Blue Bombers Forum

Current roster:
                                                                                                                        Contract length               Salary
Zach Collaros -8                  QB   A   re-signed Oct 18 2022                                     2023   2024   2025              600 000                         
Dru Brown -6                      QB   A   signed Dec 30 2021                                        2023   
Dakota Prukop -12           QB   A   signed Feb 15 2022                                                 
                                               
Johnny Augustine -27          RB   N   re-signed Feb 3 2022                                      2023                                    91 000                               
Brady Oliveira -20               RB   N   re-signed Feb 7 2022                                      2023                                    92 000
Greg McCrae -29                 RB   A   signed May 6 2022                                          2023
Mike Miller -24                    FB   N   re-signed Jan 19 2023                                     2023                                             
Konner Burtenshaw -32       FB   N   signed May 7 2022                                          2023

Rasheed Bailey -88           WR   A   re-signed Feb 2 2022                                                                           
Greg Ellingson -2               WR   A    signed Feb 8 2022                                                                                165 000
Dalton Schoen -83               WR   A   signed Apr 7 2022                                           2023
Carlton Agudosi -86              WR   A   signed Apr 13 2022                                         2023
Janarion Grant -80                WR   A   signed Apr 13 2022                                               
Jaivon Heiligh                       WR   A   signed Dec 10 2022                                        2023
Tavaris Harrison                    WR   A   signed Dec 10 2022                                        2023
Drew Wolitarsky -82             WR   N   re-signed Jan 31 2022                                     2023
Nic Demski -10                  WR   N   re-signed Jan 11 2021                                                                           165 000
B O'Leary-Orange -84          WR   N    added to AR Nov 1 2021                                  2023                                 
Tim Knuettel                        WR   G   signed Dec 10 2022                                         2023
                                                           
Stanley Bryant -66                OL   A   re-signed Jan 5 2023                                        2023   
Jermarcus Hardrick -51         OL   A   re-signed Jan 11 2023                                       2023           
Drew Richmond -60              OL   A   added to AR Nov 12 2021                                   2023
Patrick Neufeld -53               OL   N   re-signed Nov 24 2022                                       2023                                                                               
Geoff Gray -68                     OL   N   re-signed Jan 17 2022                                        2023                                             
Chris Kolankowski -67           OL   N    re-signed Jan 10 2022                                       2023     
Liam Dobson -64                  OL   N   signed May 20 2022                                           2023
Tomoya Machino -69             OL   G   signed May 1 2022                                             2023     
Payton Muljo                        OL   A   signed Nov 22 2022                                            2023   2024
Michael Couture -59           OL   N   signed 2022

Marc Liegghio -13                 K   N   signed Jan 7 2021                                                 2023                                  74 500                                 
Mike Benson -40                 LS   N   re-signed Dec 15 2022                                           2023   2024                                                                                               
Jake Thomas -95             DT   N   re-signed Dec 12 2022                                             2023                                                   
Cameron Lawson -99       DT   N   traded for May 3 2022                                              2023                               
Cole Adamson                 DL  N   signed Dec 10 2022                                                   2023   2024   2025
Ricky Walker -96             DT   A    re-signed Dec 28 2021                                             2023
Willie Jefferson -5            DE   A    re-signed Nov 26 2022                                            2023                                 225 000
Jackson Jeffcoat -94         DE   A   re-signed Jan 16 2023                                              2023
Thiadric Hansen -3            DE   G   re-signed June 18 2022                                           2023
Casey Sayles -90             DL   A   signed Jan 8 2021                                                 
Keion Adams -54            DL   A   signed Sept 28 2022
DeJaun Cooper                         DE   A   signed Dec 10 2022                                          2023
                   
Adam Bighill -4                     LB   A   re-signed Nov 29 2022                                        2023   2024                               
Kyrie Wilson -19                   LB   A   re-signed Dec 16 2022                                         2023   2024                                                   
Malik Clements -0                LB   A   signed Mar 4 2022                                                2023                         
Jesse Briggs -34               LB   N   re-signed Jan 16 2022                                                                                                                         
Shayne Gauthier -44              LB   N   re-signed Jan 25 2023                                         2023                                                                 
T Gaskill-Cadwallader -47       LB   N   signed Jan 7 2021                                               2023
Cedrick Lavigne                     LB   N   signed Dec 10 2022                                             2023
Les Maruo -00                  LB   G   signed Dec 28 2021   
Brian Cole -41                        LB   A   signed July 13 2022                                            2023                                         
 
Nick Taylor -9                   DB   A   re-signed Feb 7 2022                                             
Mercy Maston -7               DB   A   re-signed Feb 2 2022                                                 
Deatrick Nichols -1            DB   A   extended on Feb 14 2022                                           2023             
Winston Rose -30             DB   A   re-signed Dec 13 2022                                               2023                                                             
Demerio Houston -35       DB   A   signed Dec 28 2021                                                    2023
Brandon Alexander -37     DB   A    signed Feb 11 2022                                                   2023                             77 000
Jamal Parker -45             DB   A   signed May 15 2022                                                    2023
Nick Hallett -21                DB   N   re-signed Jan 3 2022                                                  2023                                                         
Noah Hallett -23              DB   N   signed Jan 7 2021                                                       2023
Redha Kramdi -17             DB   N   signed to AR Nov 2 2021                                            2023
Evan Holm -31                  DB   A   signed May 23 2022                                                   2023
Desmond Lawrence -46     DB   A   re-signed Dec 7 2022                                                 2023
Alden Darby -22                 DB  A   Traded Oct 4 2022
Karon Delince                    DB   A   signed Nov 22 2022                                                   2023   2024
Don Deuce Wallace            DB   A   signed Jan 13 2023                                                    2023   2024
Souleymane Karamoko       DB   G   signed Dec 10 2022                                                   2023

BOLD - pending free agent

Suspended List:
Tyrique McGhee                 DB   A    suspended Nov 22 2022
Zach Houghron                  DT   A    suspended Nov 22 2022
Tom Hackett                       P    A    suspended Nov 22 2022
Vance Barnes                     RB   A    suspended Nov 22 2022

Once a Bomber, always a Bomber:
American receiver Jaivon Heiligh- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
Global receiver Timothy Knuettel- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
Canadian receiver Luke McMillan- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
American offensive lineman Eric Lofton- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
American offensive lineman Tyler Witt- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
American linebacker DeJaun Cooper - released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
Global defensive back Souleymane Karamoko- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
Canadian defensive back Cedric Lavigne- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
American defensive back Donald Rutledge Jr.- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
American kicker Ali Mourtada- released from practice roster Nov 21 2022
Patrice Rene -39   DB   N   signed May 4 2022   released Dec 2 2022   
Malcolm Thompson -36 DB   A   signed Jan 3 2022    released Dec 2 2022
Tyrell Ford -25        DB   N   signed May 20 2022  released Jan 12 2023 to sign in NFL


Roster 2021-2022
http://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=53775.0

Roster 2020-2021
https://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=52994.0

Roster 2019-2020
http://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=52483.0

Roster 2018-2019
http://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=51239.0       

Roster 2017-2018
http://forums.bluebombers.com/index.php?topic=49702.0

Roster as of Nov 22 2022:

Current roster:
                                                                                                                         Contract length               Salary
Zach Collaros -8                  QB   A   re-signed Oct 18 2022                                   2023   2024   2025              600 000                         
Dru Brown -186             QB   A   signed Dec 30 2021                                             2023   
Dakota Prukop -12               QB   A   signed Feb 15 2022                                                 
         
                                                             
Johnny Augustine -27          RB   N   re-signed Feb 3 2022                                      2023                                    91 000                               
Brady Oliveira -20               RB   N   re-signed Feb 7 2022                                      2023                                    92 000
Mike Miller -24                    FB   N   re-signed Jan 13 2022                                             
Konner Burtenshaw -3632       FB   N   signed May 7 2022                                        2023

Rasheed Bailey -88             WR   A   re-signed Feb 2 2022                                                                           
Greg Ellingson -2               WR   A    signed Feb 8 2022                                                                                165 000
Dalton Schoen -83               WR   A   signed Apr 7 2022                                           2023
Carlton Agudosi -86              WR   A   signed Apr 13 2022                                         2023
Janarion Grant -80               WR   A   signed Apr 13 2022                                               
Drew Wolitarsky -82           WR   N   re-signed Jan 31 2022                                       2023
Nic Demski -10                  WR   N   re-signed Jan 11 2021                                                                           165 000
B O'Leary-Orange -84        WR   N    added to AR Nov 1 2021                                    2023                                 
                                                                     
Stanley Bryant -66             OL   A   re-signed Jan 21 2022                                                                           190 000   
Jermarcus Hardrick -51      OL   A   re-signed Jan 6 2022                                                                             150 000           
Drew Richmond -60           OL   A   added to AR Nov 12 2021                                     2023
Patrick Neufeld -53            OL   N   re-signed Jan 11 2022                                                                                                                     
Michael Couture -59     OL   N   re-signed Jan 31 2022                                                                                 180 000
Geoff Gray -68                  OL   N   re-signed Jan 17 2022                                           2023                                             
Chris Kolankowski -67       OL   N    re-signed Jan 10 2022                                           2023     
Liam Dobson -64               OL   N   signed May 20 2022                                              2023
Tomoya Machino -69          OL   G   signed May 1 2022                                                2023                         

Marc Liegghio -13             K   N   signed Jan 7 2021                                                    2023                                 74 500                                 
Mike Benson -40              LS   N   re-signed Jan 24 2022                                                                                   
                 
Jake Thomas -95             DT   N   re-signed Jan 5 2022                                                   
Cameron Lawson -99       DT   N   traded for May 3 2022                                              2023                               
Ricky Walker -96             DT   A    re-signed Dec 28 2021                                             2023
Willie Jefferson -5            DE   A   re-signed Jan 7 2022                                                                             225 000
Jackson Jeffcoat -94        DE   A   re-signed Jan 7 2022                                                                              175 000
Thiadric Hansen -3          DE   G   re-signed June 18 2022                                             2023
Casey Sayles -90             DL   A   signed Jan 8 2021                                                 
Keion Adams -54            DL   A   signed Sept 28 2022
                     
Adam Bighill -4                 LB   A   re-signed Jan 20 2022                                                                           165 000                               
Kyrie Wilson -19               LB   A   re-signed Jan 13 2021                                                   
Malik Clements -540           LB   A   signed Mar 4 2022                                               2023                         
Jesse Briggs -34               LB   N   re-signed Jan 16 2022                                                                                                                         
Shayne Gauthier -44         LB   N   re-signed Jan 19 2022                                                                 
T Gaskill-Cadwallader -47  LB   N   signed Jan 7 2021                                                    2023
Les Maruo -5400      LB   G   signed Dec 28 2021   
Brian Cole -41                   LB   A   signed July 13 2022                                                 2023                                         

Nick Taylor -9                   DB   A   re-signed Feb 7 2022                                             
Mercy Maston -7               DB   A   re-signed Feb 2 2022                                                 
Deatrick Nichols -321  DB   A   extended on Feb 14 2022                                              2023             
Winston Rose -30             DB   A   re-signed Feb 1 2022                                                                                 125 000                                 
Demerio Houston -4835  DB   A   signed Dec 28 2021                                                   2023
Malcolm Thompson -36     DB   A   signed Jan 3 2022                                                      2023
Brandon Alexander -37     DB   A    signed Feb 11 2022                                                   2023                                77 000
Jamal Parker -45             DB   A   signed May 15 2022                                                    2023
Nick Hallett -21                DB   N   re-signed Jan 3 2022                                                  2023                                                         
Noah Hallett -23              DB   N   signed Jan 7 2021                                                       2023
Redha Kramdi -4317     DB   N   signed to AR Nov 2 2021                                             2023
Patrice Rene -639                DB   N   signed May 4 2022                                              2023
Tyrell Ford -25                  DB   N   signed May 20 2022                                                   2023
Evan Holm -31                  DB   A   signed May 23 2022                                                   2023
Desmond Lawrence -46 DB A  signed Oct 5 2022
Alden Darby -22                    DB  A   Traded Oct 4 2022

BOLD - pending free agent

Willie Jefferson headlines Winnipeg Blue Bombers' free agent list
By John Hodge -November 22, 2022

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers fell just shy of completing a Grey Cup three-peat this past weekend, falling to the Toronto Argonauts by a score of 24-23. The club has a veteran roster that has remained mostly intact over the four years and the club's brass will be tasked with continuing that trend this off-season.

Though the list below might seem long, there are whispers that some players listed below may have already agreed to terms on contract extensions. Expect offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick and defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat to be back, while Willie Jefferson is reportedly working on an extension as well.

Below is every player who is currently slated to reach free agency for the Blue Bombers in February 2023.

Please note that "N" denotes nationals (ie. Canadians), "A" denotes Americans, and "G" denotes Globals.

Quarterback
Dakota Prukop (A)

Running back
None

Fullback
Mike Miller (N) - re-signed Jan 19 2023 for 1 year

Receiver
Rasheed Bailey (A)
Nic Demski (N) re-signed Feb 5 2023 for 3 years
Greg Ellingson (A)
Janarion Grant (A) - re-signed Feb 3 2023 for 1 year

Offensive line
Stanley Bryant (A) - re-signed Jan 5 2023 for 1 year
Michael Couture (N)
Jermarcus Hardrick (A) - re-signed Jan 11 2023 for 1 year
Patrick Neufeld (N) - re-signed Nov 24 2022 for 1 year

Defensive line
Keion Adams (A)
Jackson Jeffcoat (A) - re-signed Jan 16 2023 for 1 year
Willie Jefferson (A) - re-signed Nov 26 2022 for 1 year
Casey Sayles (A)
Jake Thomas (N) - re-signed Dec 12 2022 for 1 year

Linebacker
Adam Bighill (A) - re-signed Nov 29 2022 for 2 years
Jesse Briggs (N) - re-signed Feb 13 2023 for 1 year
Shayne Gauthier (N) - re-signed Jan 25 2023 for 1 year
Les Maruo (G)
Kyrie Wilson (A) - re-signed Dec 16 2022 for 2 years

Defensive back
Alden Darby (A) re-signed Feb 5 2023 for 1 year
Desmond Lawrence (A) - re-signed Dec 7 2022 for 1 year
Mercy Maston (A)
Winston Rose (A) - re-signed Dec 13 2022 for 1 year
Nick Taylor (A)

Kicker
None

Long snapper
Mike Benson (N) - re-signed Dec 15 2022 for 2 years

A number of players finished the season on the practice roster, including
American receiver Jaivon Heiligh
Global receiver Timothy Knuettel
American receiver Greg McCrae
Canadian receiver Luke McMillan
American offensive lineman Eric Lofton
American offensive lineman Tyler Witt
American linebacker DeJaun Cooper
Global defensive back Souleymane Karamoko
Canadian defensive back Cedric Lavigne
American defensive back Donald Rutledge Jr.
American kicker Ali Mourtada
As such, they are currently free agents.

https://3downnation.com/2022/11/22/willie-jefferson-headlines-winnipeg-blue-bombers-free-agent-list/

OFFICIAL 2023 FREE AGENT TRACKER
https://www.cfl.ca/fa23#BOMBERS

Transactions:

2022-11-22   WPG   MCGHEE, Tyrique   DB   A   Georgia   Add To   Suspended
2022-11-22   WPG   HOUGHRON, Zach   DT   A   Wilfrid Laurier   Add To   Suspended
2022-11-22   WPG   HACKETT, Tom   P   N   Utah   Add To   Suspended
2022-11-22   WPG   BARNES, Vance   RB   A   Northern State   Add To   Suspended

(Players signed for 2023)
2022-11-22   WPG   WOLITARSKY, Drew   WR   N   Minnesota   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   WALKER, Ricky   DL   A   Virginia Tech   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   THOMPSON, Malcolm   DB   N   Wilfrid Laurier   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   SCHOEN, Dalton   WR   A   Kansas State   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   RICHMOND, Drew   OL   A   USC   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   RENE, Patrice   DB   N   North Carolina   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   PARKER, Jamal   DB   A   Kent State   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   OLIVEIRA, Brady   RB   N   North Dakota   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   O'LEARY-ORANGE, Brendon   WR   N   Nevada   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   NICHOLS, Deatrick   DB   A   South Florida   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   MCCRAE, Greg   RB   A   Central Florida   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   MACHINO, Tomoya   OL   N      Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   LIEGGHIO, Marc   K   N   Western University   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   LAWSON, Cameron   DL   N   Queen's   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   KRAMDI, Redha   LB   N   Montreal   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   KOLANKOWSKI, Chris   OL   N   York   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   HOUSTON, Demerio   DB   N   Southern   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   HOLM, Evan   DB   A   North Dakota   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   HANSEN, Thiadric   DL   A      Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   HALLETT, Nick   DB   N   Toronto   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   HALLETT, Noah   DB   N   McMaster   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   GRAY, Geoff   OL   N   Manitoba   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   GASKILL-CADWALLADER, Tanner   LB   N   Wilfrid Laurier   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   FORD, Tyrell   DB   N   Waterloo   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   DOBSON, Liam   OL   N   Maine   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   COLLAROS, Zach   QB   A   Cincinnati   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   COLE, Brian   LB   A   Mississippi State   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   CLEMENTS, Malik   LB   N   Cincinnati   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   BURTENSHAW, Konner   RB   N   Queen's   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   BROWN, Dru   QB   A   Oklahoma State   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   AUGUSTINE, Johnny   RB   N   Guelph   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   ALEXANDER, Brandon   DB   A   Central Florida   Add To   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   AGUDOSI, Carlton   WR   A   Rutgers   Add To   Active Roster

2022-11-22   WPG   MULJO, Payton   OL   A   Northern Michigan   Add From Active 2023   Active Roster
2022-11-22   WPG   DELINCE, Karon   DB   A   East Tennessee State   Add From Active 2023   Active Roster

2022-11-21   WPG   WILSON, Kyrie   LB   A   Fresno State   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   THOMPSON, Malcolm   DB   N   Wilfrid Laurier   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   TAYLOR, Nicholas   DB   N   Florida International   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   RICHMOND, Drew   OL   A   USC   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   RENE, Patrice   DB   N   North Carolina   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   MCCRAE, Greg   RB   A   Central Florida   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   MASTON, Mercy   DB   A   Boise State   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   MACHINO, Tomoya   OL   N      Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   KRAMDI, Redha   LB   N   Montreal   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   HOUSTON, Demerio   DB   N   Southern   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   HANSEN, Thiadric   DL   A      Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   HALLETT, Noah   DB   N   McMaster   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   AGUDOSI, Carlton   WR   A   Rutgers   Add From Injured   Active Roster
2022-11-21   WPG   ADAMS, Keion   DL   A   Western Michigan   Add From Injured   Active Roster

This transactions list includes players that are signed for 2023.

