The Ottawa Redblacks have traded quarterback Dru Brown and a 2027 second round pick (previously traded by Winnipeg to Ottawa) to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for a 2027 first round pick and a conditional 2028 second round pick.
Dru Brown is five foot eleven and weighs 191 pounds. The 29-year-old from Palo Alto, California, completed 7 of 8 passes (87.5%) for 69 yards and two touchdowns in one preseason game in 2026.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed Brown as a free agent on March 11, 2020, but the season was canceled. Brown concluded his third season in Winnipeg, completing 102 of 153 passes (67%) for 1,484 yards, 14 touchdowns, two interceptions, 37 carries for 113 yards, and 5 touchdowns in 38 games. He is a member of the 2021 Winnipeg Blue Bombers Grey Cup championship team.
In 2023, Brown completed 62 of 89 passes (70%) for 983 yards, 9 touchdowns, 11 carries for 30 yards, and two touchdowns in 18 games, of which he appeared in 8 games and started three of them. In his three starts for the Blue Bombers, Brown completed 47 of 68 passes (69.1%) for 756 yards, 8 touchdowns, and two carries for 13 yards.
The Ottawa Redblacks acquired Brown via a trade with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on January 18, 2024, for a 2024 fifth-round draft pick. He signed a two-year contract extension six days later.
In 2024, Brown completed 312 of 464 passes (67.2%) for 3,959 yards, 18 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and 14 carries for 57 yards in 15 starts, leading Ottawa to its first playoff appearance since 2018.
Brown re-signed with the Redblacks on January 15, 2025. In 2025, he completed 196 of 274 passes (71.5%) for 2,389 yards, 14 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, and nine carries for 18 yards in 11 games. He missed most of the season with a neck and knee injury.
Collegiately, Brown played one season at San Mateo in 2015, completing 104 of 194 passes (53.6%) for 1,879 yards, 21 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 63 carries for 188 yards, and 6 touchdowns in 11 games for the Bulldogs.
Next, Brown transferred to Hawaii (2016-17), completing 463 of 747 passes (62%) for 5,273 yards, 37 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, 146 carries for 313 yards, and 6 touchdowns in 25 games for the Rainbow Warriors. During his time in Hawaii, Brown was named Hawaii Bowl MVP in 2016 after leading the Rainbow Warriors to a 52-35 win over Middle Tennessee State.
Then, Brown transferred to Oklahoma State (2018-19), completing 72 of 107 passes (67.3%) for 810 yards, seven touchdowns, one interception, 23 carries for six yards, and one touchdown in eight games for the Cowboys.
