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Kelly practised Tuesday as º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøreturned following a bye week, with Arbuckle getting the starting reps. But Dinwiddie was very clear that once Kelly is healthy, he’ll become Toronto’s starter.

“I think maybe it’s going to be a week-to-week deal, I mean, Chad is our franchise quarterback, let’s not lose sight of that,” Dinwiddie said. “The ball was live coming out of his hands (Tuesday), we just want to see him move a little bit cleaner … just be able to move around in the pocket. 

“That’s one of his strengths, being able to create plays with his legs and I want to make sure he can do that while also at the same time be able to protect himself.”

Kelly hasn’t played since suffering a fractured right tibia and fibula in Toronto’s 30-28 East Division final win over Montreal last year. Kelly, the CFL’s outstanding player in 2023, opened the ‘25 season on the one-game injured list but went on the six-game list in late July, where he remained until Tuesday.

Last week, Kelly teased that he could be returning to face Edmonton. The 31-year-old posted a social media video of himself in full uniform at BMO Field. The words, ‘The Comeback,’ appeared on the screen with the date of Sept. 13, 2025 below, the day º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøhosts the Elks.

“I think he’s excited that physically he’s getting closer,” Dinwiddie said. “I think that was one thing for him to let everyone know he’s kind of getting closer and is excited to get on the field.”

Kelly wasn’t available for comment Tuesday.

Arbuckle has performed well this season. The 31-year-old leads the CFL in passing (3,828 yards) and 30-yard completions (24) and stands second in TD passes (23) despite being sacked a league-high 32 times.

Arbuckle has also completed 316 of 434 passes (72.8 per cent, third-best in CFL) with 10 interceptions. Over his last six starts, he has completed 166 of 224 passes (74.1 per cent) for 2,137 yards with 14 TDs and two interceptions — but none in his last three contests. º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøis 3-3 over that stretch, including two straight wins.

Arbuckle has been stellar in those victories.

He rallied º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøto a stunning 35-33 Labour Day win over Hamilton on Sept. 1. His 62-yard completion to Dejon Brissett set up Lirim Hajrullahu’s game-winning 11-yard field goal after the Ticats scored a TD with 18 seconds remaining to move ahead 33-32.

In Toronto’s 52-34 home win over the B.C. Lions on Aug. 23, Arbuckle threw for a career-high 443 yards and three TDs.

“Nick is playing good football, that’s the reason we had him come back after last year (on a one-year contract),” Dinwiddie said. “We’ve kind of hit our stride offensively, but Chad is our franchise guy and a special type of player.”

Last November, when Kelly was hurt, Arbuckle led º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøto its 41-24 Grey Cup win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He was named the game MVP after passing for 252 yards and two TDs with two interceptions.

Arbuckle said he hasn’t spoken yet to Dinwiddie about returning to a backup role, but suggested he’s been kind of expecting it.

“It’s something that I knew was probably inevitable when the season started,” he said. “Nobody kind of knew the timeline for Chad’s injury.

“I’ve always taken the approach throughout my career that whatever role I was going to have on the team given that week or that season, I was just going to do everything within that role to help our team win. If that happens, I’ll do everything I can to continue to help Chad, help the receivers and do anything I can to continue moving us in the right direction.”

º£½ÇÉçÇø¹ÙÍøis currently tied with Ottawa (4-8) for third in the East Division. Hamilton (7-5) holds top spot while Montreal (5-7) sits two points ahead of both the Argos and Redblacks.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 9, 2025.