The players that ended the season on injured lists were transferred to the active roster. A number of these players are pending free agents however.

A couple of new players are signed for 2023 - American olineman Payton Muljo and American Defensive back Karon Delince. Muljo was on the Bombers' practice roster from Sept 24 to Oct 14th.

3DownNation incorrectly listed Greg McCrae as finishing the season on the practice roster and thus a free agent. He was in fact on the injured list and is signed for 2023.

Tyrigue McGhee, Zach Houghron, Tom Hackett and Vance Barnes are suspended by the Bombers and cant be signed by another team unless released/traded.

Should be able to resign them all.  Lots of good receivers and defensibe backs. And we had injuries mainly at linebacker and defensive backs . alot of players played were not starters. And we have good receivers like agodosi. . we should be good . alot of injuries in special teams prob more than most teams

BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF CFL ALL-STAR OFFENSIVE LINEMAN PAT NEUFELD

WINNIPEG, MB., November 24, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension with CFL all-star offensive lineman Pat Neufeld.

Neufeld (6-6, 307, Saskatchewan; born: December 26, 1988, in Regina, SK) returns to the Blue Bombers for what will be his 12th Canadian Football League season and ninth with Winnipeg. A versatile lineman who has made starts at both guard and tackle over his career in Winnipeg, Neufeld is coming off his second-consecutive all-star season, having been named to both the West Division and CFL All-Star teams in 2021 and 2022.

Neufeld appeared in 17 regular season games this year at right guard as well as in both the Western Final and Grey Cup, helping the Blue Bombers offence finish second in points, sacks surrendered and rushing yards and first in touchdowns, while running back Brady Oliveira posted the first 1,000-yard rushing season of his career.

Neufeld was originally selected by the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the fifth round of the 2010 CFL Draft and was acquired by the Bombers in a trade in 2013 for DE Alex Hall and a second-round pick in the 2014 draft.

He has appeared in 136 regular season games including 99 with the Blue Bombers, and last year was named the winner of the Cal Murphy Heart of a Legend Award presented to the player who has shown 'outstanding sportsmanship and dedication to the Canadian Football League and the community.'

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/11/24/blue-bombers-extend-contract-of-cfl-all-star-offensive-lineman-pat-neufeld/

BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS: NOVEMBER 25, 2022

WINNIPEG, MB., November 25, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American defensive back Karon Delince.

Delince (5-9, 160, East Tennessee State, June 8, 1995 in Phenix City, AL) joins the Blue Bombers after a five-year college career with the East Tennessee State. Delince became an integral part of the Buccaneers' defense by his sophomore season, starting each game. During his college tenure, Delince appeared in 52 games totaling 170 tackles, 26 pass breakups, and two interceptions. In 2019, Delince was named to the Phil Steele Magazine Preseason Second Team All-SoCon.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/11/25/blue-bombers-transactions-november-25-2022/

Transactions:

2022-11-25   WPG   NEUFELD, Patrick   OL   N   Saskatchewan   Add To   Active Roster

BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF DEFENSIVE END WILLIE JEFFERSON

WINNIPEG, MB., November 26, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms with all-star defensive end Willie Jefferson on a one-year contract extension. Jefferson was a pending free agent in February.

Jefferson (6-7, 242, Stephen F. Austin; born: January 31, 1991, in Beaumont, TX) returns in 2023 for what will be his fourth season with the Blue Bombers and ninth in the Canadian Football League.

The Blue Bombers' Most Outstanding Defensive player in 2022, Jefferson was also named a West Division All-Star after leading the club in quarterback sacks with seven, adding 33 tackles, one interception for a touchdown, two forced fumbles, and 10 pass knockdowns.

During the 2022 season, Jefferson also became the first player in CFL history to record 50 sacks and 50 pass knockdowns. In his three years with the Blue Bombers, he has recorded 26 sacks, four interceptions, two touchdowns and 36 knockdowns - including the 16 he posted in 2019, a league record for defensive linemen.

Jefferson is a four-time CFL All-Star who was also honoured as the CFL?s Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2019. Jefferson first came to the CFL with Edmonton in 2014, signing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2016 before joining the Blue Bombers in 2019. He has appeared in 126 CFL games in his career, including the last 50 with the Blue Bombers.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/11/26/blue-bombers-extend-contract-of-defensive-end-willie-jefferson/

In rough numbers I counted 27 players that might just be coming off or on the last year of their 1st ELC. The minimum ELC changes in 2023 by + $7K-$9K? I forgot the exact amount of the increase but that will " spend " some of the SMS, probably over and above the increase in the total SMS. We already know that the Globals and Hansen in particular will get raises due to restrictions being lifted. Hansen will be able to negotiate free market value.

Whether those players are still with the team in 2023 is somewhat less relevant in regard to the SMS. If they leave or are released, they will probably be replaced mostly by new players on ELC's.

How much does the 2023 SMS increase?

The increase is  160.000

Machino and Hansen are signed for 2023. Maruo is a STs player I would like to keep.

Limited Global spots... and we really need a Global Punter... Mauro contributed, as did Machino, and Hansen is not going anywhere, but not sure we can keep all three and a punter. 

Why a Global punter?

A global player is a bit of a free spot on the roster if you have one that shows value. Conversely an import kicker is a DI and there are only 4 allowed.

If we could find a kicker, punter or dual role global it would be a decent tool to split duties and back up the primary player ( Canadian ). Not many teams have a 2nd global on the roster that adds a significant value but IMO 2 on the AR becomes closer to the mandate going forward.

A 2nd Global effectively replaces a Canadian on the roster but he can only replace an import on the field during the game. It's a little like having extra DI's.

Now if we can find a receiver, LB, DL or DB that would be as good as a choice at import, that would be great as well.

I'm not ruling out an OL per se like Machino but teams tend to have Canadian OL back up depth. Teams also have numerous import OL on the PR. So I see the value as less probable for that position.

Mauro contributed at LB and on ST in particular.

Depth of the pool is a significant issue as shown by the 2022 draft on only 3 rounds. How many of those players actually made rosters including PR's? We drafted 2 punters that didn't come to TC and there may have been some others from other teams that also balked.

So the reality is a team has to try and draft the best available at any position.

 If we can find a Global punter or place kicker that is very good, I am okay with that. But I would like to see the best place kicker/punter that we can find and afford, whether he is Global, Canadian, or American. 

We need to give Leggs the opportunity to concentrate on kicking.

Using a global P means preserving a Nat or DI roster spot... and most teams in the league are using a G punter because they are pretty darned good.

  If we keep legghio it should just be as a punter.Im not sure there is any team that would keep a place kicker that missed 3 converts in two playoff games

Agree, he is a better punter then he is a kicker. He only hit one FG all season over 50 yards. Also, his kick offs could be the shortest in the league. As I said before, best player for the position.

Calgary has managed Paredes well for years, rarely trotting him out for 45+ yard FG's unless desperate, his accuracy below this distance has been phenomenal.  Unfortunately Leggs does not seem have the flawless technique or mindset to become a robo-kicker below 50, if they are going to stick with him I would keep him on only as the punter.

BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS: NOVEMBER 28, 2022

WINNIPEG, MB., November 28, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American offensive lineman Payton Muljo.

Muljo (6-6, 305, Northern Michigan, August 6, 1998, in Marquette, MI) joins the Blue Bombers after a four-year college career with the Wildcats. Muljo appeared in 19 games and was a large contributor to the offensive line when he was available. Starting at left tackle, he helped the Wildcats reach a new single-season rushing record in 2018 and in 2021 was named an All-GLIAC honorable mention.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/11/28/blue-bombers-transactions-november-28-2022/

Big boy could this be the replacement for SB66 after next season.

Honestly this would be a good time for Stanley to step down.
If he does choose to, Richmond would be my first choice but it could be interesting to see how this guy stands up in training camp as well.

MOS as long as he's coach will likely stick with Leggz.   I'd bet money on it.    Next year will be his sophomore year as a starting kicker and the Bombers are betting he will improve.    I agree he needs to work on KO's because we gave up 15 yards of field positions on every KO.    Also he needs to become consistent with his PATs.   An occasional miss is acceptable however missing 3 in his last 2 games is definitely cause for concern.    It's obviously a mental hurdle for him and he needs to overcome it.    The leg strength thing is something he should be able to work on.   Most CFL kickers get the ball down to at least the 15 yard line and in the Grey Cup he was around the 25 and the Argos usually scrimmaged past the 40 YL every time.
If he can master those deficiencies in his game than he could round out to become a great all around kicker......something fairly rare like Medlock was!

Legghio shanked a couple of punts in the GC which really makes me question is he that great of a punter. I'd be going into training camp wide open and let the best men win the punter and kicker position and if we go with 2 so be it. But to me, the position is wide open

Calgary and bc have good punters . leggio is ok. But doesn't kick it as far ..other teams get instant field position. By 15 yards . its like a couple free first downs. Toronto never really had to work out of a hole they started at the 45

Newly re-signed Willie Jefferson plans on building lasting legacy with Bombers
Ted Wyman   Nov 28, 2022

Jefferson, who is reportedly set to make $225,000 in 2023, said it's easy for many players to choose to come back to the Bombers, where CEO Wade Miller, general manager Kyle Walters and head coach Mike O'Shea have created a special playing atmosphere.

"It's just the culture, the friendships I've built with teammates, the coaches, the organization, the community," said Jefferson, who helped the Bombers to a club-record 15-3 mark during the regular season by recording seven sacks, 33 tackles, 10 pass knockdowns, an interception for a touchdown and two forced fumbles.

"It feels like home. It feels good to be here and I just didn't want to be anywhere else but Winnipeg right now."

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/newly-re-signed-willie-jefferson-plans-on-building-lasting-legacy-with-bombers

I think Leggs has shown resiliency in coming back after bad games, and in handling all the kicking jobs. 

I think his career is just getting started, and we will be rewarded long term if we stick with him. 

People mention that he was a P more than a K when he first started here, well, yeah.  But he's been a decent K and has a lot of upside. 

I really think that landing a quality G punter will not be that hard, especially with the removal of the G salary cap.

Another thing, Aussie punters seem to be real characters, great along the sidelines for entertainment.  And mic'd up, so much fun.  I'd almost flip my seasons to the Bomber sidelines just for that...  almost.

BLUE BOMBERS AGREE TO TERMS ON TWO-YEAR CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH LINEBACKER ADAM BIGHILL

WINNIPEG, MB., November 29, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed all-star linebacker Adam Bighill to a two-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent in February 2023.

Bighill (5-10, 219; Central Washington University; born: October 16, 1988, in Montesano, WA) returns in 2023 for a fifth season with the Blue Bombers and his 11th in the Canadian Football League. Bighill led the Blue Bombers in total defensive plays in 2022, registering 72 tackles along with two sacks, one interception and one tackle for a loss.

He was named a West Division All-Star for the eighth time in his career and a CFL Players' Association All-Star for a fifth time. A three-time winner of the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player award - 2015, 2018 and 2021 - Bighill's 72 tackles this year moved him into seventh place on the CFL's all-time list with 817.

A three-time Grey Cup champion - 2019 and 2021 with the Blue Bombers and 2011 with the Lions - Bighill has played in 164 games in his CFL career, including 65 over the last four seasons in Winnipeg.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/11/29/blue-bombers-agree-to-terms-on-two-year-contract-extension-with-linebacker-adam-bighill/

Blue Bombers Transactions - December 2, 2022


WINNIPEG, MB., December 2, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following roster transactions:

Released from roster:

Canadian defensive back Patrice Rene
Canadian defensive back Malcolm Thompson

Both were under contract for 2023.

That's too bad, both showed well in the time they had.

https://3downnation.com/2022/12/02/bombers-cut-canadian-defensive-backs-malcolm-thompson-patrice-rene/

BLUE BOMBERS SIGN DESMOND LAWRENCE TO ONE-YEAR CONTRACT

WINNIPEG, MB., December 7, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American defensive back Desmond Lawrence to a one-year contract, he was scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Lawrence (6-1, 185, North Carolina; born: November 30, 1994, in Charlotte, NC) joined the Blue Bombers in October following his release from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and started one regular season game, followed by starts in both the Western Final and Grey Cup.

Lawrence made his Blue Bombers debut in Vancouver against the B.C. Lions on October 15th, registering one tackle and four pass knockdowns. He followed that up with three tackles, an interception and a knockdown in the Western Final and four tackles in the Grey Cup loss to the Toronto Argonauts.

Prior to joining the Blue Bombers, Lawrence spent the 2021 season and part of the 2022 season with the Tiger-Cats. In 2021, he was named the Ticats Most Outstanding Rookie after a 10-game season in which he recorded 22 tackles, one sack and two interceptions.

Lawrence played college football at North Carolina, playing in 47 games before professional stints with the Detroit Lions, the Atlanta Legends of the Alliance of American Football, and the DC Defenders of the XFL before coming to the CFL.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/12/07/blue-bombers-sign-desmond-lawrence-to-one-year-contract/

Transactions:

2022-12-07   WPG   ADAMSON, Cole   DL   N   Manitoba   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-07   WPG   KNUETTEL, Timothy   WR   N      Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-07   WPG   LAVIGNE, Cedrick   LB   N   Carleton   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-07   WPG   LAWRENCE, Desmond   DB   A   North Carolina   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-05   WPG   BIGHILL, Adam   LB   A   Central Washington   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-05   WPG   RENE, Patrice   DB   N   North Carolina   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2022-12-05   WPG   THOMPSON, Malcolm   DB   N   Wilfrid Laurier   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2022-11-29   WPG   JEFFERSON, Willie   DL   A   Stephen F. Austin State   Add To   Active Roster

Lavigne will probably be pushing to make the AR in 2023. Age may have caught up to Briggs and he might not be back? I know I said that last year, but room always has to be made in succession getting younger.

Good to see Adamson come to compete for a spot on the DL or at worst spending time initially on the PR.

I would think Briggs and Thomas might be hanging their cleats.

Time to get new bloods or get younger on some positions.

O'Shea is back for more

https://www.cfl.ca/2022/12/08/oshea-signs-three-year-extension-with-bombers/

Yeah!

Thomas is only 32 he seems older cause he's been a bomber for so long.I think he still got gas in the tank.Adamson would have to show a lot . I would think Adamson would spend time on pr first.

