
Majority of CFL teams have veteran experience at QB position this season
Global News
Nick Arbuckle is expected to be the starter Friday night when the Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts visit the Montreal Alouettes.
Nick Arbuckle is again proving the importance of quarterback depth in the CFL.
Arbuckle is expected to be the starter Friday night when the Grey Cup-champion Toronto Argonauts visit the Montreal Alouettes. Incumbent Chad Kelly suffered a serious leg injury in last year’s East Division final and was only recently cleared to practise.
Kelly required surgery for a fractured tibia and fibula that occurred in Toronto’s 30-28 win over Montreal. That thrust Arbuckle into Toronto’s starting lineup for its Grey Cup showdown with Winnipeg and the veteran responded by earning MVP honours after passing for 252 yards and two TDs in the Argos’ 41-24 victory.
Kelly, the CFL’s 2023 outstanding player, missed Toronto’s entire pre-season and first nine regular-season games last year after being suspended by the league for violating its gender-based violence policy.
Toronto went 5-4 before Kelly was reinstated with Cameron Dukes (4-4) and Arbuckle (1-0) under centre. Dukes was among the Argos’ final cuts last weekend.
Kelly has a stellar 20-5 record as a CFL starter, while Arbuckle has also made 25 career starts (10-15).
But this development further illustrates the importance of quarterback depth for CFL teams. And it’s a lesson many have taken to heart, as eight of the nine clubs have experienced backups on their roster.
On Friday night, Davis Alexander will begin his first full season as Montreal’s starter. But backing him up will be veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion with Toronto (2017, ’22) who started last season with Edmonton.













