Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Dru Brown (4) hands off to Brady Oliveira (20) during first half CFL football action against the B.C. Lions in Winnipeg on Thursday, July 30, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods

WINNIPEG — Stanley Bryant doesn't expect any drop-off when backup quarterback Dru Brown takes hold of the controls on Friday.

Brown is replacing injured Winnipeg Blue Bombers starter Zach Collaros in the home game against the Toronto Argonauts.

It's the fifth start for Brown since he was acquired in a trade with the Ottawa Redblacks in late June.

“I don't think it'll be a big difference,” Bryant, the team's veteran left tackle, said after Thursday's walk-through practice.

"Mentally those guys are, I don't want to say the word killers, but they have the same mentality. They want to go out there and win and have the big plays. It'll be good to have him out there."

Collaros suffered a head injury in a Sept. 12 win over Saskatchewan. The 38-year-old threw an interception and then fell while trying to force the Roughriders' defender out of bounds along the sidelines.

He also missed four consecutive games this season with a neck injury. Brown went 2-2 in relief, throwing for 1,148 yards with five touchdowns and five interceptions.

Brown said he thought there was a chance heading into the team's bye last week that he'd be returning as the starter against the Argonauts, but he still used the downtime to recharge.

“I always try to be prepared if the team needs me,” he said. “I think a bye is where you can kind of handle things body-wise and mentally kind of get away a little bit.”

Brown will be backed up by Bryce Perkins. Canadian Taylor Elgersma is listed third on the depth chart.

Blue Bombers running back Brady Oliveira is looking forward to having Brown in the huddle.

“He's had an amazing week of prep and usually that translates to game day,” Oliveira said. “So I'm really excited for him, and for him to command the offence, and hopefully we can go out there and score a lot of points.”

Toronto (8-6) has won three straight and its defence leads the CFL with 33 sacks, including nine consecutive games with two or more. Winnipeg is tied with the Calgary Stampeders in allowing a league-high 32 sacks.

The Argonauts are coming off a 24-19 victory over West Division-leading Edmonton Elks last weekend, thanks to defensive back Tarvarus McFadden’s interception with 19 seconds left in the game that snuffed out an Elks comeback attempt. McFadden is out this week with a hand injury.

Toronto clinched a home playoff berth with the win, which featured some dubious numbers.

The Argos won despite possessing the ball for only 21:15, running 37 fewer offensive plays, only converting six second downs and rushing for a paltry minus-one yard.

The only other team in the past 60 years that’s rushed for negative yards and still won the game was the Birmingham Barracudas in 1995 (minus-two yards).

Toronto’s defence was a bright light in the Edmonton game. Linebacker Adarius Pickett registered a season-high 13 defensive tackles (tying his career high) and added one sack and one pass knockdown. It earned him a spot among the league’s top three players of the week.

Argos quarterback Chad Kelly is not afraid to sling the ball, putting up a league-best 4,777 passing yards. He also has the most touchdowns (31) and interceptions (22).

Winnipeg rookie cornerback Major Williams has one pick this year and is eager to see what Kelly dishes out.

“Chad tends to break the pocket and extend plays with his legs and throws up balls to give his guys a great opportunity for the ball,” Williams said. “I think a lot of those are 50-50, so they can go both ways.”

Winnipeg needs to get on a roll to secure a playoff spot in the tight West Division.

The Bombers (7-6) are in fourth place behind the Elks (10-4) and Saskatchewan (8-5). They're tied with the B.C. Lions (7-6) and barely ahead of Calgary (6-8). The Lions host the Riders in the late Friday game.

While the players are focused on Toronto, Oliveira said the Bombers control their own destiny and could finish anywhere from first to last.

“We've got to really focus on your daily work and then put that into work on game day and then let the chips fall where they may,” he said. “The West is crazy right now, that's for sure.”?

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 24, 2026.

News from © The Canadian Press, 2026