One Item on Every CFL Team’s Wishlist

Christmas is coming up. The season of giving and family brings cheer and goodwill to all who celebrate. CFL teams should start making their wish lists for football Santa to bring them. Here’s one item on every CFL team’s wish list.

BC LIONS: HEALTHY QUARTERBACK

The BC Lions were challengers for first in the west all season, so imagine how far they could have gone if Vernon Adams Jr. stayed healthy for the whole season. Unfortunately, injuries plagued the stud quarterback the entire 2023 season. If he is healthy all year next year, the Lions have a genuine shot at winning that Grey Cup.

EDMONTON ELKS: TRE FORD STARTING

The saviour of the Elks last season, Tre Ford stepped in and started winning. He took over for Taylor Cornelius and got the Elks their first win at home in YEARS. They started to be in contention with the Argos, almost winning their game at home against them. If the Elks want to be relevant again, they need Tre Ford to command that offence.

CALGARY STAMPEDERS: HEALTHY RECEIVERS

2023 saw most Stamps receivers go down with injury. They had basically none of their starters, save Reggie Begelton, playing in their games. The Stamps would want some receivers for Jake Maier to work with, as they had one of the most injury prone offences in the league.

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS: CULTURE CHANGE

The Riders have had a culture problem for a while now, and it’s no secret. But with the new hiring of Corey Mace, things are looking up for the locker room. If Mace hires the right guys, we could see a huge change in Sasky and get the franchise back to where they should be.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS: PLAYERS STAYING

The Bombers are the oldest team in the CFL. “Some guys are leaning towards retirement” in the words of head coach Mike O’Shea. If they can keep those guys around for at least one more season, they can for sure get back to the Grey Cup. They just need their vets to stay.

HAMILTON TIGER-CATS: BO-LEVI

The Ticats had a decent-ish year in 2023. Bo-Levi Mitchell didn’t commit in the way people thought he would, however. He was never healthy throughout the season, and was benched in the Eastern Semi-Final. He and new head coach Scott Milanovich have had disagreements in the past, but hopefully he will stay in The Hammer and improve the Ticats offence.

TORONTO ARGONAUTS: COACHES

The Argos have everything to be a championship team. An absolutely star studded offence lead by Chad Kelly, huge names on defence, and the top special teams player in the league. Now, all they need to do is find coaches for them. With Corey Mace leaving to Saskatchewan and rumours of Josh Bell following him, the Argos are going to have to find new coaches to take this team back to the Grey Cup.

OTTAWA REDBLACKS: THE CRUMINATOR

Dustin Crum got thrown into the spotlight last year and all things considered, he did alright for his first year as a starter. But he definitely has potential. The Redblacks need to figure out how to make Dustin Crum a real starter in this league, and Tommy Condell may be the man to do it.

MONTREAL ALOUETTES: STAY AT THE TOP

The Als are Grey Cup champions, which makes them the biggest target in the league. As we saw in the regular season, they’re good, but they can be beaten. The only task for Montreal is to stay at the top and try and repeat the Cinderella Story from last year. 

By Bruce Chimirri-Olson