I take it this is a result of expanding the roster to 85 for the off-season?  It would be great if Adamson developed into a homegrown replacement for Kongbo, but that's asking a lot.

Not really. Most teams re-sign some or most of the players they had  on the PR at year end. I'd expect a few more from the PR to be re-signed at some point. Several teams have added PR players and even a bunch of rookies to current roster.

By the time actual TC comes around some will decide not to report or be replaced by other new rookies.

Really like the size of Adamson. 6'5" 292. Big boy.

Interesting that he played DT at U of M, I thought he was a DE.

"I definitely noticed, especially last season how dominant we were at stopping the run. I've never been a big pass rusher or known for getting sacks, but definitely stopping the run, it shows how dominant our defence is, because then our linebackers make a lot of good plays and our ends," said Adamson humbly.

"I play football just for the fun of it, not for the stats or anything. It's more so just all working towards the same goal, but it showed last season the job of a defensive tackle and if the whole line is working well together how dominant you can be at stopping an offence just with the front four."

https://gobisons.ca/news/2022/8/16/football-cole-adamson-live-in-the-momen.aspx

Adamson is a DT, so he wouldn't play the same role as Kongbo.  At 6'5" and 300 lbs, he is likely an eventual replacement for Thomas if he shows well.

Transactions:

2022-12-09   WPG   KARAMOKO, Souleymane   DB   N   Laval   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-09   WPG   HARRISON, Tavaris   WR   A   Florida Atlantic   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-08   WPG   HEILIGH, Jaivon   WR   A   Coastal Carolina   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-08   WPG   COOPER, DeJuan   DL   A   South Dakota   Add To   Active Roster

Blue Bombers Transactions - December 10, 2022

WINNIPEG, MB., December 10, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following roster additions:

Added to roster:

Global defensive back Souleymane Karamoko (finished season on PR)
Global receiver Tim Knuettel (finished season on PR)
National linebacker Cedrick Lavigne (finished season on PR)
American defensive end DeJaun Cooper (finished season on PR)
American receiver Jaivon Heiligh (finished season on PR)
National defensive lineman Cole Adamson

Blue Bombers add seven, including former Manitoba Bisons' DL Cole Adamson

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed seven players, including Canadian defensive lineman Cole Adamson. The moves were announced on Saturday.

Adamson was selected in the fourth round, 38th overall, in the 2022 CFL Draft out of the University of Manitoba. The Winnipeg native returned to school for his final year of U Sports eligibility and recorded 26 total tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, two knockdowns, and one blocked kick.

The graduate of Oak Park High School finished his tenure with the Bisons with 91 total tackles, 7.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one blocked kick.

Other players signed include American receiver Tavaris Harrison, American receiver Jaivon Heiligh, Global receiver Tim Knuettel, American linebacker DeJuan Cooper, Global defensive back Souleymane Karamoko, Canadian defensive back Cedrick Lavigne. Each player spent time on the practice roster this past season.

https://3downnation.com/2022/12/10/blue-bombers-add-six-including-former-manitoba-bisons-dl-cole-adamson/

I was hoping Rutledge would have been added to this list. 58DTs, 2 STs, 2 Sacks, 1 Int, 1 FF. Was having a great season and then just dropped out of the lineup late in the regular season. 

There were still a few PR players we didn't sign. Just wondering whether we will or won't bring back: McCrae, Lofton and Mourtada. I'm not advocating for or against, just seeing those players not in the recent group of re-signings of our PR players.

Also wondering whether we have any SMS money left from 2022? Even if we don't, it doesn't prevent us from signing our potential players with bonus money after the new year.

That said I expect we'll see a few more players re-signed in the next couple of weeks. There were some rumors that we had signed a couple of key players but not yet made the announcements.

I don't think it was his play that put him on the outs, there has to be more to the story, perhaps something to do with FIFO.  I wouldn't be surprised if he catches on with one of the new leagues down South.

FIFO?

First In, First Out.  Not sure why that would apply but that's FIFO.

Fit In or F___ Off. 

That would make more sense.

Initially they said he "hit a brick wall". Could mean a few things I guess.

It means he clashed with MOS and his way of doing things

What date does this money have to be spent by?  They may have been holding some back to re-up Demski but it sounds like he wants to max. his paycheque by waiting for F.A. before agreeing to terms. 

End of December I'd think.

oh ok.. walking out slowly.lol

Hey, should we keep this Main Roster Thread just for the roster announcements and put discussion, if any, into new threads about the transaction?  If the point is to have a concise history of the transactions, it would be useful to keep the thread "clean".  We mostly do this by default, but sometimes big convos sprout up in here.  I like seeing the signing "news" in the subjects of other threads when I first scan the site rather than having to wait until I hit the roster thread.

If so, a white-list of posters could be set just for this thread.

Just an idea, I have nothing invested in this, as the roster thread concept is someone else's!

I have no issue with roster-related discussion as it adds a bit of sizzle to the thread.

It's actually interesting to go back and see what's been posted over the course of a season.

Agreed. And there's never much anyway. Mostly just discussion over designations.

Fatboi's back, ending the speculations of him retiring.

Good signing...

No issue with him re-signing but a new contract doesn't always mean a player doesn't choose retirement just before or during TC. There is still a place for him on the roster. I wouldn't think his contact is a " fatboi " deal.

I would wager he's always been affordable.

fat boy deal says it perfectly. Is not a New York Strip deal nor a plain old cheese burger deal either.

BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF LONGEST-SERVING BLUE BOMBER JAKE THOMAS

WINNIPEG, MB., December 12, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract with veteran Canadian defensive tackle Jake Thomas, who was scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Thomas (6-2, 274, Acadia University; born: December 6, 1990, in Douglas, N.B.) returns in 2023 for what will be his 11th Canadian Football League season, all of them with the Blue Bombers.

Those 11 seasons and 169 regular season games played make Thomas the longest-serving player currently on the team.

In 2022, Thomas registered four quarterback sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. He has not missed a single game in the last five seasons and has missed just seven games in his entire career.

Originally selected by the Blue Bombers in fourth round, 29th overall, in the 2012 CFL Draft, Thomas has registered 144 tackles and 26 sacks for the club.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/12/12/blue-bombers-extend-contract-of-longest-serving-blue-bomber-jake-thomas/

169 games and only missed a handful in 11 seasons. Nearly identical stat record each year which is good productivity.

He may be the longest serving Bomber, but he's still only 32...

BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF DEFENSIVE BACK WINSTON ROSE

WINNIPEG, MB., December 13, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American cornerback Winston Rose to a one-year contract extension. He had been scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Rose (6-0, 174; New Mexico State; born: November 29, 1993, in Inglewood, CA) returns in 2023 for a fourth season with the Blue Bombers and his sixth in the Canadian Football League.

Rose started 17 regular season games as well as the Western Final and Grey Cup in 2022 and finished second on the team in tackles with 66 while adding three interceptions, including a Pick-6, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and seven pass knockdowns. Rose also added eight tackles and an interception in the Western Final and another five tackles in the Grey Cup.

Rose led the CFL in interceptions in 2019 and was a league all-star, earning him a contract with the Cincinnati Bengals as a result. He spent most of the 2020 season on the Bengals practice roster, suiting up for two regular season games, and then rejoined the Blue Bombers in late October of 2021. Rose was part of one of the most memorable plays in the championship game that December, as he tipped a pass first deflected by Deatrick Nichols into the arms of Kyrie Wilson for the championship-sealing interception in overtime of the Grey Cup win.

A veteran of 60 CFL games with Ottawa, B.C. and Winnipeg, Rose has 182 career tackles and 17 interceptions - 12 of them as a member of the Blue Bombers.

He first came to Canada in 2016 as a late practice roster addition in Toronto after NFL stints with the Los Angeles Rams and Indianapolis Colts before being waived and signed by Ottawa.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/12/14/blue-bombers-extend-contract-of-defensive-back-winston-rose/

Transactions:

2022-12-14   WPG   ROSE, Winston   DB   A   New Mexico State   Add To   Active Roster
2022-12-14   WPG   THOMAS, Jake   DL   N   Acadia   Add To   Active Roster

BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF LONG SNAPPER MIKE BENSON

WINNIPEG, MB., December 15, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed Canadian long-snapper Mike Benson to a two-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Benson (5-11, 220; Acadia University; born: May 13, 1987, in Winnipeg, MB) returns to his hometown Blue Bombers in 2023 for a third season and 10th in the Canadian Football League.

Benson was the club's long-snapper for all 18 regular season games in 2022 as well as the Western Final and 109th Grey Cup.

Benson first joined the Blue Bombers as a free agent in February of 2021 following a career that began in Edmonton in 2013 and then took him to the B.C. Lions, where he played from 2014-18, followed by a stop in Ottawa in 2019. He had signed with Montreal in 2020 but the cancellation of the CFL season that year made him a free agent again the following February.

A product of St. Paul's High School and the Winnipeg Rifles program before he attended Acadia, Benson has now appeared in 121 regular season CFL games, the last 32 with the Blue Bombers.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/12/15/blue-bombers-extend-contract-of-long-snapper-mike-benson/

"WINNIPEG IS MY HOME BUT THIS TEAM IS FAMILY"
https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/12/15/winnipeg-is-my-home-but-this-team-is-family/

I like two year deals.

BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF LINEBACKER KYRIE WILSON

WINNIPEG, MB., December 16, 2022 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms with American linebacker Kyrie Wilson on a one-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Wilson (6-1, 221, Fresno State; born: November 5, 1992, in Fresno, CA) returns to the Bombers in 2023 for what will be his sixth season after originally signing with the club in 2017.

Wilson had his 2022 season cut short after suffering an Achilles injury in the fourth game of the season. In his four games prior to injury, he registered 17 tackles, adding another on special teams, while also picking up one quarterback sack.

A versatile linebacker who had patrolled the weak-side spot in the club's two championship runs of 2019 and 2021, Wilson's best season statistically came in 2019 when he started all 18 games and finished third on the club in defensive plays, registering 63 defensive tackles, four special teams tackles, along with three sacks, one interception, five pass knockdowns, three fumble recoveries and three tackles for losses.

Wilson has now appeared in 35 games in a Blue Bombers uniform with 96 career tackles, four sacks and one interception for a touchdown.

He was first signed by the Bombers in April of 2017 after agreeing to a contract with the Oakland Raiders in 2016 as an undrafted free agent. Wilson was a three-year starter at Fresno State.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/12/16/blue-bombers-extend-contract-of-linebacker-kyrie-wilson/

"THIS IS HOME. I LOVE WINNIPEG AND THIS IS WHERE I WANTED TO BE."
https://www.bluebombers.com/2022/12/16/this-is-home-i-love-winnipeg-and-this-is-where-i-wanted-to-be/

Paul Friesen   @friesensunmedia
#Bombers clarify new deal for linebacker Kyrie Wilson is for two years, not one as they originally stated in their news release.

Transactions:

2022-12-16   WPG   WILSON, Kyrie   LB   A   Fresno State   Add To   Active Roster

Tyrell Ford works out for the Los Angeles Chargers? I thought draft choices signed 3 year deals not 2 years? That would make him ineligible for the NFL option after 1 year.

What gives? We sign him with the 13th pick and might lose him already?

They have to submit written permission asking us if he can work out - Walters clearly signed off.

That only applies if a player is in their option year of a 2 year contract. As far as I understand that doesn't / can't happen on the 2nd year of a 3 year deal.

Ultimately that's my question. Is Ford on only a 2 year deal and on his NFL option year? I think the sign off is more of a formality than anything. Hence " option year " in the CBA.

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF MOST OUTSTANDING OFFENSIVE LINEMAN STANLEY BRYANT

WINNIPEG, MB., January 5, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension with all-star offensive tackle Stanley Bryant. He was scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Bryant (6-5, 313, East Carolina; born: May 7, 1986, in Goldsboro, N.C.) returns in 2023 for what will be his eighth season with the Blue Bombers and 13th in the Canadian Football League including his days with the Calgary Stampeders (2010-14).

Bryant added to his legacy as one of the most decorated linemen in Blue Bombers and CFL history in 2022 in being honoured as the CFL's Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman for a record fourth time while also being selected to the CFL All-Star team for a seventh time.

All four of Bryant's top lineman awards have come during his time in Winnipeg, having previously received the honour in 2017, 2018 and 2021. He was also the runner-up for the award in 2019.

Bryant was also named the Blue Bombers' Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman for a sixth time in 2022, marking the eighth team award in his career including in 2011 and 2013 as a member of the Stampeders.

Bryant has been a mainstay on the left side of the Blue Bombers offensive line since first signing with the club as a free agent in 2015. Bryant had dressed for 186 games in his CFL career, including the last 120 in Winnipeg.

He is three-time Grey Cup champion, having won in 2019 and 2021 with the Blue Bombers and 2014 with Calgary.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/01/05/stanley-bryant-extended/

I think you have misunderstood the NFL window.  Any player in any year of a deal can make use of the window.  The only exception is players who receive an off season bonus after Dec 12. 

https://3downnation.com/2021/12/23/detailing-how-the-cfls-new-nfl-window-works/

I don't think so. Many import rookie imports are signed to 2 year contracts. They can't leave during their 1st season but have an NFL option window at the end of the 1st season. IE: Schoen.

Any veteran player that is a potential free agent at the end of a given season also has that option. In recent years many longer term players have signed 1 year contracts each off season: Bryant, Hardrick etc. That puts them in the list of potential free agents and they can explore NFL offers if they choose.

Going back to Ford, it would appear he only signed a 2 year deal and therefore falls into the NFL option window. IMO if he signed a 3 year deal he wouldn't have that NFL window.

My question was whether draft choices or why aren't draft choices bound to 3 year initial deals?

I don't think I've said anything that contradicts the concept of the option window.

Rookie contracts are 3 years, the third being an option. at the end of the season you can declare if you want to try out for the NFL. If you make it good if you dont, the team does not have to sign you back.

You are wrong.  Even if he is in a 3 year deal and only finished the first year, he has access to the NFL window.  Read the article.  You are over thinking this.

Yes, I may be wrong but this article doesn't bring up my point or question.

I read the article and it doesn't mention about the contract length specifically. As I pointed out, few import rookies aside from QB's sign 3 year deals. Not every every CFL draft choice signs a 3 year deal. IIRC I thought only the 1st and 2nd rounds had that criteria.

It's also very rare for any 1st year year to play well enough to attract NFL attention. Generally we see 6 - 12 getting looks. Players like Schoen, Holm and Parker would be 2 year contract players and in theory open to option window.

Most of the players mentioned getting NFL window looks have been potential free agents. Rourke would be in his 3rd season ( option window ).  Ford and his brother are the only Canadian rookies getting looks but I can't actually confirm that either signed 3 year deals but I'm guessing only 2 year deals.

Give me one example of a player on the 2nd year of a 3 year contract that is getting an NFL look? Note that there are not many 3 year deals as there might have been in he past.

NOTE: If you look at the " unofficial roster " page it indicates that both Schoen and Ford were on 2 year deals and under contract for 2023. That falls into my interpretation of NFL option window. It just doesn't answer if about Canadian draft choices contract lengths in general. As I suggested I was under the impression the top rounds were 3 year deals but that clearly isn't the case for Ford.

CBA:

Well that's pretty definitive. IMO that's too much of a concession with nothing to gain for the CFL in allowing it. OTOH, very few 1st year players draw any interest. Players that reach the end of their 2nd year playing might be lost in free agency due to choice and SMS considerations. Or they may be replaced by younger up and comers.

IIRC the NFL option was created with the expectation that it would draw better talent knowing that they had the option to leave after 1 season. I don't know that can be proved one way or the other.

Either way, Ford getting NFL looks is surprising in that he only got to start 1 game but did have 10 ST's. I think he could have a future but will he actually get a NFL offer? If so it was due to his college history.  He did have some NFL mini camp tryouts before joining the Bombers though.

I expect we'll see him back in Winnipeg for TC. Being our 1st pick and potentially losing him after his 1st season would be unfortunate. For me it would just be another reason against the ratio.

Schoen OTOH, we could lose. Whether he can make at least an NFL PR and is willing to take that chance is a TBD.

Dalton languished in the south before signing with us last season and then set the league on fire scoring 16 TDs and leading the league in reception yardage.    I'd be surprised if he doesn't catch on with a team down there as his intelligence, work ethic and compete levels are all top shelf not to mention his abilities.   I do believe that with Ellingson injured for much of the season, that it enhanced his role as our go to guy and he certainly turned me into a DS believer!   

