Blue Bombers Roster Moves - June 3

[Sir Blue and Gold]

This can probably use its own thread.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following transactions:

Released from roster:
American quarterback Josh Jones
American receiver Manasseh Bailey
American receiver Sean Coyne
American receiver Braxton Westfield
American receiver Tavaris Harrison
American receiver Brendan Beaulieu
American receiver Gavin Garner
American running back Kevon Latulas
American running back Vance Barnes
American running back Jordan Salima
American offensive lineman Kelvin Ateman
American offensive lineman Desmond Bessent
American defensive end Joe Beckett
American defensive end DeJaun Cooper
American defensive end Aaron Sterling
American defensive tackle Keenan Agnew
American linebacker Barrington Wade
American kicker Chandler Staton
American defensive back Karon Delince
National kicker Marc Liegghio
National defensive back Jordan Veltri
National defensive back Jacob Janke
National defensive back Bret MacDougall
National linebacker Max Charbonneau
National offensive lineman Cole Adamson

Added to practice roster:
American running back Greg McCrae
American offensive lineman Drew Richmond
American offensive lineman Chris Ivy
American long snapper Damian Jackson
American defensive back Abu Daramy-Swaray
American defensive back/returner Matt Cole
American defensive tackle Caleb Thomas
American receiver Amare Jones
National offensive lineman Jakub Szott
National receiver Jeremy Murphy
Global offensive lineman Tomoya Machino
Global defensive back Souleymane Karamoko
Global punter Karl Schmitz

Added to suspended list (returning to school):
National defensive tackle Collin Kornelson

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/06/03/blue-bombers-transactions-15/

[pdirks67]

A few newbies that catch my eye on the active roster. I didn't notice them for good or bad last night.
- DT Tanner Schmekel
- DE Celestin Haba
- LB Brian Cole

[Sir Blue and Gold]

Haba is interesting. He's really young and don't know much about him. Doesn't have jump off the page stats at Texas A&M but he's made it this far so there must be something there.

[bwiser]

I guess the only mild surprises are Leggs getting outright released and Barrington Wade also getting outright released.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

The defensive line winners appear to be:

DE
Haba, Celestin
Jeffcoat, Jackson   
Jefferson, Willie   
Bennett, Anthony

DT
Lawson, Cameron   
Schmekel, Tanner   
Thomas, Jake   
Walker, Ricky

[pjrocksmb]

The defensive line winners appear to be:

DE
Haba, Celestin
Jeffcoat, Jackson   
Jefferson, Willie   
Bennett, Anthony

DT
Lawson, Cameron   
Schmekel, Tanner   
Thomas, Jake   
Walker, Ricky

Need a couple of these guys to step up big

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

The defensive line winners appear to be:

DE
Haba, Celestin
Jeffcoat, Jackson   
Jefferson, Willie   
Bennett, Anthony

DT
Lawson, Cameron   
Schmekel, Tanner   
Thomas, Jake   
Walker, Ricky

I'm pretty much dumbfounded by some of these names, wish I could go back and rewatch the pre-season games, because I missed a lot of the action.

[kkc60]

I'm pretty much dumbfounded by some of these names, wish I could go back and rewatch the pre-season games, because I missed a lot of the action.

Haba played like one game I think. Good chance when Jeffcoat is back, he and Thomas could flip

[bwiser]

There could be more moves to come yet. I would not be surprised if the Bombers picked up a player or two from players that got released from other CFL teams. Lemon is one name that jumps out as a possibility.

[NewBlue]

Not sure if I even heard McRae's name once all preseason.
How did he make the PR?  I guess they know what he can do already - no surprises.

[Pete]

I believe Mcrae was hurt
Hard to believe that only one rookie american made the active roster -Haba  and that may be cause they wanted a longer look at him
Our scouting this year seems a bit weaker, especially on the defensive line.
On the plus side we did seem to find some stronger practice roster players
I do agree that we need to look at some of the other teams cuts along the dline. Be interesting to see who BC cuts as  I thought they had some good looking dlinemen

[pjrocksmb]

Not sure if I even heard McRae's name once all preseason.
How did he make the PR?  I guess they know what he can do already - no surprises.

Was hurt I think

[kkc60]

I believe Mcrae was hurt
Hard to believe that only one rookie american made the active roster -Haba  and that may be cause they wanted a longer look at him
Our scouting this year seems a bit weaker, especially on the defensive line.
On the plus side we did seem to find some stronger practice roster players
I do agree that we need to look at some of the other teams cuts along the dline. Be interesting to see who BC cuts as  I thought they had some good looking dlinemen

There is something funny about all except one of the guys from the ?Scouts Notebook? series being cut

[Blue In BC]

Roster will change before game day. All of the vet players that were injured need to be accounted for yet: Lawrence, Rose, Jeffcoat, Darby and Parker. Parker looked like he's headed to the IR based on his injury.

The fact that 2 rookie DB's were moved to PR suggests the veteran DB's( except Parker ) are probably ok?

