Blue Bombers QB situation and Chad Kelly’s resurgence highlight 3 major CFL storylines to monitor
The first four weeks of the CFL season have defined a few major storylines to keep an eye on throughout the 21 week season.
Four weeks into the CFL season have given us a lot of really good football. June only had 14 games, but it was plenty enough.
We’ve seen some fascinating storylines develop within the league, from the BC Lions starting at 0-3 to the Toronto Argonauts taking down the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a “quasi” home game at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.
Through the first four weeks, there have beend some fascinating stories developing throughout the league, and these are ones worth watching over the rest of the season.
Chad Kelly is back
After having 580 days between games played, oddly enough both of them in Montreal, Toronto Argonauts quarterback Chad Kelly came out and has proven why he’s arguably the best quarterback in the CFL.
Coming into the season, Kelly was 20-6 as a starting quarterback, and has the Argonauts at 2-1 this seson with some explosive passing numbers
- 70.4% completions
- 1,190 passing yards
- 9 passing touchdowns (league high)
- 6 interceptions (league high)
Yes, the interception numbers are concerning, but four of them came against the Ottawa Redblacks in a position where Kelly was trying too hard to put the dagger into his former head coach, Ryan Dinwiddie.
Simply put: Kelly has come back with a vengeance and shown why he’s been so good with the Argonauts. It helps to have Makai Polk, Damonte Coxie, and Kevin Mital on the roster, plus the emergence of Tyler Kahmann has been an underrated story in the league.
They may not have the most complete team, but the Argonauts are an established threat in the East Division with Kelly.
The Blue Bombers could have a quarterback controversy
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are now 1-2 on the season, and things are not looking great offensively. Star Canadian running back Brady Olivera is third in the CFL in rushing at 222 yards with a 6.2 YPC average, but he’s only gotten the ball an average of 12 times per game on the ground. Simply put, that isn’t enough usage for the star player.
Where the real concern lies is at quarterback. Zach Collaros is becoming a growing concern due to his dwindling arm strengh and escapability. He still has a smart mind and being a plus decision maker, but it was evident in being sacked three times and failing to escape the pocket. There were also issues driving the football down the field, which showed up way too frequently.
Now, you enter Dru Brown, who the Bombers traded a first-round pick in 2027 and swapped their 2028 second-round pick for the 2027 second-round pick they sent the Redblacks in April’s CFL Draft to move up from No. 13 to No. 10. Redblacks head coach Dinwiddie claimed a lack of arm strength was a big reason why he picked Jake Maier over Brown, but Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea doesn’t share those concerns.
“I think he delivers the ball on time to the right person, and when you make good decisions quickly, everything looks good,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “And on top of that, I don’t think he’s lacking arm strength.”
Could the Bombers have traded for Brown because the yare worried about the viability of Collaros over the 18 game regular season? It is his last season in Winnipeg, and he’s a legend, having won two Grey Cups. However, the Bombers are committed to trying to win another Grey Cup with this veteran core. I’m not convinced that Brown wasn’t acquired to just be depth, but rather take over for Collaros, as Taylor Elgersma isn’t quite ready to be a starter yet.
BC Lions are in serious trouble
An 0-2 start is a tough one for any CFL team, but the BC Lions have started 0-3 and things are not going well.
They were very competitive against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in their season opener, losing to a touchdown in the final 90 seconds. Unfortunately, they lost four wide receivers for their next game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, including star Keon Hatcher. They ended up getting blown out 41-27, and the defense has allowed 37.67 points per game. The Lions also fired special teams coordinator Cory McDiarmid after a disaster class in the Touchdown Kelowna loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
What’s even more frustrating is star quarterback Nathan Rourke still looks like the superstar he was last season. Even with his performances, it hasn’t been enough for the Lions. Can they find a way to maximize Rourke’s performances over the next two weeks against the Edmonton Elks with more stable defense and special teams play? If they don’t and we see Edmonton get to 5-0, things will get really interesting for the Lions, who are in serious danger of having their season spiral out of control.