Toronto Argonauts player # 11 (QB) Cameron Dukes is seen out on the sidelines during the pre-game warm-up before the 1st quarter of CFL game action between the Edmonton Elks and the Toronto Argonauts at the Brick Field located at Commonwealth stadium in Edmonton Sunday, June 25, 2023. (CFL PHOTO - Walter Tychnowicz). (CFL PHOTO - Walter Tychnowicz)
A year ago, nobody knew who Cameron Dukes was. He was a low-profile, more accurately a no-profile player from Lindsey Wilson College, an NAIA school few people on this side of the border had ever heard of.
This year Dukes has become one of, if not the most intriguing player in camp. As the Toronto Argonauts prepare to play their first pre-season game Saturday night in Montreal, the 25-year-old has been a part of the first offensive group since Day One of training camp and is the presumed starting quarterback to open the season, though head coach Ryan Dinwiddie hasn’t told him that yet.
“We haven’t had that conversation,” the QB confirmed to Argonauts.ca.
Dukes’ ascension to the starting role is via a unique path. While others have been named a starting quarterback due to a trade, a free-agency departure, an injury, or the starter playing his way out of the job, Dukes’ opportunity has come because of a league suspension to Chad Kelly, meaning that last year’s CFL Most Outstanding Player will miss at least the first nine games of the regular season.
It’s created a chance for Dukes to show-off his talent in the interim.
“There’s no secret that it is a huge opportunity for me in terms of my career personally, but I try to not let that kind of stuff creep in,” said Dukes. “I just try to stay focused on what our team’s goal is, which is to win Week One. After Week One the focus is on Week Two and to win that week.
“Coming from a college where we had great success, our coach built a foundation of a 1-0 mentality (not looking at the big picture and concentrating on going 1-0 each week) and it wasn’t just a 1-0 mentality on game day; it was at practice, it was in school, it was making your bed in the morning when you get up.”
His answer was interrupted by the interviewer, who laughed at the concept of going 1-0 making the bed.
“He was serious,” said Dukes with a smile. “We had a guy come in and literally say if you want to be a champion, make your bed in the morning because you want to start out with success. You want to have success, well, start your day with success.”
While Argonauts.ca can neither confirm nor deny the tidiness of Dukes’ dorm room at the University of Guelph, it can be confirmed that the QB’s off-season workout regimen changed a bit this year. While he was still working out on the field and pushing himself in the gym, he was taking recovery time more seriously. He was also working on his mental approach to the game, preparing to come into camp as the backup before the suspension was handed down, then suddenly seeing his name move higher on the depth chart.
This year at training camp it’s been so far, so good.
“Things are slowing down for me on the field,” he explained. “It’s always great when you can slow things down. I’m keying on things pre-snap that coming into last year’s camp I did not see. Having Nick (Arbuckle) come in these last few days had been a huge advantage as well. I’ve been able to pick his brain for things that he’s seen through his time in the league. It’s really helped.”
Arbuckle was signed last Sunday, the same day the club released rookie Hunter Raquet. The five-year veteran joined Dukes and Bryan Scott – who is also entering his second CFL season – as the third QB at camp. It’s a move that could have changed the positional dynamic, perhaps introducing an unhealthy competitive element to the group. Dukes says the complete opposite has happened.
“It’s a great relationship in the quarterback room. Our meetings with Coach Miller (QB coach Mike Miller) are always great. We have a good time in the room, but at the same time the meetings are businesslike, we’re working.”
When they’re not hitting the playbook or watching film, Dukes says the trio “goofs off with each other” during down time, but still gets the work done and is developing a solid relationship.
Coach Miller’s coaching background is extensive, including time as the offensive coordinator with the Montreal Alouettes and Arizona Cardinals. He’s the coach that Dukes deals with the most, but the second-year pro can also learn from Arbuckle, Dinwiddie, and offensive advisor Drew Tate, all of whom have CFL experience at the position.