Our back up DT's are all going to be Canadian. I think we're 2 imports and 1 Canadian over the limit.

We had over 100 players at one point and ended up with only 2 players we didn't draft on the AR. 6 players are new to the team. Aguodsi and Cole were here last year.

Our one new import DE has been here for a week more or less.

Lots of new faces on the PR. No extra QB, no new RB ( McCrae ),not much in the way of new DL.

We'll have to see how this shakes out in the early going. The lack of changes on the DL and depth are a concern.

[Blue In BC]

A few newbies that catch my eye on the active roster. I didn't notice them for good or bad last night.
- DT Tanner Schmekel
- DE Celestin Haba
- LB Brian Cole

Cole played 11 games with Winnipeg in 2022 as a DI.

[TecnoGenius]

Added to practice roster:
American offensive lineman Drew Richmond
American offensive lineman Chris Ivy
National offensive lineman Jakub Szott
Global offensive lineman Tomoya Machino

American defensive back Abu Daramy-Swaray

I'm a bit surprised we kept so many OL.  Those guys were hot garbage.  I was watching when SSK put in their #2's on OL and they did quite well.  Then look over at our #2 and #3 OL, and they were horrific.  Why?

I guess it's becoming urgent that we find or develop our Yosh/Stan replacement for when one finally retires.  Richmond seems to be our prime candidate as we've been trying him out for a while.  But he hasn't stood out yet.  Can you imagine replacing Yosh/Stan with Richmond mid-season?  Disaster.

Szott might be an interesting case as clearly The Mafia saw something good in him in OTT in '21.  (What was the dude doing in '22?)  I'll give him some rope.

I guess the GLOB is a freebie, so no comment there.  Ivy looked horrific so not sure what's going on there.  The entire US of A and we can't find the future Yosh/Stan??

As for Swaray: he stood out in game 2 and I think it's a good signing.  Kick the tires a bit more.

[DM83]

Don?t like Richmond and Ivy.  Saw them standing around a lot with no opponent near them, nor they around the ball carrier.
Still some deletions I expect.

[Blue72]

I'm surprised that McCrae is still her same as is Augustine. McCrae really hasn't jumped out as a outstanding IMP RB, I know he does a backup receiver and RB but so would Salima if given a chance. As for Augustine, if he wasn't Canadian would he still be here. We need a big monster like the guy Toronto has if we want to go Canadian RB.

[the paw]

I guess the only mild surprises are Leggs getting outright released and Barrington Wade also getting outright released.

.

Leggs was a coin flip, but it wasn't a surprise in the sense that it has been in the wind all training camp.

the only real surprise was this DE Haba making the team, I did not see that coming at all. 

I was wondering if Salima showed enough to get McRae's spot, but when i stop and think about its not a surprise they stuck with McRae. 

[DM83]

This Hana guy didn?t. Even get in a camera shot.  Who is he!

Ok now for real,  Hurl would be better. 

[Pete]

I'm a bit surprised we kept so many OL.  Those guys were hot garbage.  I was watching when SSK put in their #2's on OL and they did quite well.  Then look over at our #2 and #3 OL, and they were horrific.  Why?

I guess it's becoming urgent that we find or develop our Yosh/Stan replacement for when one finally retires.  Richmond seems to be our prime candidate as we've been trying him out for a while.  But he hasn't stood out yet.  Can you imagine replacing Yosh/Stan with Richmond mid-season?  Disaster.

Szott might be an interesting case as clearly The Mafia saw something good in him in OTT in '21.  (What was the dude doing in '22?)  I'll give him some rope.

I guess the GLOB is a freebie, so no comment there.  Ivy looked horrific so not sure what's going on there.  The entire US of A and we can't find the future Yosh/Stan??

As for Swaray: he stood out in game 2 and I think it's a good signing.  Kick the tires a bit more.

i thought richmond did well against sask especially when they had their 1st team. I think your underestimating the ability of him and likely Ivy. Putting 5 guys together for a game that haven't played together is going to be very tough. One of the main strengths of our #1 unit is how they work together. It only takes one weak link to make the whole line look bad

[ModAdmin]

Roster cut down by 25

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers still have some lineup decisions to complete over the next few days, but the roster they'll take into the 2023 Canadian Football League season will look very, very familiar.

And that shouldn't exactly shock anyone across the three-down neighbourhood, given this club's three-straight Grey Cup appearances including back-to-back championships in 2019-2021 and their dominance in posting a franchise record 15-3 mark a year ago.

The Blue Bombers announced their roster decisions early Saturday evening prior to the 10 p.m. deadline, and here are the details, plus a look at who is returning, who is new and a quick take on what it all means with less than a week before the season opener this Friday at IG Field against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats...

