Blue Bombers roster - 2025-2026

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Blue Bombers Sign All-Star Jake Ceresna
February 6, 2026

WINNIPEG, MB., February 6, 2026 –   The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed All-CFL defensive lineman Jake Ceresna to a two- year contract. Ceresna's rights were transferred by Edmonton to Winnipeg today.

Ceresna (6-4, 295; Cortland State; born: July 9, 1994, in New Fairfield, CT) joins the Blue Bombers after spending last season with the Edmonton Elks and following previous stints with the Toronto Argonauts (2024), Edmonton (2018-23) and the Ottawa Redblacks (2017).

A two-time All-CFL (2022, 2024), Ceresna is a veteran of 102 Canadian Football League regular season games and was a member of the 2024 Grey Cup champion Argonauts. He returned to Edmonton as a free agent in 2025.

Ceresna is coming off a 2025 campaign in which his production was impacted by an injury he attempted to play through before having season come to an end in the Labour Day Classic. He finished the year with 16 defensive tackles, one sack and one interception in 11 games.

A versatile lineman who has started games at both defensive end and defensive tackle, Ceresna has 201 defensive tackles, 46 quarterback sacks and seven forced fumbles in his CFL career.

He posted a career high 12 sacks in 2023 with the Elks, following a 2022 season in which he had 10 sacks and was named Edmonton's Most Outstanding Defensive Player.

Ceresna's CFL career began with Ottawa in 2017, and he was then traded to Edmonton in February of 2018 for defensive end Odell Willis. He was traded again in January of 2024 along with the rights to a player off Edmonton's negotiation list to Toronto for receiver Kurleigh Gittens, Jr. and a seventh-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft.

Ceresna first turned pro with the New York Jets in 2016 as an undrafted free agent and following a collegiate career split between Southern Connecticut State (2012) and Cortland State (2013-15).

https://www.bluebombers.com/2026/02/06/blue-bombers-sign-all-star-jake-ceresna/

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Transactions:

2026-02-06   EDM   CERESNA, Jake   DL   A   Cortland State   TRF TO WPG   Active Roster
2026-02-06    WPG    Fletcher, Michael    DL    A    Appalachian State    ADD    Active Roster
2026-02-06    WPG    CERESNA, Jake    DL    A    Cortland State    ADD    Active Roster

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Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign defensive lineman Michael Fletcher
February 6, 2026 Michael Heilman

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed defensive lineman Michael Fletcher on Friday according to the CFL Transactions page.

Michael Fletcher is six foot six and weighs 275 pounds. The 24-year-old from Flint, Michigan, signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent on May 16, 2025. In 2025, he made two tackles (2 solos) and one pass breakup in three preseason games.

Collegiately, Fletcher spent four seasons at Michigan State (2019-22) with 31 tackles (12 solos, 19 assists), four tackles for loss, three sacks, two pass breakups, and one blocked kick in 22 games for the Spartans. He was named a three-time Academic All-Big Ten.

Then, he transferred to Appalachian State (2023-24) with 40 tackles (18 solos, 22 assists), nine tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, one pass breakup, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries in 23 games for the Mountaineers.

In 2023, he had a career-high 21 tackles (9 solos, 12 assists), 4.5 tackles for loss, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble in 13 games. In 2024, he made 19 tackles (9 solos, 10 assists), 4.5 tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery in 10 games.

https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2026/02/06/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-defensive-lineman-michael-fletcher/

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1st & 10 - Ceresna on board
February 6, 2026   Ed Tait

The curtains are going to go up Tuesday morning on the first official day of Canadian Football League free agency with most who follow this grand ol' loop already knowing how the plot is about to all unfold and where all the main characters are going to land.

The league's 'legal tampering period' — that week-long window which opened last Sunday and allowed pending free agents and their representatives to speak with all interested suitors — has already taken 99.9 percent of the drama out of the event courtesy all the reported signings across the league, including here in Winnipeg.

Defensive lineman Jake Ceresna's addition to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was made official on Friday, five days after it was first reported, with the announcements of the additions of offensive tackle Jarell Broxton, cornerback Jonathan Moxey and receiver Tommy Nield soon to follow early next week. And it's certainly not unique to our market, with that kind of player movement has already having happened all across the league.

Now, go ahead and debate the merits/flaws in how the legal tampering window works — that's potentially another column for another time — but with the Blue Bombers having already done much of their heavy lifting in advance Tuesday's official market opening, we keep getting the same questions from fans over the last few days.

And so, as we open another edition of 1st & 10, here is one man's opinion on the three most-common queries...

1 What's left for the Blue Bombers to do?

Not much, frankly, although they may still kick the tires on some of the CFL free agents still available on the market.

Adding Ceresna and Broxton considerably beefed up the Blue Bombers at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Moxey fills a hole at cornerback with a proven veteran starter and Nield adds a young up-and-coming Canadian to the receiving corps that already landed former Hamilton Tiger-Cat star Tim White at the end of last month.

Remember, too, all the work the club did before the legal tampering window opened by re-signing several key players since the end of the 2025 season.

