Brady Oliveira, who has already become one of the most decorated Canadian players in CFL history by the age of 27, remains a strong advocate for the league’s ratio, which requires teams to dress a minimum of 21 homegrown players with at least seven starters.
“There needs to be a ratio, there’s a ‘C’ in it for a reason: it’s the Canadian Football League,” said the Winnipeg native on Thursday night after being named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Canadian. “This is a gate-driven league with amazing fans across the country. I bet if you ask all of them, they’re going to say they love and they’re proud to watch their Canadian talent, so that ratio needs to stay.”
During his annual Grey Cup address on Tuesday, CFL commissioner Randy Ambrosie, who will leave his post sometime this off-season, indicated the ratio will remain intact for “many, many years to come,” citing it as a reason why he’s against U.S. expansion. He has, however, previously expressed his belief that Canadian players have become so good that a ratio might no longer be necessary.
Ambrosie is right about the ever-improving level of domestic talent as, for the first time ever, Canadians led the CFL in rushing and receiving this year with Oliveira and Justin McInnis finishing atop the respective categories. There were also homegrown players making waves on defence this season as Dartmouth, N.S. native Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund finished one off the league lead in sacks and Niagara Falls, Ont. native Tyrell Ford fell one shy of leading the league in interceptions.
Were it not for the ratio, however, Oliveira may never have had a chance to succeed in the CFL. Running back is often considered the most replaceable position in football and his professional career got off to a less-than-ideal start.
The five-foot-ten, 222-pounder played collegiately at the University of North Dakota, an FCS program that went 26-20 during his tenure. He fell out of the first round of the CFL draft in 2019, going to the Blue Bombers at No. 14 overall. He wasn’t even one of Winnipeg’s top two picks as they took offensive lineman Drew Desjarlais and defensive lineman Jonathan Kongbo in the first round, neither of whom remains with the team.
Oliveira barely played as a rookie, suffering a broken ankle in the second game of the year, ending his season. He made six starts when the league returned in 2021 but averaged only 4.6 yards per carry, finishing fifth-worst league-wide among running backs with at least 50 carries. For comparison, Andrew Harris averaged 5.4 yards per carry behind the same offensive line, helping power the team to a Grey Cup.
It would have been easy for the Blue Bombers to move on from Oliveira and find an American player to replace Harris, who left in free agency that off-season. They instead stuck with him, presumably due in part to the league’s ratio requirements.
“I’m truly thankful that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took a chance on me and drafted me in the second round and allowed me to step into really big shoes. It wasn’t so pretty at the start and they trusted me, they believed in me, and they continued to ride with me,” said Oliveira. “This is why I’ve got so much loyalty to this organization — not that I’m a Winnipegger, that’s one thing — but the way my career started, especially when I got the role as a starting guy, it wasn’t so pretty, and now here we are.”
Things have worked out well for Oliveira since he became the team’s unquestioned starter in 2022. He’s had three straight 1,000-yard seasons, won two rushing titles, and earned two All-CFL selections. He’s also developed well as a receiver out of the backfield, catching a career-high 57 passes for 476 yards and one touchdown in 2024. For reference, he was essentially a non-factor in the passing game in college, making only 25 receptions over his entire career, another testament to his development at the professional level.
Winnipeg and Toronto will meet in the Grey Cup on Sunday with both teams starting Canadians at positions typically reserved for Americans. The Blue Bombers have Oliveira at running back, Redha Kramdi at strong-side linebacker, and Ford at field-side cornerback, while the Argonauts have Robbie Smith at defensive end and Tunde Adeleke at strong-side linebacker. Both teams also start multiple Canadian receivers.
“I feel a huge responsibility in paving the way for the younger and future generations of Canadians that are going to enter this great league. I want to continue to demand excellence for myself and play at an extremely high level playing a position that’s predominantly American,” said Oliveira.
“Being a Canadian at the running back position, I want to continue to play extremely good football in this league for a lot more years and make sure that I inspire the younger generation and make a lasting impact on this game and understand that if you’re a Canadian kid and you want to play a skilled position, you can win the Most Outstanding Player award.”
Oliveira is only the fourth Canadian player in CFL history to win M.O.P., joining the illustrious company of Russ Jackson, Tony Gabriel, and Jon Cornish, all of whom are in the Hall of Fame. He’s hoping to serve as a positive example for young people across the country who dream of playing football at the professional level — even if they want to play a position like quarterback or running back.
“I hope that they’re inspired and they understand that they can also follow in my footsteps one day. That was me when I was a young kid — guys like Jon Cornish and Andrew Harris, guys that played my position and were Canadian — it’s a position that’s usually American. Most young kids might look at positions like that and say, ‘I can’t do it, Americans are at that position,’” said Oliveira.
“When you have Canadians playing at a very high level, I think it gives the younger generation hope and inspires them to continue to work hard. I’ve got to where I am today because I’ve sacrificed a lot in my life and I’ve worked extremely hard to get where I am. I’m really hoping that this message inspires the young future of Canadian talent that’s going to come into this great league and knowing that if I can do it, they can do it as well.”
As long as the CFL keep its ratio intact, it seems they’ll get that chance.
The post ‘There needs to be a ratio’: M.O.P. Brady Oliveira wants Canadians to remain protected in CFL appeared first on 3DownNation.