Released outright from the roster on Saturday were 25 players including:

   Veteran kicker Marc Liegghio, who handled all the kicking chores a year ago and played in 32 regular season games and the last two Grey Cups for the club.
   Three draft picks in defensive back Bret MacDougall, linebacker Max Charbonneau from this year's class along with converted defensive tackle/guard Cole Adamson from last year's class. Defensive tackle Collin Kornelson - selected in the fifth round this year - is expected to return to the University of Manitoba and was moved to the suspended list.
   Quarterback Josh Jones, American receivers Manasseh Bailey, Sean Coyne, Braxton Westfield, Tavaris Harrison, Brendan Beaulieu and Gavin Garner, running backs Kevon Latulas, Vance Barnes and Jordan Salima. Harrison dressed for five games last year but did not catch a pass, while Salima scored a TD in Friday's preseason finale.
   Along the line of scrimmage, American offensive linemen Kelvin Ateman and Desmond Bessent and D-linemen Joe Beckett, DeJaun Cooper - who dressed for five games a year ago - Aaron Sterling and Keenan Agnew were all let go. As were Americans Barrington Wade, a linebacker, and defensive back Karon Delince, along with Canadian DBs Jordan Veltri and Jacob Janke and American placekicker Chandler Staton.

The club also added 13 players to the practice roster - eight Americans, two Canadians and three Globals. That list:

   The Americans: running back Greg McCrae, receiver Amare Jones and O-linemen Drew Richmond and Chris Ivy, defensive lineman/long snapper/fullback Damian Jackson, defensive tackle Caleb Thomas and defensive backs Abu Daramy-Swaray and Matt Cole.
   The Canadians: 2023 draft pick Jeremy Murphy, a receiver, along with O-lineman Jakub Szott.
   The Globals: O-lineman Tomoya Machino, defensive back Souleymane Karamoko and punter Karl Schmitz.

WHO'S RETURNING

*Indicates Canadian, PR: Practice roster

QB: Zach Collaros, Dru Brown

RB: Brady Oliveira*, Johnny Augustine*, Greg McCrae (PR)

FB: Mike Miller*, Konner Burtenshaw* (six-game injured)

Rec: Dalton Schoen, Nic Demski*, Rasheed Bailey, Drew Wolitarsky*, Janarion Grant, Brendan O?Leary-Orange*, Carlton Agudosi

OL: Stanley Bryant, Geoff Gray*, Chris Kolankowski*, Pat Neufeld*, Jermarcus Hardrick, Liam Dobson*, Drew Richmond (PR), Tomoya Machino (Global, PR)

DL: Jackson Jeffcoat, Willie Jefferson, Jake Thomas*, Cam Lawson*, Ricky Walker, Thiadric Hanson (Global; six-game injured list)

LB: Adam Bighill, Malik Clements, Kyrie Wilson (six-game injured list), Shayne Gauthier*, Tanner Cadwallader*, Jesse Briggs*, Les Maruo (Global), Brian Cole

DB: Deatrick Nichols, Brandon Alexander, Alden Darby, Jr., Evan Holm, Winston Rose, Desmond Lawrence, Nick Hallett*, Demerio Houston, Redha Kramdi*, Jamal Parker, Souleymane Karamoko (Global, PR)

LS: Mike Benson*

WHO'S NEW:

QB: Tyrrell Pigrome

Rec: Kenny Lawler (suspended list), Jeremy Murphy (PR, 2023 3rd-round pick), Amare Jones (PR)

OL: Tui Eli* (one-game injured list), Jakub Szott* (PR), Chris Ivy (PR),

DL: Anthony Bennett* (2023 1st-round pick), Celestin Haba, Tanner Schmekel* (2023 4th-round pick), Caleb Thomas (PR)

DB: Jake Kelly* (2023 2nd-round pick), Matt Cole (PR), Abu Daramy-Swaray (PR),

K: Sergio Castillo

P: Jamieson Sheahan (Global); Karl Schmitz (Global, PR)

LS: Damian Jackson (PR, also a DL and FB)

WHAT SOME OF THIS MEANS

   The current roster includes 47 players who suited up for at least one game last season.
   All but three starters from last year's Grey Cup - centre Michael Couture (B.C.), defensive tackle Casey Sayles (Hamilton) and receiver Greg Ellingson (Montreal) are back.
   The decision on Liegghio means the club will have two new kickers handling the chores this season, although the return of Castillo for a third stint with the team hardly makes him 'new.' Sheahan, the club's first pick in the 2023 Global Draft, is on the roster as the punter with Schmitz, the second pick, on the practice roster. Interestingly, in the two seasons since Justin Medlock kicked six field goals in the 2019 Grey Cup, the club has used four different place kickers - Liegghio in 2021 and 2022, Castillo at the end of 2022 as well as Tyler Crapigna and Ali Mourtada.
   The team's top four picks in the 2023 CFL draft - Bennett, Kelly, Murphy and Schmekel - all made the team, with Bennett and Kelly currently on the active roster.
   Pigrome, who had a sensational preseason, has made the team as the No. 3 QB behind Collaros and Brown.
   And, finally, Monday's first practice session will be very revealing as to the Week 1 status of players like Bighill, Oliveira, Jeffcoat, Lawrence, Grant and Rose, all of whom had been limited, or not practised at all, during camp.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/06/03/roster-cut-down-by-25/

[BBFANDM]

This Hana guy didn?t. Even get in a camera shot.  Who is he!

