After leading the CFL’s East Division with a 9-7 record last year, the Toronto Argonauts ended their season a game earlier than they had hoped to, losing to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ tough defensive squad in the Eastern Finals.
Despite this disappointing end to the year, the Argos enter this year with more hope than they have in a while and Ontario sports betting oddsmakers agree.
Bet MGM Sportsbook Ontario has Toronto at +550 to win the 2022 Grey Cup, the best odds in the East and tied for third-best in the league overall.
This will be the first CFL season where there is a regulated and competitive Ontario sports betting market in the province. The iGaming market launched on April 4.
The Argonauts don’t open the season until Week 2, hosting the Montreal Alouttes on June 16.
Grey Cup Futures Odds
| ⭐ Winnipeg Blue Bombers | +225 |
| ⭐ Calgary Stampeders | +500 |
| ⭐ Toronto Argonauts | +550 |
| ⭐ Saskatchewan Roughriders | +550 |
| ⭐ Hamilton Tiger-Cats | +650 |
| ⭐ Montreal Alouettes | +1000 |
| ⭐ Ottawa Redblacks | +1200 |
| ⭐ British Columbia Lions | +1600 |
| ⭐ Edmonton Elks | +1600 |
Offense Adds Key Players
The biggest change for Toronto coming into this season is actually a lack of change, as for the first time in a few years the Argonauts bring back the bulk of the previous year’s roster. And they made some key additions. Veteran offensive playmakers Andrew Harris and Brandon Banks join the squad, as does defensive lineman Ja’Gared Davis from the rival Tiger-Cats.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson is back under center and for the first time in his career, the 33-year-old comes into a season as a the clear-cut starting QB with a team that seems to have an offense built around his strengths.
Banks has had trouble staying healthy, but the 2019 CFL Most Outstanding Player is the perfect deep threat for the big-armed Bethel-Thompson and won’t be needed to lead the receiving corps, which is ridiculously deep.
Davaris Daniels, Eric Rogers and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. combine with Banks to give their QB a bevy of throwing options. Harris has been the CFL’s best receiving running back when he's healthy. The Argonauts had the third-most passing yards in the league last year, averaging 261.7 a game, and that should be the floor for this electric attack.
Harris played just seven games last year and is one of the oldest backs in the league, but he showed in last season's Western Final that he could still deliver, putting up 136 yards on the ground to send Winnipeg to the Grey Cup.
Toronto was one of the least productive teams rushing last year, ranking second-to-last in yards per carry and third-to-last in total yards. The Argonauts will still have a pass-heavy offensive system, so don’t expect amazing rushing totals, but they should be much more effective when they do run the ball.
Room for Improvement on Defense
Defensively, the Argonauts could improve upon last year’s middling showing. The biggest issue was the pass rush as Toronto had just 29 sacks, second-to-last in the CFL. Acquiring Davis will help; he was eighth in the league in sacks in 2021. By signing him away from Hamilton, Toronto has also taken a strength away from its biggest rival in the East.
After leading the East in last year’s regular season it’s time for Toronto to take the next step in the playoffs, and the Argonauts have the offense to do that. If the upgrades to the defensive line and the rushing attack have their intended effect, Toronto’s current +550 odds to win the Grey Cup will look like a value as the season goes on.
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