• Toronto’s Chad Kelly wins Most Outstanding Player: The quarterback finished with the second-best big-time throw rate (7.7%), the third-best turnover-worthy play rate (3.7%) and the highest adjusted completion percentage on deep throws (51.6%).
• S Marc-Antoine Dequoy beats out top pass-rushers for Most Outstanding Defensive Player award: The Montreal safety beat out a pair of top pass-rushers in Mathieu Betts and teammate Mustafa Johnson.
• BC EDGE Mathieu Betts earns top pass-rusher honor: Betts posted the league-best mark in pass-rushing productivity score (11.5), pass-rushing win rate (19.4%) and pass-rushing grade (89.9).
Estimated Reading Time: 8 minutes
With the 2023 CFL regular season wrapped up, it’s time to give out some awards. Only four teams are left fighting for the Grey Cup, while the remaining five are looking toward next season. Now, we’re going to hand out some hardware and recognize the best performances of the season.
PFF’s awards are based on the regular season only. They also are not solely based on a player’s overall grade. Play-by-play grading forms the bedrock of the analysis, but the level of competition, player role and several other factors were weighed to determine the final winners.
Most Outstanding Player: QB CHAD KELLY, TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Honorable Mention: QB Vernon Adams Jr., British Columbia; RB Brady Oliveira, Winnipeg
The best overall player in the CFL is Chad Kelly. There are cases to be made about the value that others bring and the level of talent around them, but Kelly is the winner of this award. The quarterback had the second-best big-time throw rate (7.7%), the third-best turnover-worthy play rate (3.7%) and the highest adjusted completion percentage on deep throws (51.6%) this season. His 90.7 passing grade was the highest in the league, and his 80.2 rushing grade ranked fourth among starting quarterbacks. Those are all big reasons why his 91.8 overall grade this season was the highest in the CFL at any position.
Most Outstanding Offensive Player: RB BRADY OLIVEIRA, WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Honorable Mention: QB Vernon Adams Jr., British Columbia; RB A.J. Ouellette, Toronto
While Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros had a great season himself, it was Oliveira who was the driving force behind the Blue Bombers' offense. He led the league in rushing by almost 400 yards and tied for the league lead in rushing touchdowns. His 90.0 season grade was the highest among non-quarterback offensive players. Oliveira gained more than 2,000 yards from scrimmage on the season, becoming only the second Canadian in CFL history to achieve that milestone.
Most Outstanding Defensive Player: S MARC-ANTOINE DEQUOY, MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Honorable Mention: EDGE Mathieu Betts, British Columbia; DI Mustafa Johnson, Montreal
The Alouettes fielded one of the best defenses in the CFL this year, and it was spearheaded by their Canadian safety. Dequoy had an incredible season in coverage, finishing with a league-high 90.8 coverage grade. He allowed just one touchdown all season while intercepting five passes (two of which he returned for touchdowns) and forcing an additional six incompletions. Dequoy also made 27 tackles in the run game and was every bit the defensive quarterback that Montreal drafted him to be.
Most Outstanding Offensive Rookie: WR AUSTIN MACK, MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Honorable Mention: QB Dustin Crum, Ottawa; RB Taquan Mizzell Sr., British Columbia
Unlike the CFL, we won’t disqualify rookies just because they played a few NFL games. Mack was a rookie in the CFL this season, and he took the league by storm. He caught the fourth-most passes in the league (78) and gained the fifth-most yards (1,154). He forced 15 missed tackles after the catch and tallied 23 explosive receptions. Mack also averaged 2.11 yards per route run — the seventh-best figure in the league and the third-best among outside receivers.
Most Outstanding Defensive Rookie: HB REGGIE STUBBLEFIELD, MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Honorable Mention: CB Qwan’tez Stiggers, Toronto; HB Mason Pierce, Toronto
Toronto’s pair of rookie defensive backs was phenomenal, but Stubblefield deserves this award. He allowed just 14 catches on 36 targets for 150 yards. He didn’t let up a touchdown, picked off two passes and forced 10 incompletions. His 28.7 passer rating when targeted was the second lowest in the league. Stubblefield finished the season with an 89.1 coverage grade, the fifth-best mark in the league. It's hard to believe he was cut before the start of the season.
Comeback Player of the Year: RG PETER NICASTRO, TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Honorable Mention: CB Tre Roberson, Calgary; LB Kyrie Wilson, Winnipeg
Nicastro came into this season fully healthy after missing the entire 2022 season recovering from knee surgery. He picked up right where he left off, helping anchor one of the best offensive lines in the CFL. Nicastro was the highest-graded right guard in the league this year (70.5). His 98.3 pass-blocking efficiency score was the fifth best in the league, and he was also a top-10 lineman in run-blocking grade (72.3).
Breakout Player of the Year: WR SAMUEL EMILUS, SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS
Honorable Mention: S Stavros Katsantonis, Hamilton; EDGE Bryce Carter, Ottawa
Emilus was a first-round draft pick in 2022 but made a minimal impact in his rookie season, catching just 10 passes for 165 yards. He exploded in his sophomore season, grabbing 70 receptions for 1,097 yards and six touchdowns. His 13 contested catches were the second most in the league, his 17 missed tackles forced after the catch ranked sixth and his 32 explosive receptions ranked fourth. He did all of this while playing 1,009 snaps out of a possible 1,035, the most among any non-offensive lineman in the CFL.