Winnipeg Blue Bombers   @Wpg_BlueBombers
The Blue Bombers have released defensive back Tyrell Ford to allow him to pursue an NFL opportunity.

Bombers lose promising Canadian DB Tyrell Ford to Packers, Schoen also on NFL radar
By Ted Wyman

Every off season, Winnipeg Blue Bombers general manager Kyle Walters expects to see some of his players get opportunities in the NFL after putting together strong seasons north of the border.

What he likely didn't expect was to lose a top CFL Draft pick to the NFL after one fairly non-descript season in Blue and Gold.

Canadian defensive back Tyrell Ford, who was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers first pick of the 2022 CFL Draft, signed with the NFL's Green Bay Packers on Tuesday.

"I spoke to the Green Bay people and said 'Can you walk me through?'" Walters said Tuesday from the league meetings in Kananaskis, Alta.

"It's fascinating that, Tyrell grew a lot as a player, but you certainly weren't sitting down watching game film of Tyrell Ford and saying 'Yup, that's the guy, based on this past year, that we need to sign in Green Bay."

The Bombers took Ford in the second round (13th overall) and he was a backup DB and special teamer as a rookie for most of last season. He did make one start at cornerback near the end of the season and recorded three defensive tackles, along with 10 special teams tackles. He also returned some kicks.

"Their philosophy, organizationally, is they go back through all the pro days and they look at all the numbers of the players that were not in the NFL, that really jumped off the table, from a testing standpoint," Walters said.

"Tyrell did.

"And then they thought, he's had a year of CFL to grow as a player, so they brought him in and he's a great young man, checked all the boxes, and said 'Well, let's give him a chance.' They like that he's young, with a big upside, and there's no risk for the Green Bay Packers. It's all reward."

Ford and his brother Tre, a quarterback with the Edmonton Elks, both played at the University of Waterloo and both had numerous NFL workouts this off-season. Tyrell Ford worked out with at least seven teams.

After the Bombers drafted Tyrell last May, Walters said he was one of the best athletes in the draft and had testing numbers that were good enough for the NFL.

The Bombers released him on Tuesday so he could sign with the Packers, but they will retain his CFL rights until February of 2025 under the transfer window rules established between the CFL and NFL.

"He had so many workouts and it was like Dee Alford last year," Walters said.

"Once these requests kept coming in and you're up to seven, eight, nine teams, you figure someone is going to give him a contract. And it was Green Bay. They want to give him a chance, and good for Tyrell."

Alford played for the Bombers in 2021 and was an all-star but he signed with the NFL's Atlanta Falcons and played 16 games this season.

Walters also said receiver Dalton Schoen, the CFL's most outstanding rookie in 2022, has had a "bunch" of NFL workouts. He worked out with the Minnesota Vikings and Arizona Cardinals last month and has visited several other organizations since.

"We'll just wait and see," Walters said. "Just now, in the last couple days, they are allowed to start getting contract offers. I'm sure with Dalton they are studying his game film, cause they were already familiar with Dalton."

Walters said there's an interesting comparison between Ford and Schoen trying to make their way in the NFL.

While Ford was a complete unknown, who barely played in the CFL but had tremendous testing numbers when he was being scouted, Schoen had already been to several NFL training camps and been cut, before finding success north of the border.

"Dalton's in a little bit different boat," Walters said. "Tyrell was a great unknown and teams are just looking at his pro day numbers and saying 'Wow.'

"Dalton's had his pro day, he's been in training camps. He's not an unknown name to the NFL, so they're probably circling back on the actually game film and saying 'Ok, did we miss something on Dalton?'"

While Walters has signed several key free agents already this off-season (Willie Jefferson, Adam Bighill, Stanley Bryant), the team is still negotiating with long-time Bombers Nic Demski (receiver), Jermarcus Hardrick (offensive lineman) and Jackson Jeffcoat (defensive lineman).

All three can become CFL free agents on Feb. 14, but Walters is hopeful that they'll all be back in Blue and Gold.

"Progress on all three of those names,?"Walters said. "We're hoping, before free agency, that those names will get knocked off.

The Bombers have already re-signed eight of their potential free agents and have quarterback Zach Collaros and head coach Mike O'Shea under contract through 2025.

They've also retained their entire coaching staff and the scouting team, headed by assistant GMs Danny McManus and Ted Goveia, that works with Walters.

https://winnipegsun.com/sports/football/cfl/winnipeg-bluebombers/canadian-db-tyrell-ford-released-by-winnipeg-blue-bombers-in-order-to-sign-with-nfls-green-bay-packers

According to the press release about Ford he is under contract until Feb 2025. So we might yet see him back in Winnipeg at some point.

That's only if none of the interested NFL teams are willing to park him on their PR list for the season and let him develop.

Having him under contract for 2 years is still a better option than only 2023. He may stick in the NFL for some or all of 2023 but does he still stick in 2024? Good luck in his efforts and he he may do well financially for a number of years.

I believe 2023 is his last contract year with the Bombers, in 2024 he becomes a CFL F.A..

As noted in the earlier post above it says he becomes a free agent 2025. That was copied from a Bombers post.  While it could be a error, 2025 makes sense signing a high draft pick on a 3 year deal. It will only matter if he doesn't stick and returns to the CFL by 2024 season or sooner.

The Bombers released him on Tuesday so he could sign with the Packers, but they will retain his CFL rights until February of 2025 under the transfer window rules established between the CFL and NFL.

Wow, if he signed a 3 year rookie deal that's pretty unusual, I think standard rookie contracts for draft picks are usually 2 years, unless they changed it recently. TBurg probably knows!

BLUE BOMBERS EXTEND CONTRACT OF OFFENSIVE TACKLE JERMARCUS HARDRICK

WINNIPEG, MB., January 11, 2023 -  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American offensive tackle Jermarcus Hardrick to a one-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent next month.

Hardrick (6-5, 319, University of Nebraska; born: May 30, 1990, in Batesville, MS) returns to the Blue Bombers for a seventh season in 2023. Hardrick started 17 regular season games at right tackle for the Blue Bombers in 2022 and was part of an offence that finished second in offensive points (28.2), first in touchdowns (58), second in rushing yards (113.5) while yielding the second-fewest sacks (29).

Hardrick and the Blue Bombers offensive line played pivotal roles in quarterback Zach Collaros being named the CFL's Most Outstanding Player for a second consecutive season and the first 1,000-yard rushing campaign in Brady Oliveira's career.

A consistent presence at right tackle for the Blue Bombers since 2016, Hardrick was a CFL All-Star in 2021 and was named to the CFL Players' Association All-Star squad in 2022.

He has now appeared in 115 regular season CFL games, including 95 as a member of the Blue Bombers, 12 with the B.C. Lions in 2014 and eight with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2015 and was a member of Winnipeg's back-to-back Grey Cup teams in 2019 and 2021.

Hardrick began his college days at Fort Scott Community College before transferring to Nebraska. He had tryouts with Tampa Bay and New Orleans before coming north to the CFL.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/01/11/blue-bombers-extend-contract-of-offensive-tackle-jermarcus-hardrick/

I thought 3 year deals were the norm for draft picks. At least for the top 2 draft round. I suppose if they can leave after the 1st year it can be an issue but that is outside the norm as well.

CBA:

Winnipeg Blue Bombers re-sign defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat to a Contract Extension


WINNIPEG, MB., January 16, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat to a one-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent next month.

Jeffcoat (6-3, 243, University of Texas; born: December 26, 1990, in Dallas, TX) returns to the Blue Bombers for a sixth season in 2023.

Despite missing six regular season games due to injury, Jeffcoat finished the 2022 campaign with four quarterback sacks, 20 defensive tackles, one interception along with a forced fumble and fumble recovery.

He was especially effective in the playoffs with a sack in each of the Western Final and Grey Cup games, adding a forced fumble in the championship loss to the Toronto Argonauts.

Jeffcoat enjoyed a career year in 2021, racking up a career-best nine quarterback sacks to lead the Blue Bombers, while forcing a league-best four fumbles and adding 26 tackles and two pass knockdowns. Those totals saw him earn spots on both the West Division and CFL All-Star teams for the first time in his career.

Jeffcoat now has 30 sacks and 126 tackles in 64 regular season games with the Blue Bombers.

A star during his college days with the Texas Longhorns where he was a Consensus All-American and the Big 12 Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2013, Jeffcoat joined the Bombers in 2017 after stints in the NFL with Seattle, Washington and Cleveland.

Transactions:

2023-01-16   WPG   JEFFCOAT, Jackson   DL   A   Texas   Add To   Active Roster
2023-01-13   WPG   WALLACE, Don   DB   A   Louisiana At Lafayette   Add To   Active Roster
2023-01-13   WPG   BRYANT, Stanley   OL   A   East Carolina   Add To   Active Roster
2023-01-12   WPG   HARDRICK, Jermarcus   OL   A   Nebraska   Add To   Active Roster
2023-01-12   WPG   FORD, Tyrell   DB   N   Waterloo   Delete From Active   Free Agent

Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign former Ragin' Cajuns defensive back Deuce Wallace

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed former Louisiana-Lafayette defensive back Deuce Wallace on Friday. The 26-year-old from Lafayette, Louisiana, played two preseason games for the Saints in 2021 with four tackles.

Collegiately, Wallace played four seasons at Louisiana-Lafayette (2016-19) as a walk-on with 73 tackles, one sack, four pass breakups, and one forced fumble in 40 games for the Ragin' Cajuns.

In his senior year, Wallace had 22 tackles and one pass breakup in 15 games. He was voted captain in his senior year and was a Burlsworth Trophy and Wuerffel Trophy nominee.

https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2023/01/13/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-former-ragin-cajuns-defensive-back-deuce-wallace/

Keep them coming. ND10 next please.

Gotta be good with that name.  Might score a deuce on a half back blitz lol

Or he might drop a deuce on a long bomb to Begelton.  I guess we'll have to wait and see...

what is the hold up? Get this ^ one done KYLE

Welcome back Tui Eli.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/01/18/blue-bombers-sign-offensive-lineman-asotui-eli/

BLUE BOMBERS SIGN OFFENSIVE LINEMAN ASOTUI ELI

WINNIPEG, MB., January 18, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the return of Canadian offensive lineman Asotui (Tui) Eli, who has signed a three-year deal with the club.

Eli (6-4, 326, University of Hawaii; born: January 31, 1996, in Richmond, B.C.) returns to the Blue Bombers after not playing during the 2022 Canadian Football League season.

Eli was selected by the Blue Bombers in the fourth round, 34th overall, in the 2019 CFL Draft and appeared in five games in his first season. Following the cancellation of the 2020 CFL campaign due to the global pandemic, Eli returned in 2021 to play a key role as a rotational component along the club's veteran offensive line, while suiting up for all 14 regular season games - including four starts - plus the Western Final.

Eli, who was born in Richmond and is of Samoan heritage, appeared in 36 college games over three years with the Rainbow Warriors and was twice named to the preseason Rimington Award watch list as the top centre in NCAA football.

He missed the 2018 season with a knee injury, but had his interest in the game revived through a family connection with Blue Bombers Assistant GM and Director of U.S. Scouting Danny McManus.

That was funny

BLUE BOMBERS RE-SIGN MIKE MILLER

WINNIPEG, MB., January 19, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms with Canadian fullback Mike Miller on a one-year contract extension. He was scheduled to become a free agent in February.

Miller (6-0, 221, Acadia; born: March 15, 1989, in Riverview, NB) returns to the Blue Bombers for a sixth season after initially joining the team as a free agent in 2017.

Miller is one of the greatest special teams players in Canadian Football League history; he is the CFL's all-time leader in special teams tackles with 226, having taken over top spot in that category during the 2021 season.

Miller led the Blue Bombers with 16 special teams tackles in 2022, adding a forced fumble in his 18 regular season games while registering four more tackles on specials in the playoffs. During his days in Winnipeg, Miller has not missed a single game while amassing 110 special teams tackles, which ranks third in club history behind Wade Miller (184) and Brendan Rogers (124).

As a Blue Bomber, Miller led the league in special teams tackles in 2021 with 25, finished second in 2019 with the same total and racking up 22 in both 2017 and 2018.

A West Division All-Star in 2019 and 2021, Miller was also the West Division's Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in both those seasons. He was named the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in 2019 and 2021 and the club's Most Outstanding Canadian in 2021.

Miller signed with the Bombers in 2017 after spending the first six years of his CFL career in Edmonton, first landing there as an undrafted free agent.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/01/19/blue-bombers-re-sign-mike-miller/

I wonder is the Bombers plan to re-sign McCrae? He was developing as a player in the CFL IMO. He had some speed and made some nice plays at both RB and receiver opportunities.

agree....he's our X-Factor on offence.....can't see him wanting to play anywhere else however he needs a bump in pay.  Hope he signs a long term deal of 3 years or more

Mcrae was released and isnt on the roster as a free agent... doen't mean we cant resign him but it looks like it isn't a priority as hes already a free agent

It's not a priority. The Bombers may have released him ( off  the PR) in order to look at an XFL or USFL opportunity to play. I haven't heard anything like that happening yet, so there could be some interest on both sides for him to return.

That's true for many PR players that weren't retained yet across the CFL. Some will be out of the CFL all together or sign with other teams. I see OL, Burks was just signed out east, Argos I think\ as an example.

I known 3DownNation listed McCrae as a free agent but it would appear that the Bombers re-signed him.

2022-11-22   WPG   MCCRAE, Greg   RB   A   Central Florida   Add To   Active Roster

Hmmm, that's interesting. That was a couple of days after the Grey Cup and many transactions " added " players to the active roster. That included players that played and started in the Grey Cup and many of those on either IR or PR lists.

It's never clear what all those actually mean. Perhaps it's the team picking up the option year of contracts?

Thompson and Rene were also " added " on 11/22 then deleted on 12/05.

McCrae doesn't actually show on the roster but that could be an error since no deletion from the roster shows either!! I think it's reasonable to think the roster listing is error after seeing the add on 11/22.

In any case, as I've suggested I think he earned at least an invitation to TC. If we lose Grant he many be a candidate for that role as a DI or a spot on our PR etc.

Any news on Demski front? I just hope that theyre not mishandling this like Harris' case last year.

They didn't mishandle Harris, they just had no interest in signing him.

I agree. I sounds like they did not even make him an offer.

CFL Transactions:

2023-01-24   WPG   GAUTHIER, Shayne   LB   N   Laval   Add To   Active Roster
2023-01-23   WPG   MILLER, Mike   RB   N   Acadia   Add To   Active Roster
2023-01-18   WPG   ELI, Tavita   OL   N   Hawaii   Add To   Active Roster

I am guessing Gauthier's re-signing will be announced tomorrow.

BLUE BOMBERS RE-SIGN LINEBACKER SHAYNE GAUTHIER

WINNIPEG, MB., January 25, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension with Canadian linebacker Shayne Gauthier. He was scheduled to become a free agent next month.

Gauthier (5-10, 223; Laval University; born: February 20, 1992, in Dolbeau-Mistassini, QC) returns for a seventh season with the club in 2023. A fourth-round selection, 28th overall, by the Blue Bombers in the 2016 CFL Draft, Gauthier has suited up for 81 games with the club over six years and has not missed a contest in the last three seasons.

He posted career-high numbers in defensive tackles in 2021 and 2022, recording 28 tackles last season and registering the first two quarterback sacks in his six years with the Blue Bombers while also adding five more tackles on special teams.

Gauthier totalled 130 tackles during his four years at Laval and was also a two-time RSEQ All-Star while earning CIS Second-Team All-Canadian honours as a senior.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/01/25/blue-bombers-re-sign-linebacker-shayne-gauthier/

"IT'S HARD FOR ME TO IMAGINE BEING IN ANOTHER UNIFORM" - GAUTHIER RETURNS FOR 7TH SEASON
https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/01/25/its-hard-for-me-to-imagine-being-in-another-uniform-gauthier-returns-for-7th-season/

Bombers got a few key cogs left to sign but trending the right way

Yup, not many left:

Quarterback
Dakota Prukop (A)

Running back
None

Fullback
None

Receiver
Rasheed Bailey (A)
Nic Demski (N)
Greg Ellingson (A)
Janarion Grant (A)

Offensive line
Michael Couture (N)

Defensive line
Keion Adams (A)
Casey Sayles (A)

Linebacker
Jesse Briggs (N)
Les Maruo (G)

Defensive back
Alden Darby (A)
Mercy Maston (A)
Nick Taylor (A)

Kicker
None

Long snapper
None

BLUE BOMBERS ADD TWO TO ROSTER

WINNIPEG, MB., February 1, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American defensive back Deuce Wallace and National defensive back Jacob Janke.

