Bob Dyce fired as Redblacks head coach after disappointing season

OTTAWA — The Ottawa Redblacks made their first move after disappointing season by firing head coach Bob Dyce on Saturday.

The question now is how much change is coming.

Dyce, who joined the Redblacks in 2016 as special teams co-ordinator and became head coach in 2022, was the first to pay the price for a season in which Ottawa lost its last six games and finished last in the league at 4-14..

He had led the Redblacks to their first playoff appearance since 2018 last season and signed a contract extension in April.

“You know, you don’t take a decision like this lightly,” general manager Shawn Burke said Saturday. “You’re not only impacting the person you’re making decisions on, but players, the rest of the staff, staff members you just talked about, but you’ve got to what’s best for the organization. This is what we felt was best to get to the next level as an organization.”

Dyce reflected on his decade with the organization following the Redblacks final game of the season, a 29-15 loss Friday in Hamilton.

“Life is a journey, right?,” said Dyce. “It’s kind of like a river, a lot of bends here, there and the next, and you just fight through the challenging times. You don’t know where it’s going to end (or) when it’s going to end, so you just be thankful for the time that you have and that’s about it.”

Burke said he also shoulders some of the blame for what took place this season.

“It starts with me,” he said. “At the end of the day I’m the GM that runs the football operations side. You have to take responsibility, or that’s not leadership in my eyes.”

Redblacks president Adrian Sciarra told TSN 1200’s A.J. Jakubec that Burke, under contract for one more year, will be back next season.

Coming into the season the Redblacks looked, at least on paper, poised to be a contender, but things derailed quickly.

Before the season even got started the Redblacks were dealing with injuries to its offensive line.

Then quarterback Dru Brown, who signed an extension through 2026, was expected to build off his debut season but suffered a hip injury late in the opening game and then went on to miss the next three contests.

Brown suffered a multiple injuries and was restricted to just eight starts to finish the season 196-for-274 for 2,389 yards, 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

The 28-year-old admitted that even when he did play he wasn’t always at his best.

“Unfortunately at times, I was limited, but again that’s my decision,” Brown said. “I take responsibility for my performance, when, you’re not healthy because you make that decision.”

One of the few bright spots this season was the continued growth and development of quarterback Dustin Crum.

The 26-year-old appeared in 16 games and finished the season 166-for-234 for 1,771 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions.

A free agent, Crum said he would be interested in returning but would also love a chance to be a starting quarterback.

“I was blessed with the opportunity to play a lot this year and grow as a quarterback,” said Crum. “So, hopefully if something falls in that order, it does, and if not then I just continue to keep working towards it.”

No unit hurt the Redblacks more this season than special teams. Going into the final weekend Ottawa ranked last in the CFL’s overall rankings, with shaky field-goal kicking, breakdowns in coverage and little spark in the return game contributing to their struggles.

Lewis Ward, who has been one of the league’s most consistent kickers, had a disappointing season going 35-for-46.

Ward is under contract for two more years.

“It’s probably been my worst year since coming into the league, even in university,” Ward said. “I have to be better. I felt I didn’t contribute to to helping us win this year so that’s a disappointment.”

With one playoff appearance in the past six years the Redblacks will need to be brutally honest in their assessment of what changes need to take place.

“If you’re not ashamed to be 4-14 right now there’s a problem with you,” said wide receiver Marco Dubois. “It’s really hard for me to shake hands with the fans right now and look them in the eye because they give us their money, they come here to watch us play and we give them poor performances like that. So, very frustrating, very disappointing.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 25, 2025.

Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press