Riderville - Greg Urbanoski (Image Credit: Greg Urbanoski)

By Greg Urbanoski

Riderville

CFL Misses Marketing Opportunities at CFL Combine

Mar 31, 2026 | 10:04 AM

The views and opinions expressed in this editorial are those of the writer’s and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of Pattison Media.

The CFL Combine has closed its doors in Edmonton but judging from the coverage, who would have known they were ever open?

The Combine was in Regina last year and season ticket holders had a chance to nab tickets for one, two or all three days. At the end of the final session, they handed out surplus media guides which collecting them, I really appreciated.

I think there was streaming and this year I was looking forward to the one-on-one drills which are the second most important part of the combine lagging behind the player interviews. The problem was, where was the streaming?

The CFL Board of Governors, at the mercy of Maple Leaf Entertainment and Sports, wants higher franchise valuations but is not willing to spend the money on developing a fan base for their investments. Their investment in Genuis Sports has resulted in the laughable stats page on league and team sites, but since Genius provides information for gamblers, and pays the CFL for it, who needs a stats page.

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The NFL never passes up an opportunity to sell its brand. Free agency, NFL Combine, NFL Draft are blown up to Jerry Bruckenheimer proportions and it sells. The CFL used to stream its combine, now it might put out stats after the fact.

I can’t get why the CFL refuses to promote future stars. The CFL Combine might have better athletes, but the NFL Combine is inferior to the CFL Combine due to the one on one drills. Potential NFL athletes will not like want to risk their futures on injury, but how fast an athlete may test gives no idea of what kind of football player they will be. Seeing how they compete in one on one drills is much more enlightening and makes for better television.

The real test of the combine comes in the interviews between players and teams where teams get a sense of how this athlete may fit into their locker room or the athlete can sense whether the team talking to him will give him potential to develop and a realistic chance to win a championship.

The first CFL Combine I saw was held in conjunction with a promotional event known as CFL week. I remember seeing Johnny Augustine who was solidly built, blocked well and made good runs. I was hoping the Riders might have noted him as well and I was surprised when Augustine was not picked up in the first or second rounds.

I later heard his interview turned people off and Augustine went from Calgary to Winnipeg to Hamilton. He has run well when given the opportunity and he seems to block well, but something happened.

So I tried to go off the CFL stats page but the numbers I got didn’t make a lot of sense. With the CFL Combine now past, the NFL soon to be upon us and CFL teams will be tracking Canadians drafted and by whom and maybe taking a flier on them in later rounds, then the CFL Draft, teams are approaching in theory the maximum amount of players on their roster until they start cutting down in training camp.

I started with the Riders and on their listed roster there are 88 players with 18 defensive linemen, 9 linebackers, 17 defensive backs, 13 offensive linemen, five quarterbacks, seven running/fullbacks, 15 wide receivers, two punters, two kickers and no listed long snappers.

I was looking to see which position groups had the highest numbers of players. The 18 defensive linemen, both interior and defensive end or edge rushers makes sense because the Riders like to rotate their defensive linemen to give different looks and keep players fresh.

The linebackers follow the same thinking except their numbers are less because there are usually three linebackers compared to four defensive linemen. The Riders appear pretty sure of how their linebacking corps will line up heading into the 2026 season.

The 17 defensive backs makes sense considering the Riders are looking at various ratios with Canadian and American players and are looking for backups, especially with cornerback Tevaughn Campbell. 

The 13 offensive linemen seems to indicate to me the Riders are pretty set with their offensive linemen, are looking for back-ups or seeing if their back-ups are ready to step forward. The five quarterbacks make sense with Trevor Harris being 1A and the Riders looking to see who will step up to take the backup spot.

The seven running backs indicates the Riders are looking to get their fullback blocking in place and may be looking to provide some contrast with AJ Ouellette. Ouellette did not get much a nibble in free agency and will likely want to demonstrate he still has it, but at 31, running backs with a physical running style tend to break down and the Riders remember 2014 when the Riders went to Stony Mountain and lost quarterback Darian Duran to injury on a play that should never have been happened.

The BC Lions list 89 players on their roster including 15 defensive linemen, 10 linebackers, 21 defensive backs, 15 offensive linemen, four quarterbacks, seven running/full backs, 13 wide receivers, one punter, two kickers and one long snapper. 

Edmonton listed 76 players with 15 defensive linemen, six linebackers, 16 defensive backs, 10 offensive linemen, four quarterbacks, six running backs, 16 wide receivers, one punter, one kicker, one long snapper.

Calgary has 89 players listed with 22 defensive linemen, eight linebackers, 17 defensive backs. 13 offensive linemen, four quarter backs four running backs, one punter, two kickers and two long snappers.

The Bombers have 93 players listed with 13 defensive linemen, 14 linebackers, 22 defensive backs, 18 offensive linemen, four quarterbacks, four running backs, two kickers and one long snapper.

So far everyone seems on be on the same page. 

Hamilton by comparison lists 66 players with 16 defensive linemen, five linebackers, 11 defensive backs, 10 offensive linemen, three quarterbacks, four running/full backs, 14 wide receivers, one punter, one kicker, one long snapper. Hamilton is either not filing paperwork or else they are happy with what they have.

Toronto by comparison lists 95 players with 14 defensive linemen, 12 linebackers, 15 offensive linemen, five quarterbacks, six running backs, 19 wide receivers, two punters, two kickers, one long snapper.

Ottawa lists 66 players with 11 defensive linemen, eight linebackers, 16 defensive backs, 10 offensive linemen, four quarterbacks, four running backs, 10 wide receivers, one punter, one kicker, one long snapper.

Montreal lists 53 players with seven defensive linemen, six linebackers, eight defensive backs, nine offensive linemen, three quarterbacks, four running backs, one punter, one kicker, one long snapper.

The number of players signed with eastern teams seems on the low side and part of it may well be teams are slow to announce the signings, or in filing contracts with the league and the league may be slow in that regard. 

The CFL Combine is one way of marketing future stars in the league and helping young players making their way to draft status. Letting potential players see what they might have to do physically can only help to improve or inspire them. 

Maybe there was streaming, maybe there is just a highlight package. The CFL used to be an imaginative place and its best marketing campaign was the Radically Canadian venture. 

The CFL used to be imaginative because while they did not have the marketing muscle of the NFL, they countered it with creativity and looking after fans and helping to develop future fans.

We can do better.