That list includes running back Brady Oliveira, receivers Nic Demski and Gavin Cobb, offensive linemen Stanley Bryant, Pat Neufeld and Tui Eli, defensive linemen Willie Jefferson, Cam Lawson and Tanner Schmekel, defensive backs Deatrick Nichols, Evan Holm, Redha Kramdi and Michael Griffin II, linebackers Kyrie Wilson and Tanner Cadwallader, kicker Sergio Castillo and punter Jamieson Sheahan.

Of the remaining players on the Blue Bombers list of pending free agents defensive end James Vaughters has reportedly signed with Saskatchewan, receiver Jerreth Sterns with Montreal and cornerback Demerio Houston with Ottawa; centre Chris Kolankowski was already released and has landed in Hamilton, as has offensive tackle Eric Lofton, defensive back Jamal Parker was released in December and is a pending free agent, as are defensive tackle Jamal Woods, receivers Dalton Schoen, Keric Wheatfall, Dillon Mitchell and Cody Kase, defensive backs Nick Hallett, Dexter Lawson, Terrell Bonds, Enock Makonzo, quarterback Chris Streveler and linebacker Shayne Gauthier.

Also on that list is Jake Thomas, who retired to become the team's new defensive line coach.

Seeing that 17 players were re-signed and Ceresna, Broxton, Moxey, Nield and White would have all commanded considerable dollars on the market, the Blue Bombers may very well now be tapped out with respect to the cap, even with its expected bump to $6.28 million, up $220,000 from last year.

2 WHAT ABOUT A VETERAN QB TO BACK UP ZACH COLLAROS?

Fair question, given Collaros missed five starts last year and didn't finish three other games due to injury and with Streveler coming off a knee injury suffered in the regular-season finale and soon to hit the market.

The sense is the club won't be pursuing Montreal's Caleb Evans, McLeod Bethel-Thompson or Shea Patterson (who was here last year before being released), Tyrie Adams of Ottawa or any other QB with even a smidge of CFL experience on the market.

A couple of reasons for that — first, they used their available cap space to lock up the 17 players mentioned above who are returning and then spent significantly on the new faces.

And second, there's the thought the Blue Bombers may have their future No. 2 among the QBs under contract — returnees Terry Wilson and Chase Artopoeus, former UFL MVP and Los Angeles Ram Bryce Perkins and former Michigan State/Auburn starter Payton Thorne, who was in camp with the Cincinnati Bengals last year.

3 DOES BROXTON MOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT TACKLE AND WHAT DOES NIELD'S ADDITION MEAN TO THE RECEIVING CORPS?

We're going to address a couple questions here in one chunk...

Broxton has played left tackle for the B.C. Lions the last few years and the Blue Bombers have future hall of famer Stanley Bryant locked in at the left flank. Broxton is apparently good with moving to right tackle and will likely be the heir apparent to Bryant at left tackle if the big man every does hang 'em up. So, file this under 'nice problem to have' for the moment.

Kendall Randolph, who played right tackle all of last year, may also get some looks at guard along with Micah Vanterpool, who impressed in spot duty last year. This fuels the narrative the club is tinkering with using three Americans along the O-line.

Nield indirectly has a role in that, too, as he gives the team the option of starting three Canadians in the receiving corps with Demski and with Kevens Clercius, Cobb and Joey Corcoran — and perhaps a draft pick — in the discussion for a third spot alongside White and Pokey Wilson. There are also seven other new Americans already signed, with more possibly to follow.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2026/02/06/1st-10-ceresna-on-board/

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Blue Bombers add two to roster

WINNIPEG, MB., February 9, 2026 – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American defensive end Michael Fletcher and American linebacker Aaron Smith.

Fletcher (6-6, 275, Appalachian State; born: February 19, 2001, in Flint, MI.) joins the Bombers after time in the NFL, and a five-year collegiate career with Appalachian State (2023-2024), and Michigan State (2020-2022).

Fletcher signed with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2025, participating in rookie minicamp and training camp. He appeared in all three preseason games, recording two tackles, one pass knockdown, and one quarterback hit.

Fletcher completed his collegiate career at Appalachian State, where he played two seasons and appeared in 23 games, including nine starts. During his time with the Mountaineers, he totaled 40 tackles (19 solo, 21 assists), nine sacks for 44 yards lost, nine tackles for loss (43 yards), one knockdown, one forced fumble and two recoveries.

Before transferring to Appalachian State, Fletcher spent three seasons at Michigan State, appearing in 21 games with three starts. He posted 31 tackles (12 solo, 19 assists) and three sacks.

Smith (6-2, 230, South Carolina State; born: August 12, 2002, in Manning, SC.) signs with the Bombers after signing in the NFL, and a four-year collegiate career with South Carolina State (2021-2024).

Smith joined the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2025, participating in rookie minicamp and training camp. He appeared in all three preseason games, recording four tackles, one knockdown, and one quarterback hit.

Over his collegiate career, Smith totaled 241 tackles (159 solo, 82 assists), 9.5 sacks, 23.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble. In 2024, he posted a career-best 95 tackles and 8.5 tackles for loss, highlighted by a 17-tackle performance against Jackson State. He earned First Team All-MEAC honours in 2024 and participated in the 2025 East-West Shrine Bowl.