Redblacks quarterback Bryson Barnes makes CFL debut Friday against Toronto
The 25-year-old from Ohio is starting his first professional game Friday night at TD Place as Ottawa aims to end a 406-day winless drought and 22-game losing streak.
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Bryson Barnes, a 25-year-old from Milford, Ohio (population 1,451), is making his first CFL start Friday night as the Ottawa Redblacks face the Toronto Argonauts at TD Place in their home finale.
Barnes last started a game on December 22, 2025, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl for Utah State, completing 9 of 21 passes for 116 yards with one interception and one rushing touchdown in a 34-21 loss to Washington State. He arrived in Ottawa five months ago and has spent the season watching from the sidelines as the Redblacks cycled through starters.
The timing is stark: Ottawa's record stands at 0-16 this season. The Redblacks have not won since September 5, two years ago—a 34-33 victory over B.C. Lions in which Dustin Crum was the starting quarterback. The team's winless streak has reached 406 days, with a 22-game losing run and a franchise single-season loss record of 16 in 2026.
Barnes, who previously worked at his parents' farm, arrived in the nation's capital in May and was struck by the immediate culture shock. "When I first stepped off the plane at the airport here, it was cold. I was like, 'It's May. What are we doing? Why is it so cold up here?'" he said Thursday at TD Place. "Then the other part, all of a sudden people are speaking French, and I'm like, 'Man, that's all so different. It's cold up here. We're speaking French … Oh, and now this game of football, it's completely different than any type of football I've ever seen in my life.'"
Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie has resisted starting Barnes until now, but noted his competitiveness on college tape. "There are a lot of narratives that can be painted after this game of what the future might be," Barnes said. "But I think the biggest thing, and what I said to the guys today, is just go out there, take it one play at a time, regardless of what that scoreboard looks like."
The Redblacks' previous starting attempts—Jake Maier and MacLeod Bethel-Thompson—have failed to turn around the season. Dru Brown, who lost the starting job to Maier at training camp this spring, was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Redblacks' top receiver is also injured heading into Friday.
