Dru Brown is a Blue Bomber once again
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have swung a trade with the Ottawa RedBlacks that not only brings Dru Brown back to Manitoba but sends another message the club is all in for the right here and right now.
The two teams announced the deal late Tuesday afternoon with the Blue Bombers acquiring Brown and a second-round pick in the 2027 CFL Canadian Draft (previously traded to Ottawa this spring), in exchange for Winnipeg’s first round selection in 2027 and a conditional second round selection in 2028.
Just in case you needed a refresher on what Dru Brown can do 👀#ForTheW pic.twitter.com/vd3UpxflJ9
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) June 23, 2026
The Blue Bombers will have their walk-through practice Wednesday morning in advance of Thursday’s home date with the Edmonton Elks and following that head coach Mike O’Shea will be available to comment on the deal further.
In the meantime, here are 3 quick takeaways on the deal and what it means…
THE QB ROOM JUST GOT SIGNIFICANTLY DEEPER
The Blue Bombers depth chart is bolstered by the addition of Brown, who now rejoins QB1 Zach Collaros in a Winnipeg QB room that also includes Canadian rookie Taylor Elgersma and Bryce Perkins, who has extensive pro experience from his days in the NFL and UFL before he signed here.
No word yet on whether Brown will immediately be put into the lineup for Thursday — the depth chart will come out Wednesday morning — but his addition does murky the waters behind Collaros. Teams dress three quarterbacks for each game, and we’ll start to get answers soon on how the Blue Bombers manage their arm talent.
Of note, Elgersma was listed as the No. 2 QB behind Collaros for the first two games of the season, with Perkins handling the short-yardage situations perfectly in the win over Calgary and the loss to Hamilton.
WHY DID THE BLUE BOMBERS MAKE THIS DEAL?
The Blue Bombers are convinced there are still more miles on Collaros’ treads, especially after his start to this season. And while he does turn 38 in August and is working on the final year of his current contract, landing Brown takes some of the mystery out of what the organization has in its QB bullpen in terms of CFL experience.
Brown, who has a 12-14-1 record in his career as a starter, is still just 29 and there is a familiarity and enormous respect for him from his days here from 2021-23, where he was 2-1 in his starts after dressing for 38 games in Blue Bombers colours and being a member of the ’21 Grey Cup championship squad.
So, surrendering a first-round pick next year and a conditional second rounder in 2028 — while getting back the second-round selection they gave up this spring in the deal with Ottawa which allowed them to move up three spots to pick tight end Dante Daniels — seems like a reasonable exchange for the experience Brown provides behind Collaros and the possibility he could then become the starter down the road.
When Brown left before free agency two years ago — Ottawa acquired the negotiating rights to him about a month before the market opened — he did so essentially because his path to starting here was blocked by Collaros and the RedBlacks had targeted him as their starter. Granted, that landscape still exists in the short term, but with what unfolded in Ottawa for him this year and this organization’s faith in his skillset certainly must make what’s ahead much more attractive for him.
His return should also be seamless because he also has a history with offensive coordinator Tommy Condell, who was the play caller in Ottawa for Brown’s two seasons there.
WHAT HAPPENED TO BROWN IN OTTAWA?
Good question, as he went 8-6 in his first year as a starter in the capital while leading them to their first playoff berth since 2018 and then 2-7 last year in an injury-plagued season.
New Ottawa GM and head coach Ryan Dinwiddie praised Brown when he was first hired, but the RedBlacks did sign veteran Jake Maier in free agency and he was then named the starter after one preseason game this spring.
A scenario like this happens often, with a coaching/regime change bringing in new ideas and without the emotional ties to the roster they inherit, so it was telling when Brown was demoted before even taking a snap in the preseason.
Of note, the RedBlacks — who are 0-2 to start the season — added QB prospect Nicholas Vattiato on Monday while releasing Max Duggan and then on Tuesday scooped up veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who has worked with Dinwiddie in the past in Toronto.