Ok now for real,  Hurl would be better. 

He only played in that last game I noticed him he seem to get up field well on most plays just didn't have a good stat line.

[Pigskin]

I am puzzled with Bennett on the AR. But, then again who else do we have.

P3, is going to be a very exciting player to watch. I hope Buck can put together a package for this kid.

A little disappointed that we couldn't find that 6'2" 300lb. DT run stopper. 

[TecnoGenius]

i thought richmond did well against sask especially when they had their 1st team. I think your underestimating the ability of him and likely Ivy. Putting 5 guys together for a game that haven't played together is going to be very tough. One of the main strengths of our #1 unit is how they work together. It only takes one weak link to make the whole line look bad

SSK's random "5-guys together" 1st, 2nd and 3rd OLs stopped our A/B/C DLs all night.  None of our 1st, 2nd or 3rd OLs stopped SSK's DLs all night.

How is this possible unless either our DLs were crap, or our OLs were crap, or both?  Or SSK's random "guys together" OLs/DLs were world beaters?

See what I mean, the "PS random guys" excuse has to work both ways for both teams, does it not?  Our QBs were looking like 2022 Fajardo out there.  I felt sorry for them.

I will take a closer look at Richmond on the PVR.  I'm going mostly by what I saw live @IGF.  I haven't studied the PVR yet.  Of course it could have been just 2-3 crap guys making the whole OL look bad.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Two sticking points for me, they lost Sayles in F.A. and they replace him with Schmekel a Natl. that looked inadequate in both pre-season games.  They now have 3 Natl. DT's + Ricky Walker, no ratio logic, why not just go with Caleb Thomas who looked much more effective than Schmekel?

Same for Bennett, he looked pretty ineffective in both games, I'd be fine with him developing on the P.R. but the DE's are going to need help right out of the gate.  Help looks like probably needs to come from outside the team.  McCallister, Lemon or whoever, do it fast Kyle before nobody is left.

[kkc60]

Two sticking points for me, they lost Sayles in F.A. and they replace him with Shmekel a Natl. that looked pretty bad in both pre-season games. Same for Bennett, he looked perfectly ineffective in both games, I'm fine with him developing on the P.R. but the DE's will need help right out of the gate.

last season our DL was the weak point on defence. It?s only gotten worse.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

last season our DL was the weak point on defence. It?s only gotten worse.

Last season the DE's were stressed out with inadequate rotation and had less than a great season.  Same thing for Bighill, he was busy covering up for weaker LB's and had less than his greatest season.  Going into this season, it doesn't look like much has changed, and the stars of the defence aren't getting any younger.

[Blue In BC]

Two sticking points for me, they lost Sayles in F.A. and they replace him with Schmekel a Natl. that looked inadequate in both pre-season games.  They now have 3 Natl. DT's + Ricky Walker, no ratio logic, why not just go with Caleb Thomas who looked much more effective than Schmekel?

Same for Bennett, he looked pretty ineffective in both games, I'd be fine with him developing on the P.R. but the DE's are going to need help right out of the gate.  Help looks like probably needs to come from outside the team.  McCallister, Lemon or whoever, do it fast Kyle before nobody is left.

The roster isn't quite set so we could see Caleb Thomas on the AR later this week. Once the injuries among the DB's shake out. As far as I can tell ( once Parker is moved to IR ) is that we have 1 extra import DB, Cole and Haba on the roster to fill 2 DI spots.

One of Lawrence or Rose might end up on IR. In theory you'd think Haba is our only choice for an import DE so he should stick as a DI. So the choice might come down to Cole or C. Thomas.

Bennett is our only Canadian choice at DE so that's no surprise.

We don't really know when Hansen might return. It could be anything from next week to mid season? Getting him back would help.

Is the PR 13 players or 12? We show 13 at the moment but I thought it was only 12?

Yes, we should be calling Lemon's agent. Haba might have a future but Lemon has enormous experience which we need at the moment. If Jeffcoat hasn't recovered totally from his injury, then what? Don't even have another choice on our PR.

[GOLDMEMBER]

I was out with Bombers fans last night many were sad of Liegghio but I think it was a needed move on from. He just does not have the distance consistently in punting and place kicking, well you know the story there.
Nice guy.
Interesting to see if another Club picks him up?

[GOLDMEMBER]

 Issues with the DL are obvious. Hopefully there is a plan up Walters sleeve that has not been revealed yet.

[Blue In BC]

Infers with the DL are obvious. Hopefully there is a plan up Walters sleeve that has not been revealed yet.

Wasn't that what off season, mini camps and TC were for?

I haven't checked all the cuts from other teams, but there might be a few with some CFL experience?

[GOLDMEMBER]

Wasn't that what off season, mini camps and TC were for?

I haven't checked all the cuts from other teams, but there might be a few with some CFL experience?

