Brandon Bridge, widely regarded as the best Canadian quarterback prospect in some time, was cut by the Montreal Alouettes Monday, and his CFL value might only rise as a result. Confused? Well, that's how the league's roster rules work. Canadian players are highly valuable to CFL teams, as 21 of the 44 players on the game-day roster have to qualify as "nationals" (previously non-imports), but those players only count as Canadian if they don't play quarterback, where nationality isn't counted. Justin Dunk's piece on the Alouettes cutting Bridge mentions that other teams might try to bring him and his 6'4'', 229-pound frame as a receiver rather than as a quarterback, and if they did that and he agreed, he instantly goes from a less-valuable "quarterback" to a valuable "national," despite playing a less valuable position. The Alouettes' decision to cut Bridge is further proof of how poorly Canadian quarterbacks are treated next to non-imports at any other position. It's also further evidence of how the league is highly unlikely to ever have another Canadian starting quarterback if it doesn't amend its rules to treat those players fairly compared to players at other positions.



Simply put, there's no logical reason for the current state of the CFL's rules when it comes to Canadian quarterbacks and the double standard that sees them stomped on while other Canadian players thrive. Restricting the number of Americans on a team only came about in 1936 as a reaction to the American-heavy Winnipeg team that won the Grey Cup the previous year, with all players required to meet Canadian residency requirements at first. Five imports were allowed in 1946, and the number rose to 10 in 1954 and 15 in 1961. In 1965, an Ontario Human Rights Commission case required the CFL to change its definition to be based on where a player received football training rather than citizenship, and that's largely held true since, with some notable changes to the definition in 2014. Quarterbacks were removed from the ratio calculations in 1986, and there are now 20 Americans, three "quarterbacks" (almost exclusively Americans), and 21 Canadians on active rosters. So, if you're a Canadian receiver, lineman, running back or safety, you help your team's ratio. If you're a Canadian quarterback like Bridge, you do not.



Pretty much the only argument that's been advanced in favour of the status quo and its punishment for Canadian quarterbacks is that there aren't enough good Canadian quarterbacks out there, but this is a poor theory. For one thing, there are plenty of great Canadian quarterbacks who never get a CFL shot, to say nothing of the ones who do play in the league and are cut. For another, if the focus was only on having top players rather than some Canadian players, why have a ratio rule at all? Why not just bring in the top NFL castoffs at every position and start all Americans?

Moreover, while starting all Americans would probably happen without a ratio rule, it wouldn't necessarily produce the best quality of play. Many of the Canadian players currently starring in the CFL would likely be passed over for Americans who played at bigger colleges and posted better 40 times without ratio restrictions, because that's how most front offices think, but a lot of less-heralded Canadians who only got a shot initially thanks to their nationality have proven to be equal or better to the Americans who might otherwise take their slots. Consider a guy like Ottawa's Brad Sinopoli, who was a legendary quarterback at the CIS level and started his CFL career at that position, was cut and thought his career was over, but then reinvented himself as a receiver and was named the league's top Canadian in 2015. A guy like that who's never played receiver in college is highly unlikely to get that opportunity at this level without his nationality helping your roster, but Sinopoli took that opportunity and made the most of it, proving that he can be equal to or better the equivalent available Americans at his position. Why is that reasonable at receiver and not at quarterback?

Even if people buy into the argument that there simply aren't enough good Canadian quarterbacks for each team to have one (and this is a fallacy, as shown by the numerous Canadian QBs who excel in CIS every year, any of which would be at least as likely to succeed in the CFL as the third or fourth quarterback currently on most rosters), there's no reason for the CFL to punish teams that do try to develop Canadian quarterbacks. The Alouettes are seen as the bad guys today for cutting Bridge, but they drafted him in the fourth round in 2015, gave him a year and a bit to develop, and never saw any ratio relief in return. If they had spent that draft pick on someone at another position, they would have filled a Canadian slot and been able to bring in an American.

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