Will receiver additions help the Redblacks take a leap forward in Year Two?

Continuing with our CFL previews, here's a look at the Ottawa Redblacks, who open the season Thursday night against Montreal. Also take a look at our previous pieces on B.C., Calgary, Edmonton, Saskatchewan, Winnipeg, Hamilton, and Toronto, plus league-wide storylines, and stay tuned for our final one on Montreal!

The Ottawa Redblacks enter the 2015 season with almost nowhere to go but up. After a disappointing inaugural season in 2014 that saw the expansion franchise go 2-14 (but succeed off the field, at least), the consensus seems to be that they'll be better, especially when you consider the way they improved their receiving corps (one of the key problems last year) through trades and free agency. The question is how high they'll climb, though. While there are some reasons to be optimistic in Ottawa, there are also a lot of challenges left. Will they be able to overcome those, or will 2015 still be a struggle for them?

Ottawa's biggest advantage in 2015 as compared to 2014 should be their upgraded receiving corps. After trading for Maurice Price and signing Chris Williams, Ernest Jackson, Greg Ellingson and Brad Sinopoli, this team should now have many more options for veteran quarterback Henry Burris. That could help a lot; the Redblacks scored a league-low 278 points last season, and their generally middle-of-the-pack     passing statistics were a big part of that. With some more top targets, and with an offensive line reinforced by the likes of first-overall draft pick Alex Mateas and free-agent acquisition SirVincent Rogers, things look a little better for Burris. The question is if the 40-year-old quarterback has enough left to be regularly successful, though.

The issue with Burris isn't his arm, which is still plenty strong. It's more his decision-making, especially in the red zone. Burris proved all-too-vulnerable to his "Bad Hank" side in 2014, throwing 14 interceptions against just 11 touchdowns. He also completed only 60.9 per cent of his passes, well below the 65.8 and 64.7 per cent marks he put up in 2014 and 2013 with Hamilton. Some of that's definitely on the less-than-stellar receiving corps he was working with, but some of it's on him. If he doesn't produce at a higher level early in 2014, Ottawa may elect to make a quarterback change.

It's not just about who's under centre, though. The running game is also a big question mark. Ottawa was worst in the league with 82.4 rushing yards per game in 2014, and they didn't have the passing game to compensate for that, a big part of why they only put up 300 yards per game (third-worst in the CFL) and scored a league-low 15.4 points per game. Chevon Walker has some promise, but wasn't consistent and couldn't stay healthy, and their options beyond him were even worse in 2014. Some of that's on an offensive line that wasn't great, but the RBs will have to step up as well. Ground production's needed for success in this league, and they'll need some to take the heat off their quarterback.

The defence is also a major problem. The Redblacks gave up 465 points in 2014, second-worst only to Winnipeg. They allowed 8.4 yards per pass and 263.8 passing yards per game, both league-highs, and they weren't much better against the run, giving up 124.1 rushing yards per game (second-worst in the CFL). That led to Ottawa conceding 372.7 offensive yards per game overall, not only the worst in the league, but also over 30 yards worse than second-place Winnipeg. There are some bright spots on the personnel side, as the Redblacks have a ton of Canadian talent on defence, including linebacker Antoine Pruneau and defensive end Justin Capicciotti. Still, the unit as a whole needs to be much better.

Overall, it does seem probable that Ottawa will be somewhat better in 2015. The Redblacks drafted reasonably well, they made some good free-agent pickups, and they have a year of gelling as a team under their belts now. However, keep in mind that they were miles worse than most of the league in just about every respect last year. Improvement is certainly possible, but it would have to be an incredible improvement to get this team into the playoffs.

Prediction: 4-14, fourth in East.