Wallace (5-10, 200,  Louisiana-Lafayette; born: October 6, 1996 in Lafayette, LA) was originally a walk-on for the Ragin' Cajuns and eventually became a starter in the defensive backfield.  In his final two seasons, Wallace had 62 tackles, 4 TFL, 1 INT and 1 forced fumble. As a senior in 2019, Wallace was named a team captain. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the New Orleans Saints in May of 2021.

Janke (6-0, 200; York; born: February 11, 1997) joins the club after spending time with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Janke was a fourth-round selection, 35th overall, by the Roughriders in the 2019 CFL Draft and returned to university that fall where he had an all-star season. Janke was a second-team All-Canadian and a first-team Ontario University Athletics all-star in 2019. He was also named the U-Sports recipient of the prestigious Russ Jackson Award, recognizing the football player 'who best exemplifies the attributes of academic achievement, football skill and citizenship.'

Janke attended training camp with the Roughriders prior to the start of the 2021 season.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/01/blue-bombers-add-two-to-roster-2/

Transactions:

2023-02-01   WPG   JANKE, Jacob   LB   N   York   Add To   Active Roster
2023-01-27   WPG   BARNES, Vance   RB   A   Northern State   Delete From Suspended   Free Agent

BLUE BOMBERS RE-SIGN RECEIVER AND KICK RETURNER JANARION GRANT

WINNIPEG, MB., February 3, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has re-signed American receiver and kick returner Janarion Grant on a one-year contract extension.

He was scheduled to become a free agent on February 14th.

Grant (5-9, 160, Rutgers; born: November 20, 1993, in Fort Trilby, FL) returns in 2023 for his fourth season with the club. In 2022, Grant led all CFL returners with five touchdowns - three in the regular season and two more in the playoffs - with four coming via punt returns and the fifth on a kickoff.

Grant earned a spot on the CFL All-Star team and became the Blue Bombers' all-time leader in kick return touchdowns in the regular season with seven. He also set a Grey Cup record with a 102-yard return touchdown in the championship loss to Toronto.

Grant initially joined the club in July 2019 after first attending training camp with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Appearing in just 11 games, Grant led the Blue Bombers in both punt and kickoff returns that season.

Grant first turned pro in 2018, signing with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent. He made the team's final roster as the primary punt and kick returner but was released in late September of that season.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/03/blue-bombers-re-sign-receiver-and-kick-returner-janarion-grant/

"I WANT TO SCORE A TOUCHDOWN EVERY TIME I TOUCH THE BALL"
https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/03/i-want-to-score-a-touchdown-every-time-i-touch-the-ball/

Transactions:

2023-02-03   WPG   GRANT, Janarion   WR   A   Rutgers   Add To   Active Roster

BLUE BOMBERS RE-SIGN ALDEN DARBY, JR.

WINNIPEG, MB., February 5, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms with American defensive back Alden Darby, Jr. on a one-year contract extension.

He was scheduled to become a free agent on February 14th.

Darby, Jr. (5-11, 194, Arizona State; born: June 22, 1992, in Long Beach, CA) returns in 2023 for what will be his third stint with the Blue Bombers.
Darby Jr. is a veteran of 66 regular season games in the CFL, including 43 with the Toronto Argonauts, 10 with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and 13 and counting with the Blue Bombers.

Winnipeg has twice traded for Darby, Jr. in two years, most recently acquiring him from the Tiger-Cats at the trade deadline last October.
He was first acquired by the Bombers in a trade with Toronto in July of 2021 and found a place in the Blue Bombers starting defence while being named a West Division All-Star that year.

He had 34 tackles, one tackle for a loss and a pass knockdown in nine regular season starts in 2021, before adding two tackles and a sack in the Western Final win over Saskatchewan and six tackles, a pass knockdown and an interception in the Grey Cup victory over Hamilton.

Darby, Jr. made two regular season starts for the Blue Bombers last year after the trade and had six tackles before adding four more tackles and a sack in the playoff run.

Darby, Jr. first signed with the Argos in July of 2017 and appeared in 43 games over three years with Toronto, finishing with 137 tackles, one sack and eight interceptions. He was a member of the 2017 Grey Cup champion Argonauts, although he was on the injured list and did not play in the game.

Darby, Jr. played his college ball at Arizona State and had 10 interceptions during his days with the Sun Devils. He signed as an undrafted free agent with the San Diego Chargers in 2014 and had NFL looks with the Pittsburgh Steelers, New Orleans Saints and Indianapolis Colts.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/05/blue-bombers-re-sign-alden-darby-jr/

"THIS IS MY HOME." - DARBY BACK IN BLUE & GOLD
https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/05/this-is-my-home-darby-back-in-blue-gold/

BLUE BOMBERS RE-SIGN RECEIVER NIC DEMSKI TO THREE-YEAR EXTENSION

WINNIPEG, MB., February 5, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announce today the club has agreed to terms with receiver Nic Demski on a three-year contract extension, keeping him in Blue and Gold through 2025.

A born-and-bred Winnipegger and product of the University of Manitoba, Demski (5-11, 216) will be entering his fifth season with the Blue Bombers in 2023 after beginning his Canadian Football League career in 2015 as a first-round draft pick with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

He first signed with Winnipeg as a free agent in 2018 and is coming off a 2022 season in which he set career bests despite missing five games. Demski finished '22 with 64 receptions for 772 yards and 10 touchdowns - all the best numbers in his career - and in the process was named the Blue Bombers Most Outstanding Canadian Player for a second straight season and was also selected to the West Division All-Star Team.

In his four seasons with the Blue Bombers, Demski has 215 receptions for 2,523 yards and 20 touchdowns, while adding 633 yards and four more scores along the ground.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/05/blue-bombers-re-sign-receiver-nic-demski-to-three-year-extension/

Glad to see Darby is back, and I hope Maston is healthy and re-signed.

Demski for 3 yrs is fantastic news!

Transactions:

2023-02-06   WPG   DEMSKI, Nic   WR   N   Manitoba   Add To   Active Roster
2023-02-06   WPG   DARBY, Alden   LB   A   Arizona State   Add To   Active Roster

Jeff Hamilton    @jeffkhamilton
Massive signing for the Bombers, with receiver and Winnipeg native Nic Demski locked in through the 2025 CFL season. Hearing his deal *averages* nearly $190,000 per season, a raise from his previous contract(s) and a good price for such a versatile piece on the offence.


REPORTS: KENNY LAWLER REPORTEDLY AGREES IN PRINCIPLE TO 2-YEAR CONTRACT WITH BOMBERS
Feb 7 - Ed Tait

The doors to Canadian Football League free agency don't officially open until next week, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers appear to have already taken a bold and aggressive first step.

Kenny Lawler - one of the most dangerous receivers in the CFL - has reportedly agreed in principle to a two-year contract that would return him to the Blue Bombers after he spent the 2022 season with the Edmonton Elks.

The deal won't be officially confirmed by the club until next Tuesday at the earliest when the free agent market opens at 11 a.m. Teams have had the green light to negotiate with pending free agents since the opening of the 'legal tampering' period last Sunday. That window closes on Sunday, two days before free agency at which time the Elks would have exclusive negotiating rights and the chance to improve any pending offer.

There is a sense the Elks have already conceded Lawler is moving on as not long after the news linking his return to Winnipeg broke, reports began circulating that they had agreed to terms on receiver Stephen Dunbar of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/07/report-kenny-lawler-reportedly-agrees-to-terms-with-bombers/


Farhan Lalji   @FarhanLaljiTSN   Feb 7
I'm told Kenny Lawler's expected deal with #Bombers will pay him 260-265k in 2023 & 300k in 2024. Had more money available elsewhere but wanted to be back in Wpg & took less in year 1 to accommodate.

As a result, I wouldn't expect Greg Ellingson or Rasheed Bailey back with #Bombers. It may also lead to C Michael Couture heading back home to play for #BCLions, although #Riders also making a push for his services too.

Transactions:

2023-02-10   WPG   ALEXANDER, Brandon   DB   A   Central Florida   Add To   Active Roster
2023-02-10   WPG   ALEXANDER, Brandon   DB   A   Central Florida   Delete From Active   Free Agent

Looks like Alexander's contract was reworked for 2023.


B.C. Lions agree to terms with Canadian OL Michael Couture
https://3downnation.com/2023/02/09/b-c-lions-agree-to-terms-with-canadian-ol-michael-couture/

Hamilton Tiger-Cats agree to terms with DL Casey Sayles
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with American defensive lineman Casey Sayles, per sources. The deal is worth approximately $200,000 annually.

The 27-year-old made 36 tackles, six sacks, and two forced fumbles over 18 starts at defensive tackle with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2022, setting all-new career-highs. He made 28 tackles and five sacks as a CFL rookie in 2021.

https://3downnation.com/2023/02/08/hamilton-tiger-cats-agree-to-terms-with-dl-casey-sayles/

He had a low cost SMS contract last year knowing he was coming off an injury and would miss the start of the year. Could be they gave him an increase expecting to start the season this year.

Or even just some upfront cash if he made less last season.

I don't know if the Bombers were holding SMS back while trying to re-sign Sayles. However now that we've lost that opportunity I wonder if there is some cash to get Prukop and Maruo back on the roster. Neither will be high SMS or in line for big raises.

In theory we might be looking for a rookie QB in TC or another free agent. Maruo was getting a lot of reps on defence and I wouldn't mind getting him back either.

How much either are expecting or what the team thoughts are is a TBD.

Looking at the remaining CFL wide potential free agents I don't specifically see many players that fill a need or are affordable. The early days of free agency always holds some surprises across the league. Roughly 135 potential free agents remain. Of that good chance we see some retirements and / or those that have seen their last days in the CFL.

Who ends up where?

Prukop will be a little cheaper after Feb14 and if someone picks him up theres a bunch of FA options who can do his SY role - Caleb Evans, Pipkin and O'Connor. or the scouts can bring new QBs in.

Just a thought of something not likely to happen. Darvin Adams back as a Bomber for the right price. He was 13th in total yards last year.

I think what we saw last week were the "big fish" who had multiple offers jumping from team to team, I expect the next week or two will have a few major signings and a lot of players re-signing with their original teams once their true market price has been established. Second week is were Walters excels, I expect him to make a few under the radar moves to solidify the backend of the roster.

If we don't re-sign Prukop, the only other FA QB out there that makes sense is O'Conner...  he has the size for a short yardage QB, and I'm sure Buck can coach him up.  And as a Nat, roster bonus...

He's only a roster bonus if he starts, otherwise he's just 1 of 3 players designated as QB's.

FIRST & 10: FREE AGENCY PREVIEW
Ed Tait

The real pen-to-paper moment will come next Tuesday, when Kenny Lawler scribbles his signature on a new contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers after agreeing in principle to a deal earlier this week.

Officially, then, that's when the hallelujahs can begin in Bomberland, followed by the W.T.F. curses being spit out across the Canadian Football League. Make no mistake here, folks, the Blue Bombers landing the ace receiver is the equivalent of a CFL free agency mic drop.

Oh sure, other teams have already made bold moves or are rumoured to be on the verge of them. That's what the CFL free agency delivers every February: a chance to reload, restock or rebuild. Yet when a team that was a handful of plays away from a three-peat last November casts a line in the water and lands a fish this big, well, it is a massive statement.

Look, the Blue Bombers had already spent most of the offseason - actually, dating back to last October when two-time Most Outstanding Player Zach Collaros signed a three-year extension - locking up as many pending free agents as possible, the clear intention being to essentially run it back with the same group that posted a franchise-record 15 wins last year.

That long list includes, among others, stars like Willie Jefferson, Adam Bighill, Stanley Bryant, Pat Neufeld, Jackson Jeffcoat and, earlier this week, Nic Demski. It includes mainstay starters like Jake Thomas, Jermarcus Hardrick and Winston Rose, and in the last week or so, Janarion Grant and Alden Darby, Jr. Also back on board are critical contributors like Kyrie Wilson, Shayne Gauthier, Mike Miller, Mike Benson and Desmond Lawrence.

So, yeah, the football operations department has been hard at it for months.

Free agency can be a revealing process in many ways. Teams can be desperate in their approach - this franchise was certainly there eight-nine years ago - and they can be aggressive in filling holes with the known commodities available on the market. Others sit on their thumbs for a spell, and then do some bargain-bin shopping when the big dollars have been spent.

And these Blue Bombers - a team which has made three straight Grey Cup appearances and has two championships, which is 26-6 over the last two years and has won more games than any other CFL squad since 2018 - have just completed a bold, swing-for-the-fences move with Lawler that screams out one thing: The organization is all-in - again - at chasing another championship.

And it brings us back to a statement head coach Mike O'Shea said in December that says everything about the collective mindset on Chancellor Matheson Road: "I don't think we're done yet," he said. "I think that the group that we have here - now there's always additions and subtractions every single year, it's pro sport - but the group we've assembled, the group that's all thinking the same way, believe that we've got a lot of legs left in this."

More on the impact of the Lawler signing and other notes in our latest edition of 1st & 10 ..

1. Many across the CFL have wondered how the Blue Bombers can fit Lawler's meaty salary into their cap, but with both Rasheed Bailey and Greg Ellingson likely heading to market, the dollars are available with a receiving corps that would feature Lawler, Demski and Drew Wolitarsky along with Dalton Schoen - should he not sign with an NFL team by Tuesday - and, perhaps, Carlton Agudosi.

There will likely be other changes, too, with centre Michael Couture hitting the market as well as defensive tackle Casey Sayles who, as Justin Dunk reported, appears to be heading to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

2. The Lawler signing means the Blue Bombers will probably be quiet for the rest of free agency, but could be tempted to look at adding depth if something can fit under the cap. Here's a look at the current roster situation, knowing that a number of American free agents will be signed, and the roster further bolstered by the CFL Draft and Global Draft:

DEFENCE
Defensive line

Under contract: DE Willie Jefferson, DE Jackson Jeffcoat, DT Jake Thomas*, DT Cam Lawson*, DT Ricky Walker, DE DeJuan Cooper, DE Thiadric Hansen (Global), DT Cole Adamson* (2022 CFL Draft pick)

Pending Blue Bomber free agents: DT Casey Sayles, DE Keion Adams

Linebackers

Under contract: Adam Bighill, Kyrie Wilson, Malik Clements, Brian Cole, Shayne Gauthier*, Tanner Cadwallader*

Pending Blue Bomber free agents: Jesse Briggs*, Les Maruo (G)

Secondary

Under contract: DB Deatrick Nichols, CB Winston Rose, S Brandon Alexander, DB/CB Desmond Lawrence, DB/CB Demerio Houston, Dime Alden Darby, Jr., DB Evan Holm, DB/CB Jamal Parker, S Nick Hallett*, S Noah Hallett *, DB Redha Kramdi*, DB Souleymane Karamoko (G), DB Cedrick Lavigne*, DB Deuce Wallace, DB Karon Delince, Jacob Janke*

Note: CB Tyrell Ford* has signed with the Green Bay Packers but remains under contract to the Blue Bombers should he be released

Pending Blue Bomber free agents: DB Nick Taylor, DB Mercy Maston

OFFENCE
Quarterbacks

Under contract: Zach Collaros, Dru Brown

Pending Blue Bomber free agent: Dakota Prukop

Receivers

Under contract: Nic Demski*, Drew Wolitarsky*, Dalton Schoen, Brendan O'Leary-Orange*, Janarion Grant, Carlton Agudosi, Tavaris Harrison, Jaivon Heiligh (late practice roster addition last year), Timothy Knuettel (Global, late practice roster addition last year).

'New' faces: Kenny Lawler (agreed in principle)

Pending Blue Bombers free agents: SB Rasheed Bailey, SB Greg Ellingson

Running backs/Fullbacks

Under contract: RB Brady Oliveira*, RB/SB Greg McCrae, RB Johnny Augustine*, FB Mike Miller*, FB Konner Burtenshaw*

Pending Blue Bomber free agents: none

Offensive line

Under contract: LT Stanley Bryant, RG Pat Neufeld*, RT Jermarcus Hardrick, G Geoff Gray*, G Chris Kolankowski*, G Liam Dobson*, OT Drew Richmond, Tui Eli* (returns after not playing in 2022), Tomoya Machino (G)

Pending Blue Bomber free agents: C Michael Couture*

SPECIALISTS
Under contract: P/PK Marc Liegghio*, LS Mike Benson*, KR Janarion Grant

Pending Blue Bomber free agents: none

3. One of the narratives occasionally stoked up since last fall, and especially after the one-point loss in the Grey Cup, is how the Blue Bombers have an aging roster staring at a championship window open for only so long. It's valid, but some context is also needed here. Consider the list of projected Blue Bombers starters who are currently 30 and over:

LB Adam Bighill (34)
LT Stanley Bryant (36)
RT Jermarcus Hardrick (32)
G Pat Neufeld (34)
C Chris Kolankowski (31)
QB Zach Collaros (34)
Dime Alden Darby, Jr. (30)
DE Jackson Jeffcoat (32)
DE Willie Jefferson (32)
DT Jake Thomas (32)
LB Kyrie Wilson (30)

Of that list: Collaros, Bryant and Neufeld were CFL All-Stars, and they were joined by Jefferson and Bighill on the West Division All-Star squad. And, just FYI, Hardrick was voted an all-star by his peers to the CFLPA All-Star team.

