Why do the Ottawa Redblacks expect to be much-improved for the 2026 CFL season?

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How does this camp differentiate from others for Dinwiddie?

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It “kind of” reminds him of his first year in Toronto, which was also the first of a run of four straight division-final appearances for the Argos, including two Grey Cup victories.

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“Obviously, I’m more experienced as a head coach (now), but it’s my first time here, so you want to establish your culture early,” said Dinwiddie. “I think just hearing from the guys, they’ve noticed the difference already. I can feel the difference with these guys. They’re bought in, they’re locked in, and following our culture and our models. We’ve got to have a process-driven mindset, and that’s each day in everything we do. Everything matters.”

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Where are some of the more interesting training camp battles?

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It’s a little too early to say for sure.

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Dru Brown is the No. 1 quarterback, and he’ll be pushed by Jake Maier, a former starter in Calgary and Saskatchewan whose style is closer to Brown’s than was Dustin Crum, the former Ottawa backup.

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The incumbents at the receiver positions include Americans Justin Hardy, Geno Lewis and Kalil Pimpleton, with high hopes for the progression of former Canadian top-round picks Keelan White and Nick Mardner, who missed all of last season with a knee injury.

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Returning along the offensive line is tackle Dino Boyd, and the Redblacks will give strong consideration to starting a second American tackle in Martez Ivey, who was with Dinwiddie in Toronto before starring the last three seasons in Edmonton.

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The Canadian returnees along the O-line include veterans Drew Desjarlais and Zack Pelehos, with Sam Carson and first overall pick Gio Vaccaro among the proteges.

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With centre Peter Godber announcing his retirement before camp, the Redblacks signed Sean McEwen, another former Argo who also starred in Calgary before suffering a season-ending knee injury last year in Saskatchewan.

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Carson could hold the centre spot until McEwen is ready for full employment.

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“I just think they’re motivated … I think they’ve got a chip on their shoulder too,” Dinwiddie said of the offensive linemen. “So I challenge those guys. We’ve got to be more of a physical group. We feel good with that O-line. We’ve still got to push and continue to get better, but I feel like that position group really improved.”

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There’s a lot of promise on the defensive line, where there will be a continued battle for playing time, and the new linebacking core should be a strength, led by the addition of Canadian star A.J. Allen and Americans Nyles Morgan and C.J Reavis.

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As is the case with most teams, there could be a revolving door to the secondary, but Dinwiddie also likes what he sees from the last line of defence.

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“I think we’ve got a lot of depth to the secondary,” he said. “I feel good about the guys we brought back, but then we’ve got some young rookies going there. I think we really helped fix some of the back-end problems.

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“Across the board, we’ve improved, so we’re going to see how this all plays out.”

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What does the camp schedule look like?

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The upcoming schedule includes practices that are open to the public at TD Place on Tuesday (8:30 a.m.-11:55 a.m.), Wednesday (8:30 a.m.-11:45 a.m.) and Thursday (8:30 a.m.-noon) before a Fan-Fest controlled scrimmage on Saturday from 1-4 p.m.

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The Redblacks’ pre-season schedule begins with a game in Montreal on Friday, May 22, and concludes at home against the Alouettes on Friday, May 29.

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Ottawa opens its regular season at TD Place on Saturday, June 6, against Edmonton.

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