR Manny Arcenaux (retired), Steven Dunbar, Jr (released); OL Josiah St. John (FA)

2024 Record Prediction: 7-11

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Founded: 1910

Home Stadium: Mosaic Stadium, Regina, SK (33,000, expandable to 40,000)

Grey Cups: 4 (1966, 1989, 2007, 2013)

2023 Record: 6-12, fourth in West Division; missed playoffs

GM: Jeremy O’Day

Head Coach: Corey Mace

Starting QB: Trevor Harris

Famous Alumni: 

• Ron Lancaster, QB/DE (led Riders to the 1966 Grey Cup; 4 time CFL All-Star, 2-time CFL MOP)
• George Reed, RB (9-time CFL All-Star, 1965 CFL MOP, CFL record-holder for rushing TDs with 134)
• Kent Austin, QB (won the 1989 Grey Cup as the Riders’ starter and served as OC in 2007; later served as Hamilton’s HC from 2013-17)

Fun Facts: The Roughriders are one of only two CFL teams currently owned by community shareholders. They are the #3 overall sports team in Canada in merchandise sales, behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Until 2013, you could joke about my alma mater, the Queen’s University Golden Gaels (Kingston, ON) having won the same number of Grey Cups (3) as the Roughriders, despite not playing for the trophy since the 1920s. Finally, it’s very easy to upset Ottawa fans about the Rough Riders/Roughriders controversy of the 20th century, especially since Saskatchewan lawyers blocked the new expansion team in Ottawa from taking their old name back (WE HAD IT FIRST, DAMMIT!).

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: Trevor Harris broke his leg early last season after winning three of his first four games in green & white, and things just imploded after that for Saskatchewan; despite technically remaining in the playoff hunt right up to the bitter end thanks to an unusually weak West Division, the Riders dropped seven straight games to close out the year and miss the playoffs. While QB injuries are something that many teams have to deal with, it was clear from last year that Mason Fine and Jake Dolegala are not the answer for effective QB depth in Riderville. Harris’ leg is healed, so he should be returning to full-time starter duty – much needed stability, consider the turnover elsewhere on the team. After missing the playoffs, longtime head coach Craig Dickenson parted ways with the team and left to join his brother Dave’s staff in Calgary; Saskatchewan hired former Argos DC Corey Mace as his replacement at HC, and he brings in some interesting new staff with him, including OC Marc Mueller (former Stamps QB coach) and former CFL linebacker JC Sherritt to pull double-duty as LB coach and run game coordinator. Mace’s defence was consistently excellent in Toronto, and with his responsibilities to both lead his team and call defensive plays, I’m confident we’ll see that side of the ball improve significantly this year. New RB AJ Ouellette, a stud in Toronto, also joins the team to be their new lead rusher. Saskatchewan definitely needed both a roster and coaching staff shakeup after several years of underperforming – if they can stay healthy, I definitely see them as most likely to finish third in the West.

Key Additions: RB AJ Ouellette (FA); LB Jameer Thurman, Jordan Herdman-Reed (FA); DL Malik Carney (FA); OL Jermarcus Hardrick (FA)

Key Subtractions: QB Jake Dolegala (FA); WR Tevin Jones (FA); DL Pete Robertson (FA); LB Larry Dean (retired)

2024 Record Prediction: 9-9

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Founded: 1930

Home Stadium: Investors Group Field, Winnipeg, MB (33,500)

Grey Cups: 12 (1935, 1939, 1941, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1984, 1988, 1990, 2019, 2021)

2023 Record: 14-4, first in West Division; lost in Grey Cup to Montreal

GM: Kyle Walters

Head Coach: Mike O’Shea

Starting QB: Zach Collaros

Famous Alumni: 

• Milt Stegall, WR (played 3 seasons in the NFL for the Bengals before coming north to Winnipeg, where he holds the CFL record for all-time touchdowns with 144; also a 9-time CFL All-Star but never won a Grey Cup)
• Tom Clements, QB (won 1976 Grey Cup with the Ottawa Rough Riders, as well as the 1984 Grey Cup with the Bombers; currently serving as the Green Bay Packers’ assistant head coach)
• Bud Grant, Head Coach (4x Grey Cup champ as Bombers’ leader, and later coached the Minnesota Vikings for 18 years and won the 1969 NFL championship)

Fun Facts: The Blue Bombers are owned by a community-based collective, in extremely similar fashion to the Green Bay Packers, and are the second of two CFL teams still with this model of ownership. They were also the first team not from Ontario or Quebec to win a Grey Cup, with their initial 1935 victory. The Bombers have the most Grey Cup game appearances of any CFL team, with 25 title games played.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Blue Bombers made their fourth consecutive Grey Cup appearance last year – an impressive feat for sure – but in similar fashion to 2022, ended up choking at the last minute and letting Montreal score a late touchdown to win the title in dramatic fashion. There’s no doubt that Winnipeg has been the class of the league since 2019, but time, injuries and age are sure to catch up with this roster soon enough. Their defence is going to look fairly different this year, with Richie Hall stepping down as coordinator and Jordan Younger taking the job – other teams raided their defensive roster in free agency, and vets like Malik Clements and Demerio Houston have moved on, while stalwart pass rusher Jackson Jeffcoat retired; DBs Winston Rose and Alden Darby remain unsigned. Different too is the backup QB situation; Dru Brown, the #2, was traded to Ottawa in order for him to become their new apparent starter, and Dakota Prukop was signed by BC to compete in training camp for a #3 job; however, after many years as a utility player in the NFL, Winnipeg brought back Chris Streveler to serve as Zach Collaros’ backup – an excellent acquisition that gives them another excellent 1-2 punch. Their deep collection of receivers are all back, and league-leading rusher Brady Oliveira signed a new deal – so while the D may be lacking compared to seasons past, that offence remains as good as it’s ever looked on paper. The Blue Bombers know that BC, in particular, desperately want to de-throne them as division champions this year – but there’s no doubt that Winnipeg has a similarly excellent coaching staff. If any team can weather the storm of so many departing vets, particularly on D, it’s the team that’s coming off three straight division titles. This should be another dogfight this year between the Lions and Bombers for tops in the West – I hope fans are excited.

Key Additions: QB Chris Streveler (FA); OL Eric Lofton (FA)

Key Subtractions: QB Dru Brown (trade), Dakota Prukop (FA); RB/WR Greg McCrae (FA); KR Janarion Grant (FA); DB Winston Rose, Demerio Houston, Alden Darby (FA); DL Jackson Jeffcoat (retired), FB/ST Mike Miller (retired)

2024 Record Prediction: 12-6

And that concludes your 2024 team previews, folks! I look forward to kickoff next Thursday, June 6th – hope to see you back here, same bat-time, same bat-channel.