2020 Ottawa Redblacks season


The 2020 Ottawa Redblacks season is scheduled to be the seventh season for the team in the Canadian Football League. The Redblacks will attempt to qualify for the playoffs following last year's absence and improve upon their league-worst record.
The team will attempt to win the second Grey Cup in franchise history and 11th in professional Ottawa football history. This would be the first season for Paul LaPolice as the team's head coach and the seventh season with Marcel Desjardins as general manager.
Training camps, pre-season games, and regular season games have been postponed due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The CFL announced on April 7, 2020 that the start of the 2020 season would not occur before July 2020. On May 20, 2020, it was announced that the league would likely not begin regular season play prior to September 2020.

Offseason

Personnel changes

Three days following the conclusion of the 2019 season, on November 4, 2019, Rick Campbell announced that he was stepping down as head coach of the Redblacks. In a press conference, Campbell explained that he had become disappointed that several former players left the team feeling underappreciated and dejected and that he had a strained relationship with the team's general manager, Marcel Desjardins. Campbell left the Redblacks with a record over six seasons with one Grey Cup championship in three appearances. He had one year remaining on his contract that OSEG agreed to pay out over five years.
On December 7, 2019, it was announced that Paul LaPolice had agreed to a three-year contract to become the head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks. He was most recently the offensive coordinator for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from 2016 to 2019, including the 107th Grey Cup championship. He has also served as head coach of the Blue Bombers from 2010 to 2012 while compiling a record.

CFL National Draft

The 2020 CFL National Draft took place on April 30, 2020. By virtue of recording the worst record in the league in 2019, the Redblacks had the first selection in each round, not including traded picks. After trading for the rights to Nick Arbuckle and re-signing him, the Redblacks swapped first-round picks with the Calgary Stampeders and also sent them a third-round pick. The team also gained a territorial selection after finishing in the bottom two of the previous year's standings.
RoundPickPlayerPositionSchoolHometown
16Adam AuclairDBLavalQuebec City, QC
210Michael HoechtDLBrownOakville, ON
2Dan BasambomboLBLavalOttawa, ON
429Jakub SzottOLMcMasterToronto, ON
538Terrance Abrahams-WebsterDBCalgaryPickering, ON
647Brad CowanLBWilfrid LaurierAshton, ON
756Reshaan DavisDLOttawaOshawa, ON
865Kétel AsséOLLavalQuebec City, QC

CFL Global Draft

The 2020 CFL Global Draft was scheduled to take place on April 16, 2020. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this draft and its accompanying combine were postponed to occur just before the start of training camp, which was also postponed. The Redblacks will select first in each round with the number of rounds still to be announced.

Preseason

Schedule

Regular season

Standings

Schedule

The Redblacks planned on hosting a number of themed home games during the season, one of which was scheduled to feature the unveiling of new red alternate jerseys July 24, 2020.

Team

Roster

Coaching staff