On 20 November 2022, the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a single point to claim the 109th Grey Cup and the Canadian Football League title. The win was the 18th in the Argonauts’ history, coming 5 years after their last Grey Cup triumph in 2017.
The new CFL season is fast approaching, and the Argonauts will soon be in the familiar position of defending their championship. It won’t be an easy ride for the team from Toronto, however, who were underdogs in the 109th Grey Cup despite their storied history. The Blue Bombers made it to the final game of the 2022 season after winning the previous 2 championship titles, and no team since 1980 has won 3 Grey Cups in a row. The Argonauts prevented the Bombers from writing history, but Winnipeg is hungry for more silverware, and the Blue Bombers are early favourites to go all the way in 2023.
The CFL Draft took place on 2 May, and a host of new talent will join the league this season. First pick went to the Ottawa Redblacks, who chose offensive lineman Dontae Bull. A former Fresno State Bulldog, Bull offers impressive physicality, using his remarkably long arms to take on defenders. With the second draft pick, the Edmonton Elks secured the services of Michael Brodrique, a linebacker who played at Montreal before making the jump to the CFL. The Elks struggled in 2022, finishing the season with just 8 points and last place in the West Division. Edmonton will hope that their new recruits can make the difference in 2023, and the offseason signing of free agent Geno Lewis is a big boost to the Elks’ playoff chances.
The league saw several high-profile free agent moves in the offseason, as teams looked to freshen up their rosters for the new campaign. Montreal Alouettes signed receiver Greg Ellingson, a veteran of multiple NFL teams who has also already played for 4 different CFL franchises. A number of quarterbacks also moved around the league: Trevor Harris from the Alouettes to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Cody Fajardo in the opposite direction, and Calgary Stampeders legend Bo Levi Mitchell to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
CFL preseason games get underway on 22 May, when the Stampeders host the Elks in Calgary. A few weeks later, the league will kick off competitive play on 9 June, with the Stampeders at home to the BC Lions. The next day sees the Tiger-Cats travel to Winnipeg to face the Blue Bombers, followed by the Alouettes at home to the Redblacks on 11 June. Rounding out the first week of action, the Roughriders will visit Edmonton to play the Elks on Monday 12 June.
With the 110th Grey Cup scheduled for 19 November 2023, the 9 CFL teams have everything to play for, and every fanbase will be hoping for a season to remember.