With main camp set to get under way tomorrow morning, we take a look at five of the biggest questions surrounding the 2018 Stampeders.

1. Who will be the back-up quarterback?

With Andrew Buckley retiring to pursue medical school, the Stamps are left with just one trigger-man on the roster with experience playing in Canada – Ricky Stanzi. The 30-year old Iowa alum has been around the block, with six different stops in the NFL, but he has only had eight passing attempts – completing half – in the CFL. Competing with Stanzi will be rookie QB’s Tyler Rogers and Nick Arbuckle, the latter of whom attended camp with the team in 2017.

2. What will the running back position look like?

With Jerome Messam heading to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in free agency and Roy Finch retiring, the Stamps running back group will be drastically different in 2018. Terry Williams, a second-year back, is the lone man returning from last season’s group. In his only start as a rookie, Williams tore up the Montreal Alouettes to the tune of 156 yards and three touchdowns. Behind him will be rookies Don Jackson, Romar Morris, Rushel Shell III, and Atlee Simon. Jackson spent time with the Green Bay Packers after a successful career at Nevada, where he rushed for 2,318 yards. Morris was a standout for North Carolina, posting 1,024 rushing yards and 12 TD’s, while adding 597 return yards. Shell played three seasons at West Virginia, racking up over 2,000 yards on the ground. Simon, who the Stamps drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, is the Regina Rams all-time rushing leader with 2,943 yards. While this group is inexperienced in the CFL, there is plenty of talent and with a strong offensive line, whoever runs away with the starting job will become a key piece of the offence.

3. Which draftees will make a difference right away?

Last season, the Stamps saw Tunde Adeleke, Ante Milanovic-Litre, Randy Colling, and Julan Lynch earn a spot on the roster and have an impact as rookies. This season they’ll be hoping for a similar result from their draft class. The most likely candidate to push for playing time in 2018 is first-round selection Ryan Sceviour, who provides national depth at the offensive line position with CFL-ready skills. With some of the draft picks (Gabriel Ferraro, Atlee Simon, etc.) having an extra year of collegiate eligibility, that limits – but does not eliminate – their chances of making the roster. Second-round linebacker Eric Mezzalira and third-round defensive back Royce Metchie are the other top candidates to challenge for a role on the team.

4. Who will be the team’s kick returner?

With Finch – the CFL’s Most Outstanding Special Team’s Player – retired, there’s an opening in the return game. Of the returning players on the roster with recent return experience, Tunde Adeleke and Terry Williams are both expected to have bigger roles at free safety and running back, respectively. Some of the new faces who could take the torch include Troy Stoudermire, who has experience in the CFL returning kicks, Kylen Towner, who had 2,758 return yards during his time at Western Kentucky, Romar Morris, who averaged 22 yards per return during college, Gump Hayes, who occasionally returned punts while at Arizona State, and Dagogo Maxwell, who has a 96-yard return touchdown to his resume. Regardless which player gets the nod, they’ll have some big shoes to fill.

5. Who will replace Shaq Richardson at the SAM Linebacker position?

After Shaq Richardson agreed to a contract with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL, he left a hole in the Stamps depth chart. To fill the void, the Stamps could look to a number of returning players or free agent acquisitions. Veteran Jamar Wall should have the opportunity to practice at the position, while current free safety Tunde Adeleke – who played some SAM last season – is another option. Of the new faces, players such as Emanuel Davis and Tre Roberson may get a shot at playing the position. With a plethora of options, it will be interesting to see how the coaches divide up the reps at that position and how they stack the depth chart come pre-season game number one on June 1 at McMahon Stadium.