All of this is to point out that's a ton of talent seemingly still at or near its prime.

4. So, while we're doing this, here are the Blue Bombers projected starters currently under 30 years of age:

WR Carlton Agudosi (29)
S Brandon Alexander (29)
SB Nic Demski (29)
G Geoff Gray (28)
DB Demerio Houston (26)
DB Desmond Lawrence (28)
DB Deatrick Nichols (28)
RB Brady Oliveira (25)
CB Winston Rose (29)
WR Dalton Schoen (26)
WR Drew Wolitarsky (27)
WR Kenny Lawler (28)
DT Ricky Walker (26)

Obviously, there's a ton of highway yet to travel before the regular season opens, but that's more than half the starting lineup currently aged 30 and under.

5. One more on this, just because CFL free agency places a premium on Canadian talent, experienced talent and quarterbacks.. Here's a look at the ages for the projected starting QBs around the league:

Winnipeg: Zach Collaros - 34
B.C.: Vernon Adams, Jr. - 30
Edmonton: Taylor Cornelius - 27
Calgary: Jake Maier - 25
Saskatchewan: Trevor Harris (reportedly agreed in principle with the Riders) - 36
Toronto: McLeod Bethel-Thompson (pending free agent) - 34
Ottawa: Jeremiah Masoli - 34
Hamilton: Bo Levi Mitchell - 32
Montreal: TBD

Other starters from last season:

Cody Fajardo, Saskatchewan, (pending free agent) - 30
Dane Evans, Hamilton - 29

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/10/first-10-free-agency-preview/

Just to add a little more context is the positional breakdown of our older players. In particular, OL/DL/QB do not conform to the over 32+ benchmark of aging. They generally can maintain careers into their mid to late 30's. Where the 32+ benchmark really applies is into the secondary/receivers/LBers where speed is paramount. We do not have a lot of players in that danger zone.

OL and QB is fine but I'm a little worried on the defensive line, if we're considering age. You can find a ton of NFL study of data on each position but defensive line players usually see a massive jump in effectiveness from year 1 to 2, followed by a longer stable plateau and a huge drop off after year 7. This is Jefferson's 9th year, Thomas' 11th year, Jeffcoat's 5th year (although he and Willie are the same age). I agree overall, we're okay on age but along the defensive line we are older by all metrics.

Willie and Jeffcoat are prototypical in the world of D-linemen as they are both long and lean and extremely mobile pass-rushers as opposed to the traditional heavier set Charleston Hughes or Micah Johnson body type, that rely more on brute strength and short bursts of energy.  You won't see either running from sideline to sideline tracking down receivers or catching RB's from behind.  It may be more noticeable sooner when the Jeff's lose a step due to advancing age, I would estimate the limit of their effectiveness 2-3 more years, unless they change their playing style or bulk up.

BLUE BOMBERS RE-SIGN CANADIAN LINEBACKER JESSE BRIGGS

WINNIPEG, MB., February 13, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension with Canadian linebacker Jesse Briggs. He was scheduled to become a free agent on Tuesday.

Briggs (6-1, 207; McGill University; born: April 14, 1990, in Kelowna, BC) returns to the Blue Bombers for a ninth season in 2023.

A second-round selection by the Blue Bombers in the 2014 CFL Draft, Briggs has suited up for 116 regular season games with Winnipeg, ranking him behind only Jake Thomas (169) as the longest-serving member in terms of games played with the team.

An injury limited Briggs to 12 games in 2022, over which he registered three defensive tackles and four more on special teams. His 2021 season was his best statistically as he finished with 24 tackles and five more on special teams as well as adding a forced fumble and an 83-yard fumble return touchdown, the first of his professional career.

Over the course of his 116 games with the Blue Bombers, Briggs has made 66 special-teams tackles.

In 2013, his final year at McGill, Briggs won the Friends of McGill Football Trophy as the team's most outstanding defensive player.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/13/blue-bombers-re-sign-canadian-linebacker-jesse-briggs/

FREE AGENCY PREVIEW

Here's where things stand with the other Blue Bombers pending free agents on the verge of heading to market:

Centre Michael Couture (signing with the B.C. Lions):

"Michael's a good player, it's just that we've got a bit of depth at the centre position, and this is part of the decision," Walters said. "With Tui (Eli) coming back (following a year away from the game) it helps at the centre position and Chris Kolankowski stepped up and played very well during Michael's injury last year.

"With our Canadians, Paddy (Neufeld) is playing at an all-star level, Geoff Gray getting better with more snaps and Liam Dobson getting his feet wet we're feeling OK there. That's what makes it slightly less painful to have a great player like Michael test the waters."

Receiver Greg Ellingson will go to market while Walters said negotiations with Bailey were to include a chat with the slotback's agent on Monday and could continue until the 11th hour.

Dalton Schoen still has until Tuesday to possibly sign in the NFL and if he returns will be playing the second year of his rookie contract with the Blue Bombers.

"He has until tomorrow," Walters said. "We'll see. I never want to say too much until (the window) closes."

Defensive end Keion Adams will go to market and defensive tackle Casey Sayles is reportedly signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats:

"Casey has got a nice offer from another team," said Walters, "but Ricky Walker is in our building and it's a bit less painful to lose certain guys when you have other players you are already familiar with that can try and step up and replace their productivity."

Veteran defensive backs Nick Taylor and Mercy Maston - Taylor coming off an Achilles last season and Maston having missed the last two seasons with the same injury suffered in each of the last two training camps.

"Those are tough," said Walters. "And with Evan (Holm) and Jamal (Parker) having gone in there last year and showed that as young guys they could play at a decent level, well, that helped makes our decision."

Talks with Global linebacker Les Maruo are said to be still ongoing.

Should he return that will boost the club's international depth that also includes defensive lineman Thiadric Hansen, offensive lineman Tomoya Machino, receiver Timothy Knuettel and defensive back Souleymane Karamoko.

Briggs, whose return was announced Monday, is a reliable vet on special teams.

"He runs the punt team and is a captain-calibre guy that wants to keep playing," Walters said. ?(Head coach) Mike (O'Shea) trusts him in that locker room and on the field."

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/13/free-agency-preview/

Nice report. Thank you. Nothing on Purkop?

Sounds like there is still a chance to re-sign Bailey and Maruo. :)

Bombers re-sign Global LB Les Mauro

Good. He was our 2nd best global player and he saw many reps on defence. Very good on ST's as well.

That only leaves Bailey as a possible player to re-sign. SMS is an issue as is his role on offence now that we've added Lawler back. I'd like him back but it may not be possible. OTOH, if that SMS is available I'm not sure where we'd spend it elsewhere at the moment.

You are right on Maruo but I have a sneaky feeling Bailey will be another team...maybe the Lions.

Transactions:

2023-02-13   WPG   BEAULIEU, Charles-Antoine   DB   N   Laval   Add To   Active Roster
2023-02-13   WPG   MARUO, Les   LB   N   Texas at San Antonio   Add To   Active Roster

Glad to see Les is back. Really improved in 2022. Beaulieu is a very interesting player. 6'1", 195 lbs. Very quick, good teams player, has a nose for the ball and makes plays.

I hope Bailey re-signs here.

maybe he will find no one wants to pay his price?

From Kyle Walters media conference - there will be a kickers' competition at Training Camp this year.  Only one kicker currently on the roster, i.e., Mark Liegghio.

Transactions:

2023-02-14   WPG   BENSON, Mike   LS   N   Acadia   Add To   Active Roster
2023-02-14   WPG   WILLIAMS, James   RB   N   Washington State   Delete From Suspended   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   HOUGHRON, Zach   DT   A   Wilfrid Laurier   Delete From Suspended   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   TAYLOR, Nicholas   DB   N   Florida International   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   SAYLES, Casey   DL   A   Ohio   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   PRUKOP, Dakota   QB   A   Oregon   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   MASTON, Mercy   DB   A   Boise State   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   ELLINGSON, Greg   WR   A   Florida International   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   COUTURE, Michael   OL   N   Simon Fraser   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   BENSON, Mike   LS   N   Acadia   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   BAILEY, Rasheed   WR   A   Delaware Valley   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   ADAMS, Keion   DL   A   Western Michigan   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2023-02-14   WPG   BRIGGS, Jesse   LB   N   McGill   Add To   Active Roster

BLUE BOMBERS RE-SIGN GLOBAL LINEBACKER MARUO

WINNIPEG, MB., February 14, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of Global linebacker Les Maruo to a one-year deal. He was scheduled to become a free agent today.

Maruo (6-0, 225, University of Texas-San Antonio; born: February 14, 1996, in Yokkaichi, Japan) returns to the Blue Bombers for a third season after initially being selected by the club in the first round, 4th overall, in the 2021 CFL Global Draft.

Maruo dressed for 17 regular season games in 2022 as well as the Western Final and Grey Cup. He had 14 tackles and a sack while increasing his work with the defence, adding seven more tackles on special teams. Maruo also had two special teams tackles in the Grey Cup game.

Maruo appeared in seven games in his rookie season of 2021, registering six defensive tackles as part of a group that captured the Grey Cup that year.

Born in Japan, Maruo grew up in Wichita, KS after his family moved to the United States when he was nine years old. He played his college ball at the University of Texas-San Antonio, starting all 12 games for the Roadrunners in his senior season and posting 86 tackles, 4.5 tackles for a loss, two sacks, two fumble recoveries, one interception and one pass knockdown.

Maruo has also played in Japan's X-League over the past few winters, suiting up with the Asahi Challengers and Panasonic Impulse.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/14/blue-bombers-re-sign-global-linebacker-maruo/

BLUE BOMBERS SIGN ALL-STAR RECEIVER KENNY LAWLER TO TWO-YEAR CONTRACT

WINNIPEG, MB., February 14, 2023 -  The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the club has signed American receiver Kenny Lawler to a two-year contract through the 2024 season.

Lawler (6-3, 197, University of California; born: June 25, 1994, in Pomona, CA) returns to the Blue Bombers after spending the 2022 season with the Edmonton Elks.

Injuries limited Lawler to just 12 games with the Elks, but he remained one of the CFL's dominant receivers, pulling 58 passes for 894 yards and five touchdowns while working with three different starting quarterbacks.

Lawler suited up for 29 games for the Blue Bombers in 2019 and 2021, leading the team in receiving in both campaigns as part of the back-to-back Grey Cup championships.

First signed to the Blue Bombers practice roster in September of 2018, Lawler had a break-out campaign in 2019 as he finished with 41 receptions and a team-best 637 yards receiving while being named the club's Most Outstanding Rookie Player.

His follow-up season in 2021 saw him lead the CFL with 1,014 yards receiving on 64 receptions, six of them for touchdowns while being named a CFL All-Star.

Lawler was a seventh-round selection by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2016 NFL Draft after a stellar career at the University of California, where he was ranked second on the school's all-time touchdown receptions list and 12th overall in the Pac-12. He attended training camp with the B.C. Lions in 2018 before joining the Blue Bombers later that fall.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/14/blue-bombers-sign-all-star-receiver-kenny-lawler-to-two-year-contract/

"WE'VE GOT UNFINISHED BUSINESS" - LAWLER RETURNS TO WINNIPEG
https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/14/467066/

good!

Mike Benson???  They're getting rid of their long-snapper, what's the plan Kyle?

Mike Benson signed for 2 more years on December 15, 2022.

You gotta read the list bottom to top.  If player is in twice, the top one is the one that counts.  One of those CFL quirks that should be explained every time these lists are posted.

I think the Bombers have a few WRs on the roster from last year. Harrison (26)  6'3"  190,  Heiligh (23)  6'1"  200,  Knuettel (30) 6'2" 200 and is listed as a Global.

Yes and they may stick around through TC. The team will bring in another dozen or so receivers before TC. Some will be released and others added before we even get to TC. Hard to tell where these 3 land without them seeing much if any action.

I'm looking forward to seeing what Agudosi does if he wins the starting role. At the moment he's the leading candidate but we don't know what future star we find in the scouting.

Bob Irving
@BobIrvingCJOB
?
17h
Kyle Walters says there will be at least 1, maybe 2 kickers in training camp to challenge Mark Legghio. Still unidentified but they will be there.

It's important to challenge players. Just makes your team better.

Derek Taylor is projecting that the starting 5 WR's are going to be Agudosi, Schoen, Demski, Lawler and Wolitarsky....

Could be the top corps in 2023 with Collaros pulling the trigger. Agudosi is still a bit of an unknown but he sure looked good in that 1 game.

Agree, he's 29 and has been with the Bombers for 2 years. Played in 2 games, and has been injured for most of his time with the team. We know he is a big target and can catch the ball, but can he stay healthy. I can also see BOO84 looking for more playing time this season. Limited playing time last year he looked very good. 

Yes I liked what we saw from BOO84 as well and his sample size was bigger. He'll get more reps in 2023 regardless of who is starting. Need to rotate players at times and create development time for the back ups.

While I've enjoyed watching McCrae when he's been on the roster, it's more difficult to get him on the roster.

We could see some rookies making an impression, so we never know how things shape out after TC.

Heck of a start with those we have on the roster now.

Good article on Dalton Schoen by Ed Tait.....if Agudosi can stay healthy our receiving corps is frighteningly good!!    I wonder where Sheed will end up?   

I thought he signed with Calgary?

Bomber free agents:

Quarterback
Dakota Prukop (A)

Receiver
Rasheed Bailey (A)
Greg Ellingson (A) - signed with Montreal

Offensive line
Michael Couture (N) - signed with B.C.

Defensive line
Keion Adams (A)
Casey Sayles (A) - signed with Hamilton

Defensive back
Mercy Maston (A)
Nick Taylor (A)

Ed Tait   @EdTaitWFC
Dakota Prukop headed to USFL, according to @Wpg_BlueBombers GM Kyle Walters. Bombers will look for a Streveler type QB to run short yardage packages

ALS LAND ELLINGSON, ROLLE, RE-SIGN FLETCHER
Feb 15

MONTREAL - The Montreal Alouettes have signed American wide receiver Greg Ellingson to a one-year contract.

Ellingson (six-foot-three, 197 pounds) has had five seasons with over 1,000 receiving yards. He has played 125 games in nine season in the CFL with Hamilton, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg, winning the Grey Cup with the REDBLACKS in 2016.

The 34-year-old caught 587 passes for 8,850 yards and 45 touchdowns during his career. Last season he racked up 598 yards in just eight games with the Blue Bombers, making three trips to the end zone. In his last game he amassed an impressive total of 152 yards on 11 receptions.
https://www.cfl.ca/2023/02/15/als-land-ellingson-rolle-re-sign-fletcher/

LIONS ADD TO O-LINE WITH COUTURE, SCHLUEGER
Feb 14

VANCOUVER - The BC Lions dipped into the free agent market and picked up some local flavour by adding offensive lineman and Burnaby native Michael Couture to a two-year contract.

The team has also added free agent o-lineman Chris Schlueger, formerly of the Montreal Alouettes.

"I'm very excited for the opportunity to live out my childhood dream of suiting up for the BC Lions," said Couture after putting pen to paper on Tuesday.

"This team is headed in the right direction and I'm ready to help take the next step towards bringing a Grey Cup home to BC. I am thankful for coach (Rick) Campbell, Neil McEvoy and the entire organization for giving me the chance to join such a great group of players"

Couture moves home after suiting up in 99 total games (93 regular season, six playoffs, two Grey Cups) over the past six seasons with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

Selected by the Bombers in round two (10th overall) of the 2016 CFL Draft, Couture dressed in 47 straight games as an extra offensive lineman before making his first start in the 2018 Labour Day re-match game against Saskatchewan.

He took over as Winnipeg's starting centre at the start of 2019 and helped Andrew Harris win a third consecutive CFL rushing title. Although a late-season injury kept him off of the playoff roster, Couture would earn his first Grey Cup ring that November.

