Ottawa Redblacks Announce 2026 Coaching Staff

The Ottawa Redblacks announced its 2026 coaching staff on Thursday. New to the coaching staff is former CFL quarterback Drew Tate.

Drew Tate is six foot and weighs 190 pounds. The 41-year-old from Baytown, Texas, spent the last two seasons as an offensive assistant for the Toronto Argonauts under Ryan Dinwiddie, winning a Grey Cup in 2024.

His coaching career began in 2018 as a defensive analyst at Coastal Carolina before becoming a quarterback coach for the B.C. Lions in 2019.

In 2020, he was a wide receiver/tight end/running backs coach for the Alphas (TSL). Next, he was a quarterback coach at the University of Tennessee-Martin in 2021, followed by a tight ends coach at Northern Iowa in 2022. In 2023, he was a wide receivers coach for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

As a player, Tate signed with the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2007. He later signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and spent two seasons on the practice squad as the Roughriders won the Grey Cup in 2007.

On June 3, 2009, Tate signed with the Calgary Stampeders. Tate played eight seasons in Calgary, completing 380 of 572 passes (66.4%) for 4,670 yards, 32 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 160 carries for 617 yards, and 24 touchdowns in 129 games, of which 13 were starts. During his time in Calgary, Tate was the CFL’s rushing touchdowns leader when the Stampeders won the Grey Cup in 2014.

Then, Tate was traded to the Ottawa Redblacks in 2017 for a fifth-round draft pick in 2018. He played one season in Ottawa, completing 30 of 43 passes (69.8%) for 338 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for 12 yards in 18 games, of which he started one.

On June 1, 2018, Tate announced his retirement. However, he unretired in November of the same year to sign with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in their playoff loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Tate would again retire on December 17, 2018.

Collegiately, Tate played four seasons at Iowa (2003-06), completing 665 of 1,090 passes (61%) for 8,292 yards, 61 touchdowns, 34 interceptions, 187 carries for 135 yards, one touchdown, and one catch for eight yards in 41 games for the Hawkeyes. He was named First Team All-Big Ten by the coaches, Second Team All-Big Ten by the Media, and was named the Capital One Bowl MVP in 2005.

Jeff Reinebold returns to the CFL as the team’s special teams coordinator. He has coached for over 40 years, including 17 years in the CFL, 18 years in college football, and five years in NFL Europe. The 68-year-old from South Bend, Indiana, spent two seasons as a defensive coordinator for the University of Hawaii under head coach Timmy Chang.

He was last in the CFL in 2023 for his third stint as a special teams coordinator & assistant defensive backs coach of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2013-16, 2019-21, 2023). In the CFL, he was also with the Las Vegas Posse (1994), Edmonton Eskimos (1995), Montreal Alouettes (2012), Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1997-98), and the B.C. Lions (1991-94, 1996, 2018).

Ottawa Redblacks 2026 Coaching Staff