What we've learned about the Ottawa Redblacks through four weeks of the CFL season

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The good news for the Ottawa Redblacks is that through the first day of their work week, it looks like No. 1 quarterback Dru Brown is ready to return to game action.

The bad news is that whether Brown plays Sunday in Edmonton or not, the team will be without its top receiver against the Elks and beyond.

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Head coach Bob Dyce confirmed Wednesday that Bralon Addison will miss the next two to four weeks with a shoulder injury, which means that, along with being unavailable for this weekend’s game against the CFL’s only winless team, the 31-year-old will be a bystander for one or both of the Redblacks’ following back-to-backers against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and possibly the July 31 showdown with the Calgary Stampeders at TD Place.

Addison, who leads the Redblacks in catches (30) and receiving yards (220), was injured in Sunday’s 29-16 loss to the Toronto Argos that left Ottawa with a disappointing 1-3 record and sitting at the bottom of the East Division standings.

“To tough it out with the type of shoulder injury he had and to continue to play tells you how much the team means to him, and we all know how much he means to the team,” Dyce said of Addison, who had a game-high six grabs (for 50 yards) along with two carries for seven yards. “We’re looking at it as a two-to-four week thing possibly (but) Bralen always surprises me with his resilience. So we’ll see exactly where it is, but we want to make sure he’s 100 per cent when he does come back.”

Lined up to step in for Addison is Andre Miller, who had 15 catches for 254 yards and a pair of touchdowns in six starts for the Redblacks last season.

Meanwhile, Brown took all first-team reps in Wednesday’s practice and showed no signs of the hip injury he suffered late in the Redblacks’ season-opening loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

But he also took part in Day 1’s practice after missing his first game, so a better indicator of his status for Edmonton is whether he can go for the second day in a row on Thursday.

“It’s fantastic to see Dru out there, and I thought he looked good,” said Dyce. “We’ll continue to evaluate as we go forward.”

Brown still leads the Redblacks in passing yards (413) and touchdown passes (two), while Dustin Crum has thrown for 351 yards and one TD in two games and Matt Shiltz has 205 yards and a TD pass in one.

Brown is also the only one of the three who hasn’t turned the ball over, with Shiltz having thrown three interceptions and Crum one.

Crum didn’t play well Sunday, but the loss can’t be pinned solely on him.

Argos rookie safety Derek Slywka returned a Kalil Pimpleton red zone fumble and a Lewis Ward blocked field goal for touchdowns.

So instead of potentially scoring 17 points on the three drives, Ottawa gift-wrapped 14 for Toronto.

But through four weeks, the Redblacks have proven that, like any other CFL team, they’re in trouble without their No. 1 QB.

Is O-line help on the way?

After Crum was sacked five times (and hurried on several other occasions) in the Argos game, the Redblacks released American right tackle Darta Lee.

It appears Parker Moorer, a 6-foot-5, 314-pounder out of East Carolina who most recently attended a New York Giants minicamp, will take his spot on Sunday.

Another positive from Wednesday’s practice was that it included for the first time both centre Peter Godber (hand) and right tackle Zack Pelehos (foot), albeit in a limited capacity. Again taking part was centre Eric Starczala, who continues to show progress from a concussion that has also kept him from playing in a game.

Asked when the three Canadian players might return, Dyce said, “That’s still a ways away yet.”

“Those guys are making strides,” said Dyce, adding that Godber, a veteran who was signed in the off-season, is anxious to make his Redblacks debut. “Peter came in on our off days, and he was really just bubbling to get back out there. Even though he’s limited in what he’s doing, he knows he’s making progress.

“There’s still time (before he plays). He’s got to get the pin out of his finger and things like that, but he’s able to get in work with his guys, which is fantastic.”

Why is there reason to be optimistic about the Redblacks’ defence?

For one thing, injured cornerback Adrian Frye (knee) and DB Bennett Williams (shoulder) also practised Wednesday and appear ready to rejoin the game roster.

For another, after giving up 70 points in the first two games, the Redblacks have surrendered 41 in the last two. Against Toronto, only 15 were on the defence.

Overall, Ottawa’s defensive ranking is tied for sixth.

“In the defensive room, the standards are pretty high,” said veteran tackle Cleyon Laing. “So I think for us to be wholeheartedly happy with the performances that we’ve put forward, I don’t think that’s really in our vocabulary right now. I think our best football is still to be played, and I don’t think any of us will be satisfied until that time has come.”

Despite only one win in the first four games, the Redblacks remain upbeat.

“No one is happy with the results, but I think everyone’s still hungry,” said Laing. “Everyone still has that drive and that motivation to keep going, to not let our teammates down, and to put something together that we’re proud of. There’s been glimpses, certain plays that we can build on, but as a whole, I don’t think we put together an entire game that we can really put our stamp on. You know, that this is Redblacks football. So I think we’re still in search of finding that unit to come together and execute that as a team.”