The Calgary Stampeders have been one of the more inconsistent teams in the CFL this season. At times, this offence looks really good. They can move the football, they have weapons and they can put points on the board. But then you have games where they just can’t finish, and that’s been one of my biggest issues with Calgary this season. One big impact player has been missing, Reggie Begelton.
The numbers show Calgary can score. The Stampeders have 49 touchdowns this season, second-most in the CFL. So I don’t necessarily think scoring touchdowns overall is the problem. It’s when they’re scoring them. Look at Labour Day against Edmonton. Calgary went into the fourth quarter up 25-14 and looked like they were in a pretty good position to win the game.
Then the fourth quarter happened. Calgary didn’t score an offensive touchdown, managed just three points and watched Edmonton put up 24 points to come all the way back and win 38-28. That’s the kind of game Calgary can’t afford to lose at this point in the season. And that’s where getting Reggie Begelton back could be huge. You hope having a real gamer like him back into the lineup can fix that issue.
Begelton has basically missed this entire season and most of last season after getting injured against Toronto back in June 2025.
Now, after practicing in full over the last couple of weeks, Reggie Begelton is finally back and will make his season debut in the Battle of Alberta rematch in Edmonton this Saturday.
But will he be enough?
Will This Be Enough?
When I look at the Calgary Stampeders’ offence, I actually really like a lot of the pieces they have. You have guys like Erik Brooks, Dejon Brissett, Dedrick Mills and Jalen Philpot. There’s talent there. But I’ve felt like they were missing one more explosive player. Someone who can go out there, make that big play and completely change a game. Reggie Begelton can be that guy.
He’s that 50-50 ball receiver. He’s a guy you can throw the football up to and trust him to go make a play. And when you get into the fourth quarter and need someone to step up, that’s exactly the type of player you want on the field.
Before getting hurt, Begelton had 427 catches for 5,660 yards and 28 touchdowns in his CFL career. He was also coming off a 2024 season where he had 92 catches for 1,150 yards. That’s a pretty good player to suddenly add to your offence this late in the season.
However, I don’t think we can just expect Begelton to walk back onto the field and immediately be the same player he was before. The guy hasn’t played a CFL game in over a year. That’s a long time to be away from football, especially coming back from a major injury.
Personally, if it was me, I probably would have tried getting him back into the lineup a few weeks ago if he was healthy enough to go. Give him some time to get his feet underneath him before Calgary gets into this part of the schedule.
But either way, he’s back now, and Calgary needs him.
Is Begelton Enough to Save Calgary’s Season?
This is where I’m a little more unsure. Do I think Reggie Begelton makes the Calgary Stampeders better? Absolutely. Do I think he’s enough by himself to turn this entire season around? I don’t know. Calgary is 5-7 and they’re chasing Edmonton, Saskatchewan, BC and Winnipeg in the West.
And now you have to go into Edmonton and play an Elks team that just came into your building and beat you 38-28. That’s not going to be easy. I think Begelton makes Calgary’s offence better. I think he gives Vernon Adams Jr. another weapon, and maybe he’s that guy who makes the big catch in the fourth quarter that Calgary has been missing.
But one player isn’t going to fix everything. Calgary still needs to put together four quarters of football. The defence needs to be better late in games, and the offence can’t disappear when they have a lead like it did against Edmonton on Labour Day.
If Calgary loses this game, depending on what happens with BC and Winnipeg, they could find themselves in a very tough position to make the playoffs.
That’s what makes this game so interesting to me. Reggie Begelton is finally back. I think he makes Calgary better. Now we get to find out if he’s enough to help turn their season around.
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