Most Outstanding Receiver: WR DALTON SCHOEN, WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS
Honorable Mention: WR Keon Hatcher, British Columbia; WR Reggie Begelton, Calgary
The top receiver in 2022 wasn’t quite as dominant as last year, but he still retains his title. Schoen finished with the highest receiving grade in the league (83.0) thanks to 72 catches for 1,233 yards and a league-high 10 touchdown grabs. Schoen made eight contested catches, forced 11 missed tackles after the catch and led all receivers with 37 explosive receptions. He averaged 2.53 yards per route run, the second-highest mark in the CFL.
Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman: LG BRANDON REVENBERG, HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Honorable Mention: RT Jermarcus Hardrick, Winnipeg; LT Nick Callender, Montreal
The left guard finished with the second-highest run-blocking grade (78.1) and the sixth-highest pass-blocking grade (74.6) to give him a league-leading 76.4 season grade. Revenberg’s 16.0% impact run-blocking percentage (positively graded run-blocking snaps divided by total run-blocking snaps) ranked second in the league, as did his 95.5% pass-blocking win rate.
Most Outstanding Pass-Blocker: RT DEJON ALLEN, TORONTO ARGONAUTS
Honorable Mention: C David Beard, Hamilton; C Peter Godber, Saskatchewan
What Dejon Allen did as a pass-protector this season was phenomenal. He earned the second-highest pass-blocking grade in the league (79.5) and allowed just two sacks and 11 total pressures on the year, tied for the fewest among offensive linemen. His 98.6 pass-blocking efficiency score trailed only Godber. All of these numbers are incredibly impressive — but even more so for a tackle going up against elite CFL edge rushers.
Most Outstanding Run-Blocker: LG PIER-OLIVIER LESTAGE, MONTREAL ALOUETTES
Honorable Mention: LG Brandon Revenberg, Hamilton; LT Martez Ivey, Edmonton
Lestage was a mauler in the run game, as he has been since he entered the league. He finished with a league-high 83.6 run-blocking grade and also led the league with a 17.0% impact run-blocking rate. He made a noticeable difference for Montreal’s run game. When the team ran off either side of Lestage, they averaged 5.8 yards per carry. When rushing anywhere else, that average dropped to 4.2 yards per carry.
Most Outstanding Pass-Rusher: EDGE MATHIEU BETTS, BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS
Honorable Mention: DI Mustafa Johnson, Montreal; EDGE Folarin Orimolade, Toronto
While there were some great pass-rushing efforts in 2023, this award was a no-brainer. The sack king, Mathieu Betts, absolutely dominated opposing offensive lines all year to the tune of 19 sacks and 83 pressures. Those 83 pressures were 13 more than second place. Betts finished with the league-best mark in pass-rushing productivity score (11.5), pass-rush win rate (19.4%) and pass-rush grade (89.9). He was clearly a step above anyone else when it came to rushing the passer this season.
Most Outstanding Run Defender: LB JOVAN SANTOS-KNOX, OTTAWA REDBLACKS
Honorable Mention: DI Casey Sayles, Hamilton; LB Larry Dean, Saskatchewan
Ottawa fielded the best rushing defense in the CFL this season, allowing a league-low 4.3 yards per attempt. Santos-Knox was the biggest reason why. He tallied 48 total tackles in the run game and just three missed tackles. He had 16 solo stops, with eight of those going for a loss or no gain. He also forced a fumble that was then returned for a touchdown. Santos-Knox finished the year with an 87.4 run-defense grade, the highest among qualified CFL defenders.
Most Outstanding Coverage Defender: CB GARRY PETERS, BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS
Honorable Mention: CB Richard Leonard, Hamilton; HB Reggie Stubblefield, Montreal
While Peters wasn’t the highest-graded coverage player in the league, he still put together a phenomenal campaign. Peters played 1,037 of a possible 1,045 snaps and was the most targeted player in coverage (90 targets). Yet, he allowed just 46 catches and zero touchdowns. He had four interceptions and 12 forced incompletions. Quarterbacks recorded a 55.0 passer rating when targeting Peters, one of the lowest marks in the league. His 88.7 coverage grade ranked second among outside cornerbacks.
Most Outstanding Special Teams Player: DB CARTHELL FLOWERS-LLOYD, HAMILTON TIGER-CATS
Honorable Mention: K Sean Whyte, British Columbia Lions; LB Tyrice Beverette, Montreal Alouettes
Flowers-Lloyd was a fairly easy choice for the Special Teams Player of the Year spot. While BC kicker Sean Whyte was dominant when it came to field goals, Flowers-Lloyd’s impact was felt across all special team units. Only one player in the CFL played more special teams snaps than him, and Flowers-Lloyd led the league with 30 special team tackles. He also blocked a punt and is the biggest reason that Hamilton has one of the lowest return yards allowed per attempt numbers in the league.
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