It’s a golden opportunity to pick everyone’s brain and accelerate the learning process, but there’s also the danger of getting conflicting advice from four excellent sources. Dukes says that hasn’t been the case.
“Everybody knows there’s a chain of command. A lot of our communication comes through Coach Miller, and when R.D. (Dinwiddie) needs to step in and say something to us if Miller’s not around, or we pass Dinwiddie on the field and he wants to say something, he jumps in and says stuff. But everybody’s arrows are pointing in the same direction, so there’s really no conflicting advice.”
After reiterating how strong the quarterback dynamic is, Dukes explained that while everyone in the room wants to become the starter, they all realize there’s only room on the field for one QB at a time.
He then turned as serious as he’d be during the 15-minute conversation with the reporter.
“We just want to win games. That’s the biggest thing for us and that’s been the biggest thing my entire career. I want to be a winner. If that means my time is coming four years from now, then my time is coming four years from now. If it’s next week, it’s next week.
“I’m trying not to focus on letting that cloud our vision in the quarterback room. I think we all understand what the common goal is, and we understand that if one guy beats another guy out, he earns it. I can’t hold a grudge against another man for taking the job.”
The native of Shepherdsville, Kentucky – located just south of Louisville – knows what it’s like to win, albeit on a much smaller stage. He led Lindsey Wilson College to its first-ever NAIA national championship, earning individual accolades along the way, including being named the top offensive player of the National Championship Game.
After a year of playing arena football, he made his way north, joining the Argos last year. He got into a game in Calgary after an injury to Kelly, then played in road games in Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, and Ottawa after Toronto had clinched first place in the East.
It’s hard to put a tangible value on how important those experiences were.
“I’m so fortunate for the time I got last year. How great is it coming into a team that just dominates? Being able to have that ability to come in and play Winnipeg, Saskatchewan, Ottawa; all being on the road too. I’m really grateful to be able to play on the road in those environments. Calgary too.”
Dukes entered that game after an injury to Kelly.
“It wasn’t really a successful takeover, but I learned so much from that game, being able to use my eyes, seeing rotation, pre-snap, post-snap, and being able to take that into Winnipeg and into Sask., and just trying to learn every time I step onto the field. It really is invaluable. You can watch film and try to study as much as you can, but there’s nothing like getting the actual reps in a game and seeing it happening at full speed.”
He hasn’t been able to show off his killer instincts on the field yet, aside from his playing time in those road games last year. For now, he’s just known to fans for his long hair, southern accent, ever-present smile, and sunny disposition.
That’s not an act. Dukes is living his best life right now. He’s moved from Kentucky to Navarre Beach, Florida. It’s on the panhandle, located on a peninsula with the Gulf of Mexico to the south and Santa Rosa Sound to the north. When not working out he fully enjoys the life of a beach bum, with his backyard literally being a pristine white sand beach.
“I’m at the beach any time I can,” he said while showing your humble typist a spectacular picture of his beach at sunset. “I love fishing. I don’t have any good fish stories from this off-season because we’re not very good fishermen,” he said, bursting out in laughter. “We went deep sea fishing two years ago and that was one of the best fishing experiences I’ve had. We caught a big 55-pound amberjack.
He may never have a post-football career as a fishing guide, but he’ll have to show his leadership skills this year with the Boatmen. It’s a responsibility that comes with the position he plays.
“I’ve always been someone who leads by example in terms of how I go about my process,” he said. “I’ll be vocal if I need to be vocal. I’ll step in and say some things if I need to say some things and maybe rally guys and try to keep the energy positive. That’s the biggest thing for me, I just want to make sure the guys are enjoying playing the game and not getting frustrated when we have little mistakes during camp, that’s what it’s for, is building the foundation leading into the season and clicking at the right time.”
That time is now for Dukes. He’s put in the work; he now just has to show he can lead the Argos for at least the first half of the season.