Coach Ryan Dinwiddie says the winless Redblacks need victory for the players — and a victory would make it easier to give 24-year-old rookie Bryson Barnes a real look at quarterback.
MacLeod Bethel-Thompson started last week and produced 5 TDs, 1 INT and 379 yards (27-for-48), creating a short-term performance benchmark for changes.
The Ottawa Redblacks enter a stretch of games without a win (0-13) and are trying to stop what the article describes as a 19-game modern losing streak. That pressure — for player morale, the organization and the fan base — is the immediate reason coach Ryan Dinwiddie says he wants a victory.
Dinwiddie says getting the first win would take some pressure off the players and make it easier to experiment with personnel late in the season. The coach repeatedly framed the desire for a victory as being about the players' confidence and reward for their work, not about protecting his own record.
Ottawa lost 40-38 to the Calgary Stampeders on a dramatic 62-yard field goal by veteran kicker Rene Paredes, a play that cost them the game on the final play. Calgary came into that game at 6-8 and is fighting for a playoff spot in the West. Dinwiddie praised his roster's energy and said the players deserved the win.
Barnes is a 24-year-old rookie who has been the team's third-string and short-yardage quarterback. He has thrown just 10 passes this season and completed eight in spot duty. Dinwiddie said Barnes is young and "green" and that he doesn't want to throw him into action too quickly. Still, the coach acknowledged Barnes could help the team win and said Barnes might play in some capacity, perhaps alongside Bethel-Thompson, over the final stretch of the season.
Coaching considerations and likely approach Dinwiddie is balancing two imperatives: getting a first win for the players and organization, and evaluating a rookie QB before the season ends. The practical plan described is incremental: reward the players with a win if possible, then gradually give Barnes opportunities — possibly rotating him with Bethel-Thompson — rather than starting him outright in high-pressure situations.
With five games remaining, Dinwiddie and the Redblacks appear set to prioritize winning first and then using that breathing room to test Barnes more meaningfully. Whether that happens this Saturday depends on how the team performs and how comfortable the staff is putting a relatively inexperienced QB into meaningful snaps.
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