I agree with you. This is a clear weakness early on.

[Blue In BC]

I agree with you. This is a clear weakness early on.

Riders cut DE Stephan Banks who was projected as a starter earlier. He'd be cheaper than Lemon, but even as an addition to the PR would be something.

[Pete]

Hornbuckle from Ottawa's practice roster as well

[pdirks67]

Cole played 11 games with Winnipeg in 2022 as a DI.

Shows how much I remember from season to season. Thanks for this.

[Blue In BC]

Shows how much I remember from season to season. Thanks for this.

Honestly I didn't think he'd have a chance to make the roster. He only recorded 6 ST's and nothing on defence. OTOH, he may have developed during TC and / or our rookie LB''s really weren't very good. None were even kept on our PR so that says something.

I know they like LS  Damian Jackson but would either of them actually make a mark on defence?

[pdirks67]

Honestly I didn't think he'd have a chance to make the roster. He only recorded 6 ST's and nothing on defence. OTOH, he may have developed during TC and / or our rookie LB''s really weren't very good. None were even kept on our PR so that says something.

I know they like LS  Damian Jackson but would either of them actually make a mark on defence?

From watching practices, it looks like LB Cole can really move. But I have no idea if he has the football IQ to succeed in a game. And I don't know how they'd use Damian Jackson. I would totally get having a Canadian Swiss Army knife in the lineup, but I can't see an import in that role if he doesn't excel at at least one aspect.

[Blue In BC]

Hornbuckle from Ottawa's practice roster as well

Sure. The catch is Banks is a free agent and Hornbuckle is on a PR. So Banks might jump at an opportunity to at least be on our PR while Hornbuckle won't move from one PR to another.

Both have about 20 CFL games. Haba has been here about a week. lol

[Blue In BC]

From watching practices, it looks like LB Cole can really move. But I have no idea if he has the football IQ to succeed in a game. And I don't know how they'd use Damian Jackson. I would totally get having a Canadian Swiss Army knife in the lineup, but I can't see an import in that role if he doesn't excel at at least one aspect.

Yeah I've heard that about Cole so at the very least he could start producing on ST's. Speed is a good starting point and I think the coaches like him. I'm not convinced that we don't use 1 DI spot for a DB instead of a LB. No Karamoko on the AR and only Hallett and Kelly as depth.

Your point about Jackson is the same as mine. If he was a Canadian he'd probably be on the roster. He might even be on the roster if he was a global player.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Hornbuckle from Ottawa's practice roster as well

5 QB sacks last season, he might be an option.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Sure. The catch is Banks is a free agent and Hornbuckle is on a PR. So Banks might jump at an opportunity to at least be on our PR while Hornbuckle won't move from one PR to another.

Both have about 20 CFL games. Haba has been here about a week. lol

It's been a few years since any player has been stolen off a PR, but I believe the team that takes the player must offer them a spot on their roster, they can't go from PR to the PR of a different team.

[Sir Blue and Gold]

It's been a few years since any player has been stolen off a PR, but I believe the team that takes the player must offer them a spot on their roster, they can't go from PR to the PR of a different team.

Correct. And also all that team needs to do to prevent it is move someone else to the 1 game IR, PR or whatever to roster them. It's also kind of frowned upon. The Bombers won't do that.

[the paw]

Maybe its worth holding off on total manic panic until after we see the full D in regular season action.  The line is not substantially different from last year's line, and we went 15-3.  At the end of the day winners and losses are the only metric that matters.

I wouldn't go scrap heaping for other team cuts until we at least see what happens in Game 1.

[Blue In BC]

Maybe its worth holding off on total manic panic until after we see the full D in regular season action.  The line is not substantially different from last year's line, and we went 15-3.  At the end of the day winners and losses are the only metric that matters.

I wouldn't go scrap heaping for other team cuts until we at least see what happens in Game 1.

It's not panic but the DL is significantly different than 2022. We lost Sayles and during 2022 we had 2 DL rookie that saw some game action. Haba was a very late addition and we no others on our PR. Jeffcoat has been nicked in TC.

The names mentioned all have about 20 or more games in the CFL, so it's not exactly searching the scrap pile.

[the paw]

It's not panic but the DL is significantly different than 2022. We lost Sayles and during 2022 we had 2 DL rookie that saw some game action. Haba was a very late addition and we no others on our PR. Jeffcoat has been nicked in TC.

The names mentioned all have about 20 or more games in the CFL, so it's not exactly searching the scrap pile.

You play fast and loose with your definition of significant.  Yes, we lost Sayles but his replacement was with the team all last year.  All the other starters are the same, as is Lawson the primary DT backup.  Last year we had unproven DI as the third DE.  That's the same situation as this year, except the name has changed.  We can presume Baba is an upgrade on Cole because he beat him out.

And signing training camp cuts is the exact definition of scrap heaping.  The fact that they have logged some games with inferior teams doesn't alter that.

[Pigskin]

Doesn't look like the Elks have added Matthew Thomas to there PR. This would be an excellent pickup for the Bombers.

