The Toronto Argonauts’ victory over the Edmonton Elks on Friday night has added another fascinating wrinkle to their already complex quarterback situation.
Nick Arbuckle completed 21-of-31 passes for 261 yards, two touchdowns, and four interceptions in the come-from-behind win, but was unable to finish after sustaining a calf injury in the fourth quarter. The CFL’s leading passer through Week 15 attempted to play through the pain, but was unable to move properly and found himself watching for the final drives.
“The last play he had was the one pick. We were trying to run a fake screen, thought we had it, but he just couldn’t move off the dot,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie explained, indicating that Arbuckle wanted to stay in and operate the quick passing game.
“He just couldn’t move well enough to get it done for us. I didn’t feel like we were handling the rush as well. Nick had to climb the pocket a few times. I just felt like, if he can’t move, we feel like Jarret (Doege) can go in there and win us the ball game too.”
The Argonauts were already dealing with a quarterback controversy prior to Arbuckle’s injury. Franchise pivot Chad Kelly, who has not played since suffering a broken leg in last year’s East Final, was a limited participant in practice last week and had released a teaser video on social media during the team’s bye week indicating that he would be making his return against Edmonton.
Toronto’s brass clearly felt differently, as Kelly was left off the roster entirely for the game against the Elks. The 31-year-old posted a mea culpa on his Instagram account on Friday night, stating that he was not yet 100 percent and crediting “incredible support from the front office, MLSE, and medical staff” for his continued recovery. He also stated that he “could not be more excited about the way our guys have been playing and the leadership of
our coaching staff.”
While an injury to Arbuckle might seem like a perfect opportunity to re-insert Kelly, Dinwiddie was clear that his hand won’t be forced.
“I don’t think (the thought process) has really changed. Just because Nick’s going down, we don’t rush Chad back — that’s not how we operate,” he insisted. “We’ll look at it, and collectively, look at what we should do and make the right decision. We can’t put Chad in harm’s way when he’s not ready. The other guys have got to get ready to go. We’ll make that decision tomorrow — obviously, it’ll probably take a few days. We’ll get the head start on it tomorrow.”
Prior to this week, Arbuckle was the only Argonauts’ QB to throw a pass on the season, amassing 4,089 yards, 25 touchdowns, and 14 interceptions. Jarret Doege stepped in for the final minutes against the Green and Gold, going three-of-six for 35 yards while setting up Lirim Hajrullahu for a 48-yard game-winner.
The 27-year-old, who joined Toronto late in training camp after being cut by Edmonton, was listed as the third-stringer on the depth chart, but got the call over rookie Tucker Horn when the chips were down. It now appears that there is a realistic chance that Doege will start next week, unless Arbuckle or Kelly see a marked improvement in their mobility.
“He’s been in the CFL for a few years, and we trust him. At that stage of the game, I said, look, we’ll just move to our base plays and we’ll throw one more football. We started off the drive with a play he felt comfortable with and found a completion,” Dinwiddie said. “The throw he made to Makai on third down on our sideline; that is a big time throw, man. I’m happy for him. Other than the go ball on his first play — I thought he manufactured that a little bit, tried a being a hero too early — he played well.”
Doege does have one CFL start under his belt, which came in his rookie year with the Elks in 2023. He went 42-of-65 for 587 yards, four touchdowns, and four interception in limited action that season, but only dressed for four games and completed one pass during his second campaign in 2024. Even so, he was a coveted prospect in Dinwiddie’s eyes.
“He’s an athletic kid, and I’ve always liked him from afar. I obviously scouted his brother (former Saskatchewan QB Seth Doege) and scouted him, so when he came free, I wanted him in the building. He came in the preseason game, the first time he got some play time, and played well, and that’s one of the reasons why we kept him on the roster,” Dinwiddie said.
“We felt like him and Nick could help us win. Outside of Chad, the other young guys are growing, but he came in and felt confident. Kid works his butt off. He’s here in the mornings when I get here, and he’s here at night, leaving when I leave. You gotta be like that at the quarterback position. We give him a heavy volume as far as understanding protections, and hots, and those things. It’s not an easy offence to operate in, but if you can, it gives you a chance to be very successful.”
The Toronto Argonauts (5-8) won’t have long to make their quarterback decision, as they return to action on Friday, September 19, when the Montreal Alouettes (6-7) come to town.
J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league's Global initiative.
