What changes are ahead for the Ottawa Redblacks?

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“I’ve been a co-ordinator and head coach for years, and I’ve been pretty darn good at it,” he also said. “So I believe in that. The GM title, if they kind of change that, it’s not going to change my workload at all. But I get that.”

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How did the season unravel?

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Dinwiddie, whose team never did recover from what he called “tough opponents” during a five-game stretch near the start of the season, admitted the job he signed up for had its challenges.

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Head coach and general manager Ryan Dinwiddie speaks with members of the media during the Ottawa Redblacks’ end-of-season media availability at TD Place in Ottawa on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

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“We looked at what we did last year (with a 4-14 record), and we tried to kind of put lipstick on a pig a little bit,” he said. “When you buy an older home, it’s an investment, but you’ve got to tear down the foundation and build it back up. You can’t just put some boards together and say this is a home that’s ready to live in. So we’ve got some work cut out for us.”

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Dinwiddie said the coaching staff tried to address the culture and work ethic among the players.

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“We went through like 141 players, so it’s a revolving door,” he said. “It’s tough when it’s almost like training camp with guys coming, guys going. I think we managed it decently. I think the guys never quit on each other. We never had a ton of in-house fighting. You’re always going to have some, even on really good teams. You’re going to have your moments where guys aren’t seeing things eye to eye.

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Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Eric Cumberbatch carries his belongings from the locker room as players clean out their lockers at TD Place on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

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“But yeah, I think you know we got to get more leaders in here. Obviously, we’ve got to get guys with some talent. But you know, like I told the team today in the meeting, it’s the little things, the details of the film room, therapy room, on the practice field …. those things that we’ve got to focus on that lead to having success on the field on game day.”

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How big is the rebuild facing the Redblacks?

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Dinwiddie conceded that the team “should have been a little bit less aggressive in free agency” last winter.

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“We should have been more focused on getting some rookies in here, and scouting for some of those holes,” he said. “You can’t build a whole roster through free agency. I think that was one thing we learned the hard way from last year.

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“It’s a little premature for me to answer how big of an overhaul is needed right now, but there’s going to be some changes. We got to evaluate everything. But there are a lot of good players in that locker room, too. There are some guys that did some really good things for us this year. We just got to get a few more of those guys in here.”

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Redblacks quarterback Jake Maier speaks with members of the media during the Ottawa Redblacks’ end-of-season media availability at TD Place in Ottawa on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

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What are the biggest needs?

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The quarterback situation has to be first and foremost. After a sparkling debut, rookie Bryson Barnes struggled in Hamilton, completing 13 of 26 passes for 163 yards and throwing two interceptions.

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He’ll be back, but it’s uncertain what the future holds for veterans Jake Maier and McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

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“We’ve got to see,” said Dinwiddie. “I mean, who knows what the free agent market is going to look like, right? We’ve got some guys on the negotiation list, some guys we’re scouting. Mike is going to hire someone who’s going to replace Shawn Burke, and once we sit down together and put a plan together, I’ll have a better answer for you.”

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Redblacks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson speaks with members of the media during the Ottawa Redblacks’ end-of-season media availability at TD Place in Ottawa on Sunday, Oct. 25, 2026. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia

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Improvements are greatly needed in the trenches, particularly the offensive line, as well as on defence,

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“We struggled up front sometimes,” said Dinwiddie. “We’ve got to get a defensive co-ordinator in here that can give these guys some structure and opportunities to be successful. I think there are a lot of holes on defence we’ve got to fix. We had some young DBs who came in over the last month that I thought gave us a little bit of something there.

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“But yeah, we always like to build the roster from inside out. We’ve got to protect the quarterback, and then defensively, if you have a great D-line, you’re going to make the quarterback uncomfortable, and that’s what leads to the interceptions for your DBs. Makes them a little bit better. They don’t have to be the best recovery guys when you’re getting pressure on the quarterback.”