The Ottawa Redblacks are taking the committee approach for the offensive coordinator position during the upcoming season.

“It will work as committee. We have a good group of assistants in place who already know all the subtleties of our game notebook, “head coach Rick Campbell told Martin Comtois of Le Droit. “It will also give Joe [Paopao] time to acclimatize to what we are doing here.”

Campbell added Joe Paopao to the offensive staff as running backs coach on Monday. John McDonnell remains the offensive line coach, Winston October receivers coach and Beau Walker moves from offensive assistant to quarterbacks coach.

The Redblacks offensive coordinator position became vacant after Jaime Elizondo resigned to take the same job with the Tampa Bay XFL franchise led by head coach and general manager Marc Trestman.

Campbell told Comtois October will call the plays during games. October played six seasons in the CFL from 1999-2004, winning a Grey Cup in 2003 with the Edmonton Eskimos. Last season was October’s first coaching in the CFL after seven years at Virginia Military Institute junior college, two as a defensive backs coach and five as receivers coach, and four at the College of William and Mary as receivers coach.

Based on Campbell’s comments it seems the play-calling duties could shift to Paopao once the CFL veteran coach becomes comfortable with Ottawa’s offensive scheme. Paopao has an extensive history from the quarterbacks perspective in the Canadian Football League.

After an 11-year playing career as a QB, Paopao became a CFL coach with stints as an offensive coordinator in B.C., Edmonton, Winnipeg and Hamilton. During four seasons as the bench boss in the nation’s capital, Paopao went 23-49 prior to the Renegades franchise folding.