12 candidates to be the Ottawa Redblacks next head coach

The Ottawa Redblacks need a new head coach after Bob Dyce was fired following a little over three years at the helm.

Patience is running thin in the nation’s capital as the team has made the playoffs only once in the last six seasons, so this is a decision general manager Shawn Burke, who will reportedly return in 2026, can’t afford to get wrong.

Below are 12 candidates to become the next head coach of the Ottawa Redblacks. They are listed alphabetically by last name.

Byron Archambault

The 35-year-old has an impressive resumé for a coach of his age, having served three seasons as the special teams coordinator and linebackers coach at his alma mater, the Université de Montréal, and five seasons in essentially the same roles with the Alouettes. Archambault also has personnel experience as he’s served as Montreal’s director of player personnel since 2021. If the Redblacks want someone young, versatile, and bilingual as their next head coach, Archambault could be the best candidate.

Josh Bell

The native of Los Angeles, Calif. is in his eighth year as a CFL assistant and currently serves as the pass game coordinator and defensive backs coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Corey Mace has been highly successful early in his CFL head coaching career and Bell is one of his right-hand men, serving on staff with him with the Calgary Stampeders, Toronto Argonauts, and Riders. The 40-year-old also played six seasons as a CFL defensive back, earning an All-West Division selection in 2015.

Henry Burris

The Canadian Football Hall of Fame quarterback is a legend in Ottawa as he led the Redblacks to a Grey Cup in 2016, the city’s first in 40 years. The 50-year-old native of Spiro, Okla. is currently the co-offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Florida A&M University — his son, Armand, is on the roster as a receiver — where the team is 3-4, averaging 21.9 points per game. Burris has previously had NFL coaching stints with the Chicago Bears, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Los Angeles Rams.

Rick Campbell

The son of the legendary Hugh Campbell has strong ties to the Redblacks as he was the team’s inaugural head coach, a role he held for six seasons, and is currently on staff as the special teams coordinator. The 54-year-old has an 82-92-2 record as a CFL head coach, having also recently spent four seasons with the B.C. Lions, and is certainly the most experienced candidate available. He also helped lead the Redblacks to a Grey Cup win in 2016, though he won two previous championships as an assistant.

Pat DelMonaco

The longtime coach has been an assistant with the Calgary Stampeders since 2014 and his stock should be on the rise given his team’s improvement this season. DelMonaco has an offensive line background, having coached the position since he entered the CFL in 2010, though he has also been Calgary’s offensive coordinator since 2021. The native of Sleepy Hollow, N.Y. has won two Grey Cups with the Stampeders and could be the perfect fit for the Redblacks as they look to get tougher and more physical come 2026.

Ryan Dinwiddie

The 44-year-old native of Elk Grove, Calif. has served the past five seasons as the head coach of the Toronto Argonauts, posting a 51-35 record with two Grey Cup victories and a Coach of the Year award to boot. Dinwiddie is still under contract with the Argonauts through 2026 but could be lured elsewhere if he’s given a promotion of some type. This seems like a bit of a long shot, but this is arguably the type of big swing the Redblacks should be taking to show their fans they’re serious about getting back to winning football.

Brent Monson

The native of Hamilton, Ont. made the most of his first year as the defensive coordinator of his hometown Tiger-Cats as his unit finished first in takeaways to help secure first place in the East Division. Monson spent the previous 16 years with the Calgary Stampeders, including five seasons as defensive coordinator, helping them win two Grey Cups. After playing for the Canadian Junior Football League’s Burlington Braves and starting his CFL career as a video assistant, Monson has paid his dues every step of the way.

Marc Mueller

The 36-year-old is in his second season as the offensive coordinator with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and has helped Trevor Harris play some of his best football as he approaches age 40. The native of Regina, Sask. won two Grey Cups on staff with the Calgary Stampeders and is the grandson of CFL legend Ron Lancaster, so it’s always felt like just a matter of time before he gets the chance to become a head coach. If the Redblacks want a young offensive mind to take the lead, Mueller would likely be the best bet.

Mike O’Shea

The long-tenured head coach of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers likely isn’t going anywhere but he’s not under contract for next season, which means there’s no reason why the Redblacks couldn’t try to bring him to the nation’s capital. O’Shea has gone 117-77 over 11 seasons in Winnipeg, leading the team to five Grey Cup appearances and two CFL championships. The 55-year-old native of North Bay, Ont. has already been inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame as a player but should probably be inducted again as a coach.

Orlondo Steinauer

The native of Seattle, Wash. has spent the last two years as the president of football operations with the Tiger-Cats, though was the team’s head coach for four seasons prior. Steinauer went 39-29 as the head coach in Steeltown, winning the East Division and the CFL’s Coach of the Year award in 2019. The 52-year-old is a Canadian Football Hall of Fame defensive back with strong ties to Redblacks general manager Shawn Burke, with whom he overlapped in Hamilton for eight years.

Noel Thorpe

The native of Vancouver, B.C. has been a CFL assistant coach since 2002, which included a two-year stint as the defensive coordinator of the Redblacks in the late-2010s. Thorpe has been the defensive coordinator in Montreal for the past four seasons and his units have been consistently strong, finishing first in yards allowed per play in 2025. The two-time Grey Cup champion deserves a chance to be a CFL head coach at some point and there could be no time better than the present based on his recent success.

Jordan Younger

The 47-year-old native of Trenton, N.J. has been the defensive coordinator of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for the past two seasons, helping the team finish first in offensive points allowed both years. Younger played nine seasons as a CFL defensive back and has won four Grey Cups — two as a player and two as a coach. Given the success Buck Pierce has had in his first year with the B.C. Lions, it might not be a bad idea for Ottawa to pick a Winnipeg coordinator as the team’s next head coach.

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