Veteran Maier leads Ottawa in opener versus Elks - BERITAJA

The Jake Maier era successful Ottawa originates Saturday night.

Maier will commencement astatine backmost erstwhile the Ottawa Redblacks big the Edmonton Elks successful the CFL play opener for some teams. Maier came to the Canadian superior this off-season arsenic a free supplier aft spending 2025 backing up seasoned Trevor Harris pinch the Grey Cup-champion Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Dru Brown had been Ottawa’s starter the past 2 seasons. He guided the Redblacks (9-8-1) to a playoff berth successful 2024 — they mislaid 58-38 to Toronto successful the East semifinal — but was constricted to 11 starts past play arsenic the nine posted a CFL-worst 4-14 record.

Maier made 45 starts complete 4 seasons pinch Calgary (2021-24) and 2 much past twelvemonth pinch Saskatchewan. In 2023, he threw for a career-high 4,244 yards earlier registering 22 touchdown passes the pursuing season, different career-best.

Ryan Dinwiddie will besides make his regular-season debut pinch Ottawa. He joined the Redblacks arsenic their caput coach and wide head pursuing 5 seasons arsenic the Toronto Argonauts caput coach.

Dinwiddie posted a 51-35 grounds pinch Toronto, starring the Argos into the playoffs 4 times. They won Grey Cups successful 2022 and ’24 and Dinwiddie was besides named the CFL’s coach of the twelvemonth successful 2023.

Edmonton will besides beryllium looking to erase the representation of a bitter ’25 season. The Elks (7-11) vanished past successful the West Division and missed the CFL playoffs successful Mark Kilam’s first twelvemonth arsenic caput coach.

Edmonton hasn’t been to the playoffs since 2019 erstwhile it was an East Division crossover squad.

Cody Fajardo will get the commencement astatine backmost for Edmonton and person a dual threat successful Justin Rankin. The five-foot-10, 210-pound moving backmost ran for 1,013 yards (5.3-yard average) and 9 TDs past play while adding 56 catches for 713 yards and 4 touchdowns.

But Fajardo was sacked a CFL-high 40 times past play contempt taking complete arsenic the starter the eighth week of the ’25 season. To that end, Edmonton GM Ed Hervey looked to bolster the violative statement pinch the additions of Canadian Coulter Woodmansey arsenic good arsenic Americans Brendan Bordner and Jordan Murray.

Edmonton swept the play bid pinch Ottawa past twelvemonth 2-0 but hasn’t won a play opener since 2019. Fajardo comes successful pinch a 9-1 grounds versus the Redblacks while Maier is 3-3 against the Elks.

Pick: Ottawa.

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Montreal Alouettes vs. Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Thursday night)

At Hamilton, it’s a rematch of past year’s East Division final, which Montreal won 19-16. Quarterback Davis Alexander puts his unbeaten regular-season grounds arsenic a CFL starter (11-0) connected the line. He threw for 210 yards and a TD and ran for a team-high 64 yards successful the East final. With the off-season departure of American Darnell Sankey, Canadian Geoffrey Cantin-Arku starts astatine mediate linebacker for Montreal. Bo Levi Mitchell, past year’s CFL passing leader and East Division outstanding player, originates his 14th CFL play and 4th pinch the Ticats. But mediate linebacker Wynton McManis, signed successful the off-season pursuing 4 seasons pinch Toronto, won’t play owed to a knee injury. Ditto for receiver Shemar Bridges (groin) though seasoned Kenny Lawler will anchor a beautiful coagulated receiving corps for the location side.

Montreal is 7-3 versus Hamilton since 2022 but the Ticats swept past year’s play bid 2-0. The Alouettes person besides won their past 3 play openers while the Ticats haven’t started a run connected a winning statement since 2018.

Pick: Hamilton.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers vs. Calgary Stampeders (Friday night)

At Calgary, the Stampeders’ return to the CFL playoffs past play was aided by their 3-0 grounds versus Winnipeg. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw for 4,247 yards pinch 21 TDs and 14 interceptions successful 2025. The crushed crippled was paramount to Calgary’s occurrence arsenic it led the CFL successful rushing (126.7 yards per game), anchored by league-leader Dedrick Mills (1,409 yards, 5.6-yard average, 11 TDs).

Winnipeg backmost Zach Collaros, 37, originates his 14th CFL play needing conscionable 17 passing yards to scope 36,000 for his career. Canadian receiver Nic Demski needs 1 much drawback to scope 500 for his profession while different 100-yard rushing capacity by Winnipeg autochthonal Brady Oliveira will necktie him pinch Jon Cornish for second-most by a Canadian (22) down Andrew Harris (29).

Pick: Calgary.

This study by BERITAJA was first published June 3, 2026.