[Blue In BC]

You play fast and loose with your definition of significant.  Yes, we lost Sayles but his replacement was with the team all last year.  All the other starters are the same, as is Lawson the primary DT backup.  Last year we had unproven DI as the third DE.  That's the same situation as this year, except the name has changed.  We can presume Baba is an upgrade on Cole because he beat him out.

And signing training camp cuts is the exact definition of scrap heaping.  The fact that they have logged some games with inferior teams doesn't alter that.

I'd say the same about you. The back ups we had last year spent all or most of TC with us and survived to at least make the PR and eventually the AR. Haba was a very late add and played part of 1 pre season game.

Walker was the DI for most of 2022 but many here including Doug Brown are not convinced he is good enough. As I mentioned we have zero other players on our PR. That's not where we were in 2022.

Sayles was a monster and got one of the highest salaries for a DL or defensive players. That loss in itself is very significant.  Anybody that says otherwise is not paying attention.

Malik Clements was cut by Edmonton.

Brian Cole was cut by Edmonton

Castillo isn't a defensive player but he was an Elks cut this year.  Does that make him a scrap heap player?

Lawler was cut by the Lions before joining the Bombers. Not a bad scrap heap addition I'd say?

Grant was cut by the Ti Cats in TC 2019.

Kolankowski was cut by the Argos.

Need more examples?

[Blue In BC]

Doesn't look like the Elks have added Matthew Thomas to there PR. This would be an excellent pickup for the Bombers.

Careful. The Paw thinks looking at any cuts is useless.

[Pete]

Taking a player from practice roster isn't a common thing, but sometimes a team will offer a draft pick to keep the other team from hiding him

[Blue In BC]

Taking a player from practice roster isn't a common thing, but sometimes a team will offer a draft pick to keep the other team from hiding him

Either that or a neg list player. The larger issue is that it requires an immediate addition to an AR.  An actual free agent could just be added to the PR for evaluation and learning the playbook etc.

[DM83]

I don?t like the make up if the defense at all.
They have nothing to hang your hat on.

What?s with Bighill?
Jeffcoat?
Zero LB?s
D-Line looks like sieves.

Rose, Houston?

[Pete]

The only change to the starting defence really is walker in for Sayles. However in saying that it mystifies me how haba is on roster, other than 1 special teams tackle and 1 offside call he didn't do anything, no pressures at all..

[3rdand1.5]

Let's see how the first couple weeks go, but to say I don't at least have a few concerns about the Defensive line and LB's would be a lie. I like it sounds like most have some real concerns on talent and depth on the front 7

This management and coaching staff has got us to three straight cups and won two and arguably the biggest issue we lost the third has been resolved with Castillo. It's really hard to second guess them and for all we know a guy is on his way.

I do hope Leggs lands somewhere
I am surprised as of today Bennet is on the active, maybe he is a special teams beast?
I am a little surprised with Mc Crea hurt and JA's mediocre at best PS we didn't at least PR an IMP. RB
I am happy Thomas at least was kept around
Haba is a surprise but he must have showed something
Jackson is suprising, but I guess we have a plan to use him
I am concerned with Wilson on the 6 game again..
I am concerned with Biggie and Brady hurt

I can't wait for hopefully the Bombers to put all my concerns to bed....Let's go for four!

[Pigskin]

The only change to the starting defence really is walker in for Sayles. However in saying that it mystifies me how haba is on roster, other than 1 special teams tackle and 1 offside call he didn't do anything, no pressures at all..

I am not sure Walker is going to be as good as Sayles was the past two seasons. Sayles: 32 games.  64 DT, 11 sacks, 2 FF.

[pjrocksmb]

Careful. The Paw thinks looking at any cuts is useless.

No need to pile on The Paw.  He is an extremely valuable member on this forum.

I don?t like the make up if the defense at all.
They have nothing to hang your hat on.

What?s with Bighill?
Jeffcoat?
Zero LB?s
D-Line looks like sieves.

Rose, Houston?

You are entired to your opinion.

Our D is similar to last year and we were great. Yes we have injuries and new faces but also a top coach in Hall and a proven system and lots of killer vets.

Run D a concern.

I am not sure Walker is going to be as good as Sayles was the past two seasons. Sayles: 32 games.  64 DT, 11 sacks, 2 FF.

Agree

[TecnoGenius]

Maybe its worth holding off on total manic panic until after we see the full D in regular season action.

Haha, the forum holding off on a chance to manic panic?!  Haha (but good idea!)

The only change to the starting defence really is walker in for Sayles.

And Parker will be out many weeks, perhaps the majority.  So that's 2 changes.

I am not sure Walker is going to be as good as Sayles was the past two seasons. Sayles: 32 games.  64 DT, 11 sacks, 2 FF.

Yes, that's the problem.

Nevis > Stove > Sayles > Walker

Each step was a downgrade.  It turned out to be just a tiny downgrade at times, but still a downgrade.  I expect Walker to step up and be close to Sayles, but not nearly a Stove/Nevis.

