A week before the start of the CFL regular season, the Ottawa REDBLACKS dropped what could be looked at as a quarterback bombshell on Thursday.
Jake Maier will be the team’s starting QB – not just for Friday night’s pre-season home game against the Montreal Alouettes, but also in Ottawa’s season-opener next week against Edmonton.
Surprising? Yep. It’s not like Maier doesn’t have the CFL resume, but, when healthy, Dru Brown has been the team’s starting quarterback for the past two years.
The depth chart for Friday’s game listed Maier as the starter. Then, following a walkthrough, REDBLACKS head coach Ryan Dinwiddie made it official, not waiting until next week to make the announcement.
“Jake’s going to be our starter moving forward,” said Dinwiddie. “We feel like he’s the starting quarterback, so let’s not wait to announce it.”
A week ago, with Brown out of the lineup, Maier completed 10-of-14 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns against the Alouettes. That, along with what they observed during the past couple of weeks in training camp, was enough to convince the decision-makers to give him a shot at the No. 1 role.
“Jake’s had a good camp,” said Dinwiddie. “He solidified it a bit last week, I thought he played well against Montreal’s (first) unit. He’s throwing the football well, and he’s moving better than he has in the past. He did a great job this off-season training. We feel like we need to get him more reps with the ones.”
“It means a lot,” said Maier, who spent four years with the Calgary Stampeders (2021-24), with 4,244 passing yards in 2023. “I’m super grateful for (Dinwiddie’s) trust. When it comes to starting any football game for a team up here, it’s a great honour, you can’t take it lightly … ever.”
“I feel like I was ready (for camp) when I showed up. When you go out there, you just try and let it all hang loose, play fast and not worry about anything. People play better when they’re freed up, and I’ve felt freed up the past 20 days or so.”
Asked about the camp competition with Brown, Maier said: “It’s totally healthy. We’re kind of attached at the hip, not just in meeting rooms or at practice, but off the field as well. We get coffee together, we eat meals together, and he’s invited me over to his house. It’s been really positive. He’s one of the good guys in this league.”
Maier, who was the backup to Trevor Harris on last year’s Grey Cup-champion Saskatchewan Roughriders, said the REDBLACKS made no promises when he agreed to join them as a free agent three months ago.
After being dealt to the REDBLACKS by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prior to the 2024 season, Brown put up 3,959 yards in passing. With injuries limiting him to 11 games last season, he had 2,389 yards.
When told earlier this week he would be the backup, Brown, unsurprisingly, wasn’t happy. Nor should he be expected to be. But when talking to media members Thursday, he played the role of good teammate.
“Jake’s a great player, I feel the same about myself,” Brown said. “You leave it up to the head man to decide. I’ve had (this happen) in my career, even going back to college. I’m still confident in myself. It really doesn’t matter what I think; I don’t make the decision. We just get on board.”
“I’m happy for Jake; he’s been through a lot in this league. I’ve got a lot of respect for people who have been dragged through the mud. My initial reaction was that I was happy for Jake. Then, all the other emotions came. The decision doesn’t change my relationship with Jake. I really enjoy working with him. I’d rather this be more about praising him.”
Telling Brown he wasn’t going to start was a difficult conversation for Dinwiddie.
“It’s tough,” he said. “It’s never easy to make that decision, and it’s never easy to hear the decision. It’s unfortunate. At the quarterback position, only one guy plays. I’ve been there before; it’s not a good feeling because now you’re waiting for an injury or a bad performance to get on the field. He took it pretty well. He was obviously disappointed, just as anybody should be.”
Asked what went into the decision in choosing Maier, Dinwiddie said: “Getting through progressions, arm strength. I thought Jake was driving the football. He can deliver a few more concepts for us, a few more throws. He’s got great leadership, he’s confident, and he commands the huddle.”
Having proven depth at quarterback has the potential to turn what’s been a rollercoaster ride at the position for the REDBLACKS the past few years into a strength.
“I wanted to make sure we had two quality quarterbacks,” said Dinwiddie. “Injuries happen in this league, obviously, it’s happened a lot in this organization the past five or six years. With Dru going down last year, that influenced the outcome of the season. We wanted to make sure that wasn’t going to happen here.”
“We have two good quarterbacks. It’s something you have to manage, but it’s a good problem for us. If one guy happens to go down, you have another guy ready to step in.”
