’24 Grey Cup MVP Arbuckle in competition for Argos backup job

Toronto Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle (4) lifts the Grey Cup after defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in CFL football action at the 111th Grey Cup in Vancouver on Sunday, November 17, 2024. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Nathan Denette

GUELPH — Being the Grey Cup MVP has earned Nick Arbuckle the chance to compete for his job with the Toronto Argonauts.

Like all CFL teams, Toronto opened its training camp Sunday. Afterwards, head coach Ryan Dinwiddie declared the backup job behind incumbent Chad Kelly will be an open competition between Arbuckle and third-year pro Cameron Dukes.

That’s somewhat surprising given Toronto looked to Arbuckle to start in the Grey Cup after Kelly suffered a broken ankle in its 30-28 East Division final win over the Montreal Alouettes. The six-foot-one, 213-pound Arbuckle threw for 252 yards and two TDs to lead the Argos past Winnipeg 41-24, securing MVP honours in his first-ever CFL championship appearance.

It was a heady ending to a season that Arbuckle began by exploring his options outside football after remaining unsigned in free agency. He finally joined Toronto on May 19 after the CFL suspended Kelly for the entire pre-season and at least the first nine regular-season games for violating its gender-based violence policy.

“Last year was last year,” said Arbuckle, who signed an extension with Toronto in the off-season. “I think I celebrated that for about a week and brought the Grey Cup to my daughter’s school and made her a hero with all of her friends.

“But after that week was over, it was back to training and preparing for what’s to come next because if anything, winning last year makes winning this year even harder. You can’t just rest upon what you’ve done before.”

Kelly, the CFL’s outstanding player in 2023, was on the field Sunday but wore a baseball cap instead of a helmet. He sustained fractures to both his tibia and fibula in the East final and required surgery.

While Kelly is expected to make a full recovery, Dinwiddie said the quarterback still hasn’t received clearance to resume football activities. And Kelly might not be ready for Toronto’s season opener June 6 in Montreal.

“Two weeks from now I’ll have a better answer for you,” Dinwiddie said. “I’d say it’s probably 50-50 at this stage.

“I don’t want to rush him back and we lose him for the whole year. We have to be smart with that … we’ve got to understand we might have some growing pains without him but I’m not rushing him back.”

If Kelly isn’t ready to play, both Arbuckle and Dukes started games for Toronto last year. And the offence returns nine of the 11 other Grey Cup starters, including veteran receivers DaVaris Daniels and Damonte Coxie, running back Ka’Deem Carey and tackle Ryan Hunter, the CFL’s top lineman last year.

“It’s a lot of guys who’ve been in this offence before, been in the system,” Arbuckle said. “We have three quarterbacks who’ve all started and won football games … it’s really cool as an offence to have all that from the get-go.

“I have no idea what’s going on with that (Kelly’s) situation, I just approach every day the same way. I will be ready regardless.”

Dukes made eight starts (4-4 record) during Kelly’s absence last season with Arbuckle making the other, a win. After being reinstated, Kelly led Toronto to a 10-8 record and second spot in the East Division behind Montreal (12-5-1).

Toronto advanced to the East final with a 58-38 semifinal victory over Ottawa.

However, Arbuckle said being with Toronto from the start of camp is very beneficial.

“The biggest plus is having the camaraderie with the players and being able to build that from the start rather than coming in halfway through it all,” he said. “The system and schemes were very familiar to me (last year) and I felt like I could’ve run the offence in a game from the day I got here.

“But it was learning a lot of new faces and new names and just kind of building those relationships … now we’re kind of starting from scratch all together.”

And after coming so close last year to being done with football, Arbuckle is relishing the opportunity to participate in another training camp.

“I’ve been looking forward to this day for months,” he said. “Thinking last year I might not be able to play football again made me understand just how much of a blessing it is to still be able to come out here at (age) 31.

“It’s a kids’ game and we get to play it.”

NOTES: Toronto signed Canadian defensive lineman Jeremiah Ojo on Sunday. The Argos took the six-foot-two, 246-pound Ojo in the first round, No. 7 overall, in the ’25 CFL draft. Receiver Vyncint Smith and linebacker Brian Holloway, both Americans, were released. Defensive lineman Andre Carter and defensive back Jai Nunn-Liddell, also both Americans, and global kicker Alfredo Gachuz-Lozada were placed on the suspended list.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 11, 2025.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press