I don't have any sense of panic.  I'm not sure many others do either.  It's more a sense of what did we do to make our D better?  By all measurements, we didn't.  At all.  We tried to limit the damage from losing Sayles.  We tried to refill the DB hopper a little bit.

That's a bit upsetting, as why didn't we FA splash to make our D better?  I guess we had zero money leftover after 2 J's and AB4 got paid.  So this might be the best we could do.

Never forget that we won 2022 mostly on the backs of the O.  Our unstoppable 2019 D is long gone.  We are pinning it mostly on the O again, and that's where the big FA (and retention) money went.  Even the "upgrade" to Castillo is a sign that we're rolling with aggressive need-more-points O.  The D will just have to be serviceable, and we'll still win games.

(Maybe we are making a last minute bid for Lemon, it would be a cheap way to shore up the DL, and he can FAKENAT for Fatboi at times in creative schemes.)

[TecnoGenius]

I am concerned with Wilson on the 6 game again..
I am concerned with Biggie and Brady hurt

Are they really though?  This could simply be some of the MOS smoke and mirrors.  He loves to mess with opponents' heads with these is-he-ready-or-not shenanigans.  I won't believe any of it until I see the week 1 depth chart.

(If Wilson is really out for many games to start the season, I will be rather peeved.  What's up with that?)

[Blue In BC]

Are they really though?  This could simply be some of the MOS smoke and mirrors.  He loves to mess with opponents' heads with these is-he-ready-or-not shenanigans.  I won't believe any of it until I see the week 1 depth chart.

(If Wilson is really out for many games to start the season, I will be rather peeved.  What's up with that?)

Wilson is definitely out. For how long remains to be seen. It could be less than 6 weeks but he'll still need to get into game condition and speed after a long lay off. That's once he's cleared medically.

Bighill and Oliveria are back at practice. I don't see that as O'Shea smoke and mirrors. Both are vets and Bighill is an older vet. Neither need massive amount of TC reps, so it's just health management. They may not be 100% but lots of players will have similar issues after TC.

[TecnoGenius]

Wilson is definitely out. For how long remains to be seen. It could be less than 6 weeks but he'll still need to get into game condition and speed after a long lay off. That's once he's cleared medically.

What is Wilson's problem anyhow?  I can't recall... did we ever find out?  Seems like an awfully long time.  I guess it's like BA when he started the season on the PR.  Did we know Wilson was going to spend season-weeks on the IR??  And we still didn't sniff around for FA IMP WILLs?

Love the guy, but holy smokes get out of the tub!  He's turning into Wild part 2!  What's it with these WILLs and tubs?

[Blue In BC]

What is Wilson's problem anyhow?  I can't recall... did we ever find out?  Seems like an awfully long time.  I guess it's like BA when he started the season on the PR.  Did we know Wilson was going to spend season-weeks on the IR??  And we still didn't sniff around for FA IMP WILLs?

Love the guy, but holy smokes get out of the tub!  He's turning into Wild part 2!  What's it with these WILLs and tubs?

Achilles in 2022. Non contact injury chasing down someone to the sideline. I would think we knew he'd be out to start the season. Just like we knew BA was going to miss the early season last year. Whether we considered looking at WIL's in free agency I don't know.

Recovery is never the same for different players. He might ready in a few weeks or gone for half a season.

[Pete]

Haba looks fast, hope he performs like this for the blue ..https://www.hudl.com/video/3/4288853/636af6352aa69505547d4d01

[Pigskin]

Interesting that MacDougall retired. That's 2 young bomber players who have retired.

[kkc60]

Interesting that MacDougall retired. That's 2 young bomber players who have retired.

he retired?

[Pigskin]

That what it says. First Rosery and now MacDougall.

[DM83]

Those guys realized they were never going to get a real shot at playing the game. Special teams ?  Not a lot of fun?

[NewBlue]

Not a great look if they are infact retiring after their 1st training camp and not making a roster.
You'd hope a draft pick would take a cut with the right attitude and work to get better by the next year.
If they had other plans, then they were really not commited from the start.

[M.O.A.B.]

Nevis > Stove > Sayles > Walker

Each step was a downgrade.  It turned out to be just a tiny downgrade at times, but still a downgrade.  I expect Walker to step up and be close to Sayles, but not nearly a Stove/Nevis.

I beg to differ. Stove was an upgrade to Nevis.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Not a great look if they are infact retiring after their 1st training camp and not making a roster.
You'd hope a draft pick would take a cut with the right attitude and work to get better by the next year.
If they had other plans, then they were really not commited from the start.

So what, it's his choice, MacDougall probably has a legitimate degree and a life and career back home to get on with, not every individual is a "rink-rat" type willing to put their life on hold to pursue a career that may peak at being a ST player. 

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

I beg to differ. Stove was an upgrade to Nevis.

Not in the history books, Stove's CFL career lasted 1-1/2 seasons.

