Eugene Lewis will resume his quest to land in the CFL record book.
Lewis and the Ottawa Redblacks open the 2025 campaign Thursday night, visiting the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Lewis, 32, joined Ottawa in free agency following two seasons with the Edmonton Elks.
The six-foot, 200-pound Lewis finished 2024 on quite a roll. The three-time CFL all-star had TD catches in Edmonton's final eight regular-season contests, breaking the club record of seven and tying the franchise mark for consecutive games with any type of touchdown.
Lewis needs touchdown catches in Ottawa's first two games to tie Hall of Famer Terry Evanshen’s CFL mark for consecutive matches with a TD grab (10).
The former Penn State star has recorded 398 catches for 6,261 yards and 41 TDs in 97 regular-season contests. He was the East Division's outstanding player in 2022 after recording 91 receptions for 1,303 yards and 10 TDs with Montreal.
Lewis won't be the only CFL player worth watching this season. Others include:
— Edmonton defensive linemen Jake Ceresna and Robbie Smith, who helped Toronto earn a CFL-best 48 sacks last season. Ceresna and Argos teammate Ralph Holley both had eight sacks to finish in a five-way tie for the league lead while Smith, of Brampton, Ont., recorded six for the Grey Cup champions.
— Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira. The five-foot-11, 222-pound Oliveira was the league's top Canadian and outstanding player last season after claiming a second straight CFL rushing title (1,353 yards). The Winnipeg native also led in yards from scrimmage (1,829) for a second consecutive season.
— Montreal linebackers Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey. Beverette was the East Division's top defensive player with a CFL-high 137 defensive plays — including 102 tackles — and second overall in tackles for a loss (eight) while adding five sacks, four forced fumbles and two interceptions. Sankey recorded 107 tackles with a sack and an interception.
— Ottawa linebacker Adarius Pickett. The 28-year-old was an East Division all-star despite playing only 13 games in 2024 before suffering a season-ending ruptured Achilles tendon. Pickett had 52 tackles, 14 special-teams tackles, a sack, an interception and a forced fumble.
— Edmonton Elks linebacker Nick Anderson. The five-foot-11, 242-pound Anderson was the CFL's top rookie last season after finishing tied with teammate Nyles Morgan for most defensive tackles (111). He was also second in total tackles (116) and defensive plays (130).
— Roland Milligan Jr., Saskatchewan Roughriders. The five-foot-11, 200-pound defensive back was the league's top defensive player after leading the CFL in interceptions and defensive takeaways (both eight) and registering 111 defensive plays (fifth overall). He was also third in special-teams tackles (20) and helped the Riders rank first in forced turnovers (49), forced fumbles (17) and fumble recoveries (14) and second in interceptions (24).
— Folarin Orimolade, Calgary Stampeders. After helping Toronto win a second Grey Cup in three seasons, Orimolade was dealt back to Calgary, where he began his CFL career in 2018, for Canadian linebacker Cam Judge. Orimolade, who earned a Grey Cup ring in 2018 with the Stamps, had 17 tackles, six sacks, one interception and a forced fumble last season.
— Judge, a Montreal native, begins his second stint in Toronto, playing there in 2022 before being traded to Calgary. Judge joins veteran Wynton McManis to solidify the Argos' linebacking corps. Judge had 73 tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble in 18 regular-season contests last season with the Stampeders.
— Mathieu Betts, B.C. Lions. The veteran defensive end was the CFL's top defensive player in 2023 with 18 sacks _ the most by a Canadian. He rejoined the Lions last season after being released by the NFL's Detroit Lions and had two sacks in seven regular-season games. A full '25 campaign should help the 30-year-old Montreal native regain his '23 form.
— Greg Bell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats. After platooning last season with veteran James Butler, the six-foot, 200-pound Bell has the starting job in 2025, as Butler was released in January and re-signed with B.C. Bell ran for a team-high 625 yards (6.6-yard average) and six TDs in just eight games last season and added 29 catches for 230 yards and a touchdown.
— William Stanback, Ottawa. The veteran running back joined the Redblacks after rushing for 1,175 yards (5.1-yard average) and three TDs last season with B.C. It was the 30-year-old's first 1,000-yard campaign since posting a career-high 1,176 yards with Montreal in 2021. Ottawa was last overall in CFL rushing last season (83.7 yards per game).
— Janarion Grant, Toronto Argonauts. Grant led the CFL in punt return yards (989), average (14.8 yards), and touchdowns (three) en route to being named its top special-teams player. Grant was also second in kick-return average (24.4) and fourth in kick return yards (1,000) while recording a 103-yard TD return.
— Joe Maltos, Montreal. The Mexican-born Maltos opens the season as the club's starting kicker with the off-season retirement of Canadian David Cote. Maltos made 33-of-36 field goals (91.7 per cent) over 14 regular-season games in 2024 in place of the injured Cote. At one point, he made 20 consecutive field goals while also handling kickoffs (45 for 2,880 yards) to earn a two-year extension.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 3, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
