Why Wednesday was a good day for Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown
At 31, veteran receiver was one of the team's most productive players last season.
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Whatever else might have happened in his life, Wednesday was an especially good day work-wise for Dru Brown.
The Ottawa Redblacks quarterback now knows that next season he’ll again be throwing footballs to Justin Hardy and Bralon Addison.
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General manager Shawn Burke took care of some very important business by signing both veteran receivers to one-year extensions three weeks before the CFL’s free-agent period.
With all due respect to Addison, Hardy was the big one.
Despite missing the last two games of the regular season with an injury, the 33-year-old former Atlanta Falcon led the CFL with 97 catches and was second in the league with 1,343 receiving yards.
Hardy was also the team’s unanimous 2024 Most Outstanding Player nominee, as well as a CFL all-star — a pretty impressive encore after an exceptional 2023 campaign in which he grabbed 87 passes for 1,009 yards.
“Over the past two seasons, Justin has established himself as one of the league’s elite receivers,” said Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce. “His relentless pursuit of excellence, professionalism and leadership provides us with both consistency and big-play ability.
“We are thrilled to have him back for 2025.”
Hardy’s third season with the Redblacks included nine carries for 76 yards and seven catches for 73 yards in the East Division semifinal loss to the Toronto Argos.
With his resumé, the Washington, D.C., product would have surely attracted plenty of interest on the open market.
“I’m glad to be staying in Ottawa for another year,” said Hardy. “I’m excited to get back to work and contribute for my team as we go after the Grey Cup.”
Addison is also an invaluable member of the Redblacks’ attack and a team leader.
In just 10 games last year, the native of Missouri City, Tex., caught 41 passes for 433 yards and three touchdowns for his most productive season since he was with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2022.
Addison also started two games as a running back and ended the year with 27 carries for 151 yards for an average of 5.6 yards per rush.
“Bralon’s football IQ and athletic skillset allow him to contribute in both the passing and the running game,” Dyce said in a statement. “His broad range of abilities and experience in big games bring a dynamic element to our offence.”
Addison’s big-game experience was evident when he pulled in two TD passes during the 58-38 playoff loss at BMO Field.
“I’m super excited and grateful to be back in the red and black, and stoked to build off last year’s momentum,” Addison said in the statement, while also sending a message to Redblacks fans. “We came up short of our ultimate goal, but there’s lots for us to build on and chase the Cup. I can’t wait to hit the ground running. The bat is back in the 613.”
Only three Ottawa receivers remained unsigned — veteran Jaelon Acklin, former Carleton Raven Keaton Bruggeling and Devonte Dedmon, whose greater role is as one of the CFL’s best return specialists.
Burke, however, has some big names to tackle on his list of defenders without a contract.
At the top of it are linebackers Adarius Pickett, who is also a special teams whiz and the Redblacks emotional leader, and Jovan Santos-Knox, a highly respected team captain.
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