The good people at CFL.ca asked me to write about the most important non-quarterback for each CFL team here.

Importance, of course, is a relative term and speaks more to what you think holds weight than a player’s true value, making this an interesting dive into the people who could, and should, make the difference for their club as we kick off the 2026 regular season on Thursday.

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JUSTIN MCINNIS | RECEIVER

There are plenty of options for the Lions, from young free safeties to Mathieu Betts setting the defensive tone, but I could have just as easily gone with Justin McInnis’ running mate Keon Hatcher Sr., as the passing attack often runs through the veteran American.

I settled on McInnis because I believe Nathan Rourke is at his best when McInnis is making plays down the field. The large catch radius and ability to track the ball lets Rourke put the ball in places most quarterbacks would hesitate to risk a turnover, but McInnis, at his best, routinely rewards that risk and opens up the Lions aerial attack to a nearly unsolvable personnel puzzle.

JUSTIN RANKIN | RUNNING BACK

Austin Mack is a meaningful addition, Malik Carney has been recruited to immediately speed up opposing quarterbacks’ internal clocks, but the Elks are a team with a big offensive........

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