[Blue In BC]

So what, it's his choice, MacDougall probably has a legitimate degree and a life and career back home to get on with, not every individual is a "rink-rat" type willing to put their life on hold to pursue a career that may peak at being a ST player. 

That might be the case and there is no issue with that. It might also mean the team wants to keep him under contract. In at least one case ( Kornelson ) he's returning to school so that was achieved by suspending him. That allows him to possibly return in 2024.

In the case of MacDougall, I don't know if he has 1 year left in school. He may have an injury that keeps him out for awhile. Or retiring means he could potentially return later this year if an injury occurs and he can make the AR?

Anyway. Like you said, it's his choice but technically he didn't need to retire to get on with life outside of football.

[Pigskin]

That might be the case and there is no issue with that. It might also mean the team wants to keep him under contract. In at least one case ( Kornelson ) he's returning to school so that was achieved by suspending him. That allows him to possibly return in 2024.

In the case of MacDougall, I don't know if he has 1 year left in school. He may have an injury that keeps him out for awhile. Or retiring means he could potentially return later this year if an injury occurs and he can make the AR?

Anyway. Like you said, it's his choice but technically he didn't need to retire to get on with life outside of football.

MacDougall is only 21. By retiring, I guess we would hold on to his rights? 

[Sir Blue and Gold]

MacDougall is only 21. By retiring, I guess we would hold on to his rights? 

Nope. He has no school eligibility and we released him before he retired.

[theaardvark]

"Retiring" from football, especially before a career, is a way for a player to get closure.  It tells other teams, "Don't bother calling me and tempting me to keep trying".  He gave it his best shot, and rather than clinging to the hope he might someday get another shot, he is moving on.  Absolutely nothing wrong with that, and kudos for giving it his best shot.

[Blue In BC]

"Retiring" from football, especially before a career, is a way for a player to get closure.  It tells other teams, "Don't bother calling me and tempting me to keep trying".  He gave it his best shot, and rather than clinging to the hope he might someday get another shot, he is moving on.  Absolutely nothing wrong with that, and kudos for giving it his best shot.

Probably but if any team has an injury and calls him with a promise to activate him to their AR, he can come out of retirement.

[Pigskin]

Rosery retired. We did not release him.

[TBURGESS]

Nationalized Americans (NA's) can play up to 23 plays a game
1 NA per game per team
CFL spotters will tell teams when the player is down to 5,3 & 1 play left.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FyCtZjDX0B8FqTO?format=jpg&name=large

Now we know the rest of the story.

[TecnoGenius]

Nationalized Americans (NA's) can play up to 23 plays a game

Best to take any NA (I still like FAKENAT better) discussion to the "Roster Player Categories" thread.  I have a feeling it's going to generate a lot of chatter.

[pjrocksmb]

I beg to differ. Stove was an upgrade to Nevis.

Wee bit different players but both beasts.  I really liked Nevis.  Stove was elite.

[Blue In BC]

Nationalized Americans (NA's) can play up to 23 plays a game
1 NA per game per team
CFL spotters will tell teams when the player is down to 5,3 & 1 play left.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FyCtZjDX0B8FqTO?format=jpg&name=large

Now we know the rest of the story.

Two. One on either side of the ball. We have players on defence that qualify but no one to use as a Nationalized American to take up to 23 plays. Depth chart will be interesting.

Let's see now. We would normally only have 1 Canadian starting on defence. That being Thomas. So do we " start " the other rookie Canadian DT and then put Walker in for only 23 plays after the 1st play?

What happens if the Designated Canadian player is injured? Do you get to change that player choice during the game.

There is absolutely nothing I like about this rule.

[Blue In BC]

Another example. Gauthier starts for play 1 and then is immediately replaced for the next 23 plays by Clements. Gauthier would have been the 8th Canadian starter. Does this then allow us to put in Brian Jones as a DI taking us back to 7 Canadian starters?

Whoops. Clements doesn't qualify. Every veteran that qualifies is already a starter except Grant and Castillo.

My head is going to explode.

[Throw Long Bannatyne]

Interesting that MacDougall retired. That's 2 young bomber players who have retired.

On Bonfire sports Bauming said he met MacDougall's dad at the stadium, apparently he has 3 years of CIS eligibility left and he's only 21.

[Pigskin]

On Bonfire sports Bauming said he met MacDougall's dad at the stadium, apparently he has 3 years of CIS eligibility left and he's only 21.

This makes a lot of sense.

[Pigskin]

Looks like X bomber Nick Taylor is on Calgary's 6 game.

[Pigskin]

Good to hear Lawson is only on the 1 game IR.

[Pigskin]

Rose and Parker added to the 6 game. Getting a little thin at DB.

[Jesse]

Rose and Park added to the 6 game. getting a little thin at DB.

Both of them?!!?

That's unfortunate. We were supposed to have all the depth at DB.

[Pigskin]

That's what I read in the official game day thread.

[Pigskin]

Lots of CFL vet recently cut. Might be time to bring in a couple of players to look at. DB, DT, maybe a DE.