Couture then suited up in every game in 2021, helping the Bombers lead the CFL in scoring and finish second overall in rushing while allowing the least number of quarterback sacks. He then won his second Grey Cup ring that December.

Although an arm injury limited him to just seven regular season games in 2022, Couture recovered to help lead Winnipeg to a third straight Grey Cup appearance.

The big lineman attended Simon Fraser University from 2012-2015 where he was coached by Kelly Bates in his senior year. Along with starting in 36 games at four different positions up front, Couture was twice voted a Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) All-Star: in 2014 as a centre and 2015 as a tackle.

Couture played high school football at Coquitlam's Centennial Secondary.

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/02/14/dream-come-true-lions-sign-bc-native-michael-couture/

TICATS BOLSTER D-LINE W/ JA'GARED DAVIS, CASEY SAYLES, KWAKU BOATENG
Feb 15

HAMILTON - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats have signed defensive linemen Ja'Gared Davis, Casey Sayles and Kwaku Boateng.

Sayles has signed a two-year deal with the Ticats.

The 27-year-old started 18 games for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2022, registering 36 total tackles, one tackle for loss, six quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass knockdown. The six-foot-four, 282-pound native of Omaha, NB has played 32 games over two seasons with the Blue Bombers (2021-2022), registering 64 total tackles, 11 quarterback sacks and two forced fumbles.

Prior to making the move north of the border, Sayles spent time in the NFL with the Los Angeles Rams (2017) and Pittsburgh Steelers (2018-2019) while also spending time in the now defunct Alliance of American Football with the Birmingham Iron (2019) and in the XFL with the St. Louis BattleHawks (2020). The Ohio University product played 45 games over four seasons (2013-2016) with the Bobcats.

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/02/15/ticats-bring-dl-jagared-davis-back-to-hamilton/

BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS: FEBRUARY 15, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., February 15, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announce today the signing of Canadian defensive back Charles-Antoine Beaulieu.

Beaulieu (6-1, 192, Universite de Laval; Quebec City, PQ) joins the Blue Bombers after a superb career with the Rouge et Or where he was part of two Vanier Cup championship teams, winning in 2018 and 2022.

Beaulieu appeared in five regular-season games for Laval last year, registering 14 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss and two fumble recoveries. He was twice named the RSEQ Defensive Player of the Week last year and was also honoured as the RSEQ Special Teams Player of the Week in 2022.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/15/blue-bombers-transactions-february-15-2023/

Transactions:

2023-02-15   WPG   LAWLER, Kenny   WR   A   California   Add To   Active Roster

Most teams have 15 or more defensive linemen on their roster... we have the least of any team with 7. Last year we ran into problems. Currently appears to be an area of concern

I would anticipate another significant DT signing.  Starters are good, but not sure of any depth.  However, in the past five years, the team has managed to bring in quality guys.  Definitely an area to look for.

No budget and no candidates... sorry.  We will replace by recruiting, as always.  Ricky Walker is next man up, and we will recruit behind him.

BLUE BOMBERS AGREE TO TERMS WITH RECEIVER RASHEED BAILEY

WINNIPEG, MB., February 17, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announce today the team has agreed to terms with receiver Rasheed Bailey on a one-year contract.

Bailey (6-1, 211; Delaware Valley University; born: July 29, 1993, in Philadelphia, PA) returns for his fourth season in Blue and Gold.

Bailey posted career-best numbers with the Blue Bombers in 2022, starting all 18 regular-season games and the Western Final and Grey Cup and pulling in 63 passes for 729 yards and nine touchdowns.

His 2021 season was also solid as he appeared in all 14 regular-season games and had 52 receptions for 629 yards and five touchdowns.

Bailey made his CFL and Blue Bombers debut during the 2019 season and suited up for five games that season, finishing with 19 receptions for 206 yards and added four more receptions for 26 yards in three playoff starts that November.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/17/blue-bombers-agree-to-terms-with-receiver-rasheed-bailey/

RASHEED BAILEY!!!!

Transactions:

2023-02-17   WPG   SANFORD, Brandon   OL   N   UBC   Add To   Active Roster
2023-02-17   WPG   BAILEY, Rasheed   WR   A   Delaware Valley   Add To   Active Roster

Brandon Sanford attended Bombers training camp last year:

2022-06-02   WPG   SANFORD, Brandon   OL   N   UBC   Delete From Active   Free Agent
2022-05-09   WPG   SANFORD, Brandon   OL   N   UBC   Add To   Active Roster

From May 10 2022:
Blue Bombers sign University of British Columbia offensive lineman Brandon Sanford, release one other

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have made a pair of moves, signing University of British Columbia offensive lineman Brandon Sanford and releasing American defensive back Robert Priester.

Sanford, the six-foot-five, 300-pound Salmon Arm, B.C. native, was a member of the Thunderbirds from 2016-2021 and attended the 2022 CFL West Regional Combine earlier this year.

At the regional combine, Sanford put up 19 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press, tied for second-best amongst attendees; ran a 5.69-second 40-yard dash; recorded a 30-inch vertical; eight-foot, five-and-a-half-inch broad jump; 8.27-second three-cone; and a 4.99-second shuttle time. He was not selected to attend the national CFL Combine.

https://3downnation.com/2022/05/10/blue-bombers-sign-university-of-british-columbia-offensive-lineman-brandon-sanford-release-one-other/

I like the signing of Sanford. Big strong kid, we can take some time to develop.

Strong????? he only had 19 reps on the bench at the combine.

19 reps of 225 pounds, I would say that qualifies as "strong".

That is on the better half of the average reps in the exercise.

No, a strong OL will put up mid to latter 20's in reps, I put up 28 myself went I went through, the record is around 38 I believe.

Guys with long arms typically don't get that many. Usually it's RBs getting the high bench press numbers.

It's also not an indicator of a good OL at all.

Good as in skill no, but the other poster stated "strong" which 19 reps does not fit that description as I stated.

You got that right.  Remember this guy?  Turned a bench press record into a 6th round selection and no games played.

https://www.cfl.ca/2011/03/05/knill-shatters-bench-record-at-e-camp/

Sure, but a guy can be strong as a bull and still have a poor bench Press because his arms are long - it makes that particular exercise more difficult. I just don?t see it as an indicator of anything, really.

Offense looks amazing.

D looks like it has some holes.  Very reliant on aging stars having another year left in the tank.

Anybody with a depth chart?

It?s the same as last year, just write in Ricky Walker where it says Casey Sayles, and slot Kyrie Wilson back at WIL.

You don't see it, but the evaluators do, that's why the drill is in the combine and has been for years. An OL needs to be able to break the push/momentum of an on rushing DL particularly in a pass rush, hence the punch out similar to a bench press comes into play. Someone weak in this skill will not be able to stop/slow down the rusher with his first contact and make him restart his rush. Just saying 19 reps is not very good for a "strong" OL.

11 OL from last years draft.  3 out of 11 broke the 20 rep mark.

Pelehos  15 reps.
Mackellar 24 reps.
Horgan-Saindon 26 reps.
Zerr  18 Reps.
Fry 9 reps.
Brown 19 reps.
Alatorre Montoya 22 reps.
Butler 13 reps.
Noll 19 reps
Kozushka 16 reps
Guay 15 reps.

Note: Adamson (DL) had 18 reps.  Adeboboye (RB) had 28 reps.

BC draft picks, Archibald (DL) 22 reps.  Cherry (DL) 26 reps.

Derek Taylor threw one together at the start of free agency;

Derek Taylor   @DTonOB
Here's my anticipated Bombers depth chart as of today. Free agency is just 2.5 hours away!

https://twitter.com/DTonOB/status/1625502146111377408?cxt=HHwWgMDUid7l-I4tAAAA

Transactions:

2023-02-22   WPG   ANCTIL, Devin   P   A   Kansas State   Add To   Active Roster
2023-02-22   WPG   BROWN, Jordan   DB   A   South Dakota State   Add To   Active Roster

Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign DB Jordan Brown and punter Devin Anctil

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed former South Dakota State defensive back Jordan Brown and former Kansas State punter Devin Anctil on Tuesday.

Jordan Brown, a 26-year-old from Omaha, Nebraska, spent time on the New Orleans Saints practice squad in 2022. The Cincinnati Bengals drafted Brown in the seventh round (223rd pick) in the 2019 NFL Draft but was waived during final roster cuts.

Then, Brown had brief stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders, and Washington Football Team (now Commanders).

Collegiately, Brown played four seasons at South Dakota State (2015-18) with 148 tackles, eight interceptions, 35 pass breakups, four forced fumbles, and two kick returns for 25 yards in 51 games for the Jackrabbits. He is a two-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First Team and served as the team captain in 2018.

Devin Anctil, a 25-year-old from Lenexa, Kansas, took part in the Nick Novack Showcase in 2022. Collegiately, Anctil played one season at Coffeyville Community College. He earned First-Team all-region and all-conference honors.

Anctil averaged 37.59 yards on 46 punts during the 2015 season, including a season-long of 55 yards against Ellsworth CC and Hutchinson CC. In addition, Anctil converted 31 extra points.

Then, Anctil transferred to Kansas State (2017-19) averaging 44.80 yards on 83 punts for a total of 3,718 yards in 20 games with the Wildcats. In addition, Anctil had 12 kickoffs for 689 yards (57.4) with three touchbacks. Anctil was selected to the Second Team All-Big 12 in 2019.

https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2023/02/22/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-db-jordan-brown-and-punter-devin-anctil/

Jordan Brown  6'0" 197.  4.51/ 40 yard.  40" vertical. Spent time with 6 NFL teams.

Transactions:

2023-02-23   WPG   DARAMY-SWARAY, Abu   DB   A   Colgate   Add To   Active Roster

Abu played in Germany in 2021 and made Bengals last season after a mini-camp try-out but was cut during training camp.

we're signing dbs, where we are pretty much set, hope we see some defensive linemen soon

Need DB's and receivers to run drills in TC. We'll see more DB's and receivers signed at some point. IIRC in 2022 we had about 24 of each by TC.

Always good to have extra DB's! Last year we went through a lot of injuries and you never know when you might find the next Alford or Nichols.

That being said, yes, please find some DT's soon to compete at camp. One guy to look out for at the DT position is Adamson. For some reason he seems like a guy that's going to be a bomber for a long time!

nothing new. we have been doing this for many years now, if you havent notice.

I participated in the Blue & Gold Combine waaaaay back in the early 2000's, and I remember the BP reps were something else.  I was an under-sized OL (5'10, 255) and managed 16 @ 225.  Richie and Wade Miller both competed and outpressed me by a couple of reps, but the guy who really stood out was Stan Pierre (current Bisons DC) - I remember they stopped him at 30 reps, and he could have done more.

Would be interesting if we end up with 100% NAT interior Dline... its what everyone does on the Oline, why not the Dline?

Because really good Canadian defensive tackles are hard to come by. If you can somehow get two or three, so can rotate, and have them on rookie deals it's awesome. But good luck keeping them all afterwards and even more luck finding and drafting them.

With Hall's propensity for Cheetah, it really reduces the reliance on having 2 high quality Int DT's... and even makes a rotation of 3 or 4 DE's (with the Jeffs and a Nat and a Glb and 4 DT's, including 3 Nats something I would not be surprised seeing as a game day roster...

BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS: FEBRUARY 24, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., February 24, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce signing of three American players - defensive backs Abu Daramy-Swaray and Jordan Brown and punter Devin Anctil - as well as Canadian offensive lineman Brandon Sanford.

Daramy-Swaray (5-9, 185, Colgate University; born: 6/10/1996) in Columbus, OH) comes to the Blue Bombers after stints with the Cincinnati Bengals last season and most recently with the XFL's Arlington Renegades. The defensive back also returns kicks, recorded 155 tackles, 25 pass breakups, five interceptions and one sack during his days at Colgate, which included 37 starts in 44 games. He also amassed 1,642 all-purpose yards as a returner and part-time contributor on offence. After college he played for the Potsdam Royals of the German Football League before earning his shot with the Bengals.

Brown (6-0, 197, South Dakota State; born: 26/3/1996 in Omaha, NEB) was a seventh-round pick, 223rd overall, by the Cincinnati Bengals in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Brown played four seasons at SDSU (2015-18) and suited up for 51 games for the Jackrabbits, racking up 148 tackles, eight interceptions, 35 pass breakups and four forced fumbles. He was two-time All-Missouri Valley Football Conference First Team All-Star and served as the team captain in 2018.

Anctil (6-1, 234, Kansas State; born: 28/9/1996 in Lenexa, KS) starred at Kansas State after transferring from Coffeyville Community College. Anctil was a Second Team All-Big 12 with the Wildcats and holds school records for punting average in a season (45.4 yards in 2019) and career punting average (44.8 ). During his one season at Coffeyville, he earned First-Team All-Region and All-Conference honours.

Sanford (6-5, 300, University of British Columbia; born: 9/19/1998 in Salmon Arm, B.C.) returns to the Blue Bombers after attending training camp last year.

Sanford played with the Thunderbirds from 2016-21 and attended the Canadian Football League's West Regional Combine last spring.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/02/24/blue-bombers-transactions-february-24-2023/

Not amused yet... bring in some QBs.    ;D

Should the Bombers think about D. Coleman as a candidate for DT? He's only 32 and been fairly good over his career. He might not be an expensive addition and the very least could be injury insurance during TC.

We definitely need dline, other options might be are Shane ray at de and Mike Moore

Ray is very good but I'd guess still going to be expensive. Also he may want to be a primary starter rather than a rotation player as a DI. Coleman might want a role as a DI either?

Davon Coleman (32) is a guy I have talked about since FA started. In 2021 he had a very solid year 32 DTs and 4 Sacks, Dropped off a little in 2022 with only 16DTs  and 4 sacks. But, I think this guy could be a pretty solid pickup at the right price.

It's all about price but no harm done speaking with agents. I like Ray. Whether we actually intend to game roster a DE as a DI is somewhat in question with Hansen healthy. Certainly need depth on the PR and in TC.

Have to believe CFL GM's aren't speaking with some remaining free agents. Why a few haven't landed somewhere is curious but they may be exploring USFL as well.

Ray, like Lemon might be looking for big money.

No doubt but teams have signed their big dollar players and may not have room to do so.

The thing is if Lemon ends up as a bargain signing he likely does it with Calgary. To come here hed want a bigger paycheck
than we could afford

If he becomes a bargain signing then the team that offers $5K more could get him to sign. Or he could re-sign with the Stamps for a home town discount rather than change.  Nobody has signed him yet including Calgary so time will tell.

I'm not specifically wanting him to sign or not to sign, but just suggesting he could be a player we might think of adding. As they say , " the price is right ". lol

Lemon signs with the Lions as announced today.

Bombers need to get younger.

Go get some "tweener" LBs and let's blitz the crap out of the other guys.

We do, but not while we're "hot".  If/when things start proving ineffective, then you worry about moving on from the oldsters.  You can't argue with the oldster output from last season!!

There are definitely certain positions that are young guy positions and we're not terrible there. Corner, certain receivers roles, running back, returner. The only place I'm a little bit worried about age-wise is defensive line.

Nah we got a great mix

As it stands our roster is pretty good, we have a good mix of youngish and older vets, with the caveat of the defensive front 7. Take the defensive front 7 out of the equation and our roster looks great.

I as many do have concerns about the front 7, let's not kid ourselves Biggie has slowed down. Wilson has been injured so much who knows what he comes back like and if he can contribute. We seem ok on the other side of the LB.

Today across the league we arguably have the worst D-line. Willy is really good, but not the dominate force he was, Jefferson has shown how good he is, but that doesn't help us with all the time he spends on the sidelines injured. Hansen is probably one of the best Globals out there, but truthfully if was an import would he still have a spot? Walker is a big question mark, and Jake is a lovable guy, but he is at the very tail end of his career and has never been more than consistent. As of now our depth is razor thin.

The season doesn't start today, but that part of our roster is missing pieces.

