Nick Arbuckle is again proving the importance of quarterback depth in the CFL.
Arbuckle is expected to be the starter Friday night when the Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts visit the Montreal Alouettes. Incumbent Chad Kelly suffered a serious leg injury in last year’s East Division final and was only recently cleared to practise.
Kelly required surgery for a fractured tibia and fibula that occurred in Toronto’s 30-28 win over Montreal. That thrust Arbuckle into Toronto’s starting lineup for its Grey Cup showdown with Winnipeg and the veteran responded by earning MVP honours after passing for 252 yards and two TDs in the Argos’ 41-24 victory.
Kelly, the CFL’s 2023 outstanding player, missed Toronto’s entire pre-season and first nine regular-season games last year after being suspended by the league for violating its gender-based violence policy.
Toronto went 5-4 before Kelly was reinstated with Cameron Dukes (4-4) and Arbuckle (1-0) under centre. Dukes was among the Argos’ final cuts last weekend.
Kelly has a stellar 20-5 record as a CFL starter, while Arbuckle has also made 25 career starts (10-15).
But this development further illustrates the importance of quarterback depth for CFL teams. And it’s a lesson many have taken to heart, as eight of the nine clubs have experienced backups on their roster.
On Friday night, Davis Alexander will begin his first full season as Montreal’s starter. But backing him up will be veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion with Toronto (2017, ’22) who started last season with Edmonton.
Alexander, 26, was 4-0 last season for Montreal when veteran Cody Fajardo was injured. But he’s entering just his fourth CFL season and first as the Als’ starter.
Bethel-Thompson has 60 career CFL starts under his belt (27-33). And in ’22, he led the CFL in passing yards (4,731) and TDs (23) as Toronto went on to capture the Grey Cup.
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Dru Brown begins his second season as Ottawa’s starter and sports a 10-7-1 record. Dustin Crum and Tyrie Adams are both behind him, each having started for the Redblacks, although Adams suffered a season-ending knee injury in his first – and only – CFL start in 2023.
Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell returns after leading the CFL in passing (5,451 yards) and TDs (32) last year. When the Tiger-Cats open their season visiting the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, Mitchell, 35, will look to become the fastest player in league history to earn 100 career regular-season wins.
A win in Calgary would come in Mitchell’s 141st career start, ahead of Hall of Famers Ron Lancaster (149) and Tracy Ham (151). Injuries limited Mitchell to six games in 2023, when rookie Taylor Powell made nine starts and added another last year.
Nathan Rourke begins the season as B.C.’s starter. The CFL’s top Canadian in 2022 rejoined the Lions last year after NFL stints with Jacksonville, New England, the New York Giants and Atlanta, splitting time with veteran Vernon Adams Jr.
B.C. dealt Adams Jr. to Calgary, then signed veteran Jeremiah Masoli, who has made 59 career CFL starts (28-31).
Tre Ford, 27, begins his first full season as Edmonton’s starter. The 2021 Hec Crighton Trophy winner from Niagara Falls, Ont., signed a three-year extension with the Elks after posting a 9-9 record since being taken in the first round of the 2022 CFL draft by the club.
Edmonton dealt Bethel-Thompson’s rights to Montreal for the rights to Fajardo, the 2023 Grey Cup MVP. Fajardo, 33, is younger than Bethel-Thompson (36) and sports a tidy 43-29-1 record as a CFL starter.
Adams Jr. will be tasked with returning Calgary to the CFL playoffs after it missed the post-season last year for the first time since 2004. The 32-year-old enters his ninth season in Canada (38-22 as a starter).
But behind Adams Jr. are first-year CFL players P.J. Walker and Josh Love. Walker joined the Stampeders late last season on the practice roster after appearing in 21 NFL games (nine starts) from 2020 to 2023.
Trevor Harris, 39, returns under centre for Saskatchewan and enters his 13th CFL season. But injuries have limited Harris to just 17 regular-season starts over the last two years.
Behind Harris is Jake Maier, who made 45 starts over four seasons with Calgary (18-26-1) before signing with Saskatchewan this off-season.
Zach Collaros, also entering his 13th CFL season, looks to lead Winnipeg to a sixth straight Grey Cup appearance and third victory. The 36-year-old American recently signed a one-year extension with the Bombers.
But veteran Chris Streveler is expected to start when Winnipeg opens its season hosting B.C. on June 12. The CFL suspended Collaros for one game last month for failing to respond to an off-season drug-testing request.
Streveler, 30, suffered a season-ending knee injury in a 26-21 win over Saskatchewan on Sept. 7. He signed a one-year extension with the Bombers during the off-season and has made 13 career CFL starts (5-8).
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