We have to realize that Richie Hall doesn't call an aggressive/attack style defence. He likes to call an "off the ball" defence. He coaches the players to keep the play in front of them. Thats why we see DB's lining up 5-10 yards off the LOS. He is also very creative in formations and looks.
 Bighill hasn't slowed down at all, how could you say that? because he doesn't put up 100+ tackles? You don't want 1 guy putting up those numbers because it means the rest of your team is too slow to the ball carrier. Bighill has an extremely great range for a MLB. He plays all over the field, sometimes they get him to line up like a MLB and  then drop back like a FS and vice versa and he still makes the tackle.
Wilson only ever had 1 amazing season with us and it was the only season he's managed to played more than 7 games. The 2019 season. Yet he made huge clutch plays for us in 2019 and 2021 when needed the most. I am fully expecting Malik Clements to improve on his 2022 season and steal Wilsons staring spot. It wouldn't surprise me if Wilson got cut out of TC.
DL, Hall likes to rotate the guys in and out to try to keep fresh legs in.
Jefferson has never been hurt to the point where he misses any games (has only missed 1 game in his entire CFL career) and if Hall wants him on the sidelines he does as he's told.  I believe you are think of Jackson Jeffcoat as the injured DL as he has only played a max 16 games in one season and no more than 12 in each of the last 4 seasons (2021 is an exception as it was only a 14 game season).
If you look across the league at starting Canadian DT, Jake Thomas is as consistent as them all. He gives you exactly what you need and you know what you can expect out of him. That being said I believe the Bombers are hoping that Cam Lawson or Cole Adamson can replace Thomas at some point maybe even steal his job.
Walker is a huge question mark, I'm sure the scouts are looking into bringing in some American DT's for TC.

Personally for defence I'm curious as to if we need a younger DC. I would like to see if LB coach James Staley or DB coach Jordan Younger could be allowed more input or even a promotion soon to possibly give the defence a fresher defensive look. I've been to a few TC's and practices where they seem to give LB's and DB's a ton of extra coaching on the sidelines.

My biggest question marks about the future of the team are:
1) How much longer will Bryant play and dominate?
2) Do we have a LT being developed to replace Bryant when he does call it quits? (Drew Richmond?)
3) How much longer is Richie Hall going to coach for?
4) Would Bighill get into coaching when he retires?
5) Would the Canadian Mafia consider violating the salary cap in 2025 to make sure we win the Grey Cup at home? (It would be a huge stamp on a Bomber dynasty!)

As much as Walters/MOS have created a culture here, Hall has built the defensive room.

Richie Hall is our DC as long as he wants to be, and as long as MOS is here.  Period.  End of discussion. 

Clements is a replacement level player. No way he's on the field for Wilson unless Wilson gets hurt again (A legit concern).

We did not rotate on the DL at all last year. That was a huge complaint all year that the Jeffs were on the field too much and it was hurting their production.

I always imagined that Younger is our DC in waiting. It would be a shame to lose him.

Bighill has a post-career planned already. Don't see him as a coach.

Walters / MOS / Hall will go down as one of the best trios in Bomber history.  HALL imo is the best DC I have seen in the CFL.  What a pleasure to be a Bomber fan.

Agree Hall helped create our defensive culture/identity.

It's been 5-6 days since we heard an official announcement of player signings from the Bombers (although those names have appeared on the CFL. transaction page days earlier). Hoping the Bombers will have some announcements today.

Two things, Clements was pretty decent for us last year and Kyrie Wilson has really had one good year ('19) for us since 2017. It is entirely a forum myth that we did not rotate on the defensive line last year. It's possible we rotated a little less, but there is not one example where Jeffcoat and Jefferson played a full game. Find me a game day roster with only two defensive ends on it. There are some games we had four DEs and four DTs.

I agree we rotated a bunch of players on defence. In many cases that was due to injuries and using depth in different formations. Saw lots of different LB's going in often.

The real question is whether we were satisfied with our depth at DE and DT and I'd say we weren't.  I'd base that on no depth holder overs at either position. It's possible we still bring back Adams but we're starting from scratch in TC. Could see 2 rookie DI's on defence and on our PR.

Adamson could have a role in 2023 or possibly a 2023 draft choice could make the AR.

I expect some really heavy competition on the DL for some back up players.

Depth is always an issue in an SMS league.  Depth players, by definition, are not paid starters wages, and are therefore, not starting talent.  Yet.

The key is to keep a flow of recruits that have competency to play backup with an upside to become starters. 

The Bombers have generally been good at that, and rarely bring in vets to fill those roles, unless they also bring a particular set of skills and are a good price.

There have been some announcements of Int players coming to camp on ELCs, and I anticipate even more after XFL is done, or at least their rosters are fixed for playoffs, if they do that.

We have a great starting corps, and  some very solid depth, and our scouts will continue to "feed the pipeline", I have no doubt.

Probably not. But beggars can't be choosers and when you commit the dollars we have to Jefferson and Jeffcoat they have to be more impactful than they were. It's hard to commit top dollar to your starting defensive ends and top dollar for the best rotational players too.

I understand that but we didn't do much to bring in players to our PR for better depth. IIRC we started the season with Mack and Wilcots as the only rookie survivors from TC. During the season we didn't seem to bring in more players to win DI or PR spots.

That needs to change.

Fair. We did rotate DeJaun Cooper in at DE for 4-5 games later in the season but he was really young and had more experience as a linebacker. I suspect you'll see a few more PR DE bodies this year. We didn't really have a lot of options last year as we probably thought we were pretty good with Hansen and the two best new players we could seemingly find (Wilcots and Mack)

Cooper may have been listed on the roster, but I don't recall ever seeing him taking a snap at DE, he may well have gotten on the field to play ST, but I never saw him.

He absolutely did take reps at defensive end. There was at least one game late in the season where Cooper, Wilcots and Jefferson rotated as the only three real ends.

Yeah I saw him on the field a few times as well as Cole. Neither were on the AR consistently and were there due to other injuries. Neither recorded a DT and both are undersized for DE IMO.

I don't see either making the AR barring injury in TC. At the moment Clement is ahead of both as a back up and / or DI.

No way Wilson is cut at TC.  The worst case is he's injured in-season and we cut him after we win the GC in HAM.  Wilson has earned deference, even if has been injured a lot.

As a couple of you have said, Younger is the DC heir.  I would be shocked if he doesn't hang around until Hall retires.  As for Hall, I think the limiting factor will be his health.  When it gets too hard for him to get to IGF every day and fly to every city every other week, that's when he'll hang it up.  I'm with PJ, Hall is the best DC we've ever had and far and away the best in the CFL.  He got us 2 cups and oh so close to that 3rd.  And he'll get us that 3rd this year.

Agree on Wilson

Wilson is a very good LB and if he can remain healthy he'll be solid.  Injury in 2022 fell into the freak type of non contact that we've seen with some players in 2022.

I'm with Kingcharles on this one. I don't expect him to but released following camp but it also wouldn't surprise me much. Who knows how he'll come back from the injury. He is playing in a spot where Malik Clements, four years younger (and almost certainly cheaper), played pretty well there for most of the season. Non contact Achilles injuries are a crap shoot at best. Could be just as easily a repeat of the Mercy Maston situation as it Larry Dean. If you're inclined to say Dean, just remember that Dean is a much more gifted player, sticking around the NFL for the better part of four seasons before coming north. I'd put the odds of Wilson returning to 2019 form at 50/50.

Blue Bombers add former South Carolina defensive end to roster

WINNIPEG, MB., March 13, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce signing of American defensive end Aaron Sterling.

Sterling (6-2, 250, South Carolina, February 21, 1999 in Atlanta, GA) joins the Blue Bombers after a five-year collegiate career with South Carolina. During that time, Sterling recorded 114 tackles, 12 sacks, two forced fumbles, and three pass breakups in 50 games, of which 31 were starts at defensive end.

In his final season, Sterling made 27 tackles, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one pass breakup in 13 games.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/03/13/blue-bombers-add-former-south-carolina-defensive-end-to-roster/

Transactions:

2023-03-01   WPG   STERLING, Aaron   DE   A   South Carolina   Add To   Active Roster

Transactions:
2023-03-13   WPG   BAILEY, Manasseh   WR   A   Morgan State     Add to Active Roster
2023-03-13   WPG   VELTRI, Jordan           DB   N   Wilfrid Laurier   Add To Active Roster

Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign WR Manasseh Bailey and DB Jordan Veltri

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed former Morgan State wide receiver Manasseh Bailey and former Wilfrid Laurier defensive back Jordan Veltri.

Manasseh Bailey, a 25-year-old from New York, New York, was drafted by the D.C. Defenders (XFL) in 2023. Last year, Bailey was drafted by the Birmingham Stallions (USFL) in the 17th round but was released.

Bailey signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2020. In addition, he had brief stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets before signing with the Montreal Alouettes in 2021 and was placed on the practice squad.

Collegiately, Bailey played four seasons at Morgan State (2016-19). He started as a linebacker in 2016, making five tackles before converting into a wide receiver.

As a wide receiver, Bailey caught 115 passes for 2,031 yards, 20 touchdowns, and two carries for four yards in 43 games for the Bears. He is a 2019 All-MEAC Third Team and Phil Steele's All-MEAC First Team in 2019.

Jordan Veltri, a 23-year-old from Burlington, Ontario, played five seasons at Wilfrid Laurier University (2017-22) with 66 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and ten pass breakups in 30 games for the Golden Hawks.

In his final season, Veltri had 40 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one pass breakup in ten games. He was named Player of the Week (9/25/22) after recording five tackles and one pass breakup against the Ottawa Gee-Gees. In addition, he was selected to the OUA Second Team All-Star in 2022.

In 2021, he was selected to the East-West Bowl after making 12 tackles and eight pass breakups in the 2019 season. There was no 2020 season due to the pandemic.

https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2023/03/13/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-wr-manasseh-bailey-and-db-jordan-veltri/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-wr-manasseh-bailey-and-db-jordan-veltri

Ya, cause that won't be confusing at all if he makes the AR!!   :o  :P

transactions
2023-03-14   WPG   TURNER, Tre   WR   A   Virginia Tech   Add To   Active Roster
2023-03-14   WPG   GOODSON, O'Bryan   DL   A   Memphis   Add To   Active Roster

there's our potential DT

https://lastwordonsports.com/nfl/2021/04/26/obryan-goodson-nfl-draft/amp/

Could be  a gamer!

Ahhh.... the TC fodder is starting to accrue.  Excellent.

Having the Jeffs on Defense, why not some Bailey's on O?

Didn't they used to put stats on the announcement? 

What announcement?

Bailey: (25) 6'1", 195. 4.39/40
Turner: (22) 6'1" 187.  4.51/40

BOMBERS ADD FIVE, INCLUDING QB BILLY HALL

WINNIPEG - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have added five players to their roster. American quarterback Billy Hall, American defensive tackle O'Bryan Goodson, American receivers Manasseh Bailey and Tre Turner and National defensive back Jordan Veltri have all signed with the team.

Hall (six-foot-three, 200 pounds) appeared in 29 games over three seasons with the Reinhardt Eagles and completed 55 per cent of his passes for 4,132 yards with 45 touchdowns against 15 interceptions and 17 rushing touchdowns. He had a quarterback efficiency rating of 148.9 in his senior season at Reinhardt (2021-2022), throwing for 20 touchdowns and nine interceptions, while rushing for 10 touchdowns.

Goodson (six-foot-one, 295 pounds) joins the Blue Bombers after starting 33 of 35 games in his four-year collegiate career with the Memphis Tigers. In Goodson's senior season, he had 28 total tackles, eight tackles for a loss, four quarterback sacks, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery and was named to the 2020 First-Team All-American Athletic Conference squad while helping Memphis win the 2020 Montgomery Bowl.

He was an Honorable Mention All-AAC in 2019. He was most recently with the XFL's Seattle Sea Dragons after being selected by the club in the 2020 XFL Draft but was released at the end of training camp this winter.

Bailey (six-foot-one, 195 pounds) signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2020. He also had brief stints with the Los Angeles Chargers and New York Jets before signing with the Montreal Alouettes' practice roster in 2021.

Collegiately, Bailey played four seasons at Morgan State (2016-2019). He caught 115 passes for 2,031 yards, 20 touchdowns, and two carries for four yards in 43 games for the Bears. He is a 2019 All-MEAC Third Team and Phil Steele's All-MEAC First Team in 2019.

Turner (six-foot-two, 187 pounds) played in 44 games (36 starts) over four years with the Virginia Tech Hokies (2018-2021) and finished his collegiate career with 134 receptions for 2,292 yards and 14 touchdowns, adding 53 carries for 456 yards and four more scores. In his senior season, Turner finished with 40 receptions for 675 yards and three touchdowns and 12 caries for 64 yards, and was named to the PFF College All-ACC Second Team followed by an invitation to the 2022 Senior Bowl. He spent time with the Las Vegas Raiders in 2022.

Veltri (six-foot, 200 pounds) played five seasons at Wilfrid Laurier University (2017-2022) with 66 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and 10 pass breakups in 30 games for the Golden Hawks. In his final season, Veltri had 40 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and one pass breakup in 10 games. He was selected to the OUA second team All-Star in 2022.

https://www.cfl.ca/2023/03/15/bombers-add-five-including-qb-billy-hall/

Transactions:

2023-03-15   WPG   HALL, Billy   QB   A      Add To   Active Roster

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

Billy Hall with 4.5/40. Could be our short yardage guy.

Like that the bombers pickup Veltri.

6?3 200lbs is also interesting. Might have some speed but that?s pretty thin

True. DP was 6'1"/210.

Transactions:

2023-03-20   WPG   ALLEN, Will   DB   A   Columbia   Add To   Active Roster

Allen was signed by Hamilton May 19, 2022 but was released 2 days later.

Allen played 38 games over four seasons at Columbia University from 2017 to 2021. The five-foot-nine, 180-pound native of Pembroke Pines, Florida registered 61 total tackles, four tackles for loss, 20 pass deflections, three interceptions and a Columbia football record with five blocked kicks (three extra-point attempts and two field goals). Allen also factored into the return game, tallying 37 kick returns for 1,026 yards and one kick-return touchdown.
https://3downnation.com/2022/05/19/ticats-place-defensive-end-j-r-tavai-on-retired-list-designate-ratio-breaking-right-tackle-chris-van-zeyl-as-injured/

Maybe - Sterling was fast but not overly strong.  Maybe because of injury.  I guess we will see.  We have picked up some good players after they were injured.......Collaros for example. 

His report sounds very good for a CFL sized player.

I coached a smaller quick athlete at a nose tackle position one year.  His quickness infuriated blockers.  He needed to be double teamed, but even then, he could slide around the bigger  kids body and  cause problems. Also because he often required two guys to delay him, blitzing LBs through the next A or B gap allowed our defence to achieve. We won the HS championship, 89.

Blue Bombers add two to roster - March 22, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., March 22, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of two American players - defensive back/kick returner Will Allen, Jr. and receiver Michael Young, Jr.

Allen, Jr. (5-9, 180, Columbia University; born: October 10, 1999, in Omaha, NEB) played four years with the Columbia Lions, earning All-Ivy League Honors in 2017 and 2021 after playing in 38 games, with 27 starts. Allen, Jr. ranks second in Columbia history in career blocked kicks with five, holds the school record for kickoff return average (26.1 yards) and as a three-year starter at cornerback, made 61 tackles, four tackles for loss, three interceptions and 17 pass breakups. He had a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins in 2022.

Allen, Jr. is the son of William Allen, who played 11 years in the NFL with the New York Giants, Dolphins and New England Patriots.

Young, Jr. (5-10, 185, University of Cincinnati; born: February 11, 1999, in St. Rose, LA) played his college ball at both Cincinnati (2020-21) and Notre Dame (2017-19) and had NFL looks last year with both the Indianapolis Colts and Houston Texans.

Young, Jr. played in 12 games over three seasons with the Fighting Irish before transferring to the Bearcats in 2022. He had 28 receptions for 353 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games for Cincinnati in 2021 and had 29 catches for 332 yards and three scores in 2020.

per CFL.ca transaction page we signed another kicker

Chandler Staton
https://appstatesports.com/sports/football/roster/chandler-staton/6687


Transactions:

2023-03-24   WPG   STATON, Chandler   K   A   Appalachian State   Add To   Active Roster

Blue Bombers add kicker to roster

WINNIPEG, MB., March 25, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of American placekicker Chandler Staton.

Staton (5-11, 195; Appalachian State; born: in Gainesville, GA) comes to Winnipeg after a collegiate career with the Mountaineers (2017-21) that earned him a look from the Green Bay Packers last year as an undrafted free agent.

Staton connected on 64 of 81 field goals (79 %) during his days at Appalachian State, with a career best of 53 yards, and left as the school's career leader in points (464), field goals (64), and field goal percentage.

He also set a school record by converting on 20 of 21 field goal attempts in his final season while being named a First-team All-Sun Belt Conference, a Pro Football Network First-Team All-American and a semi-finalist for the Groza Award as the nation's top kicker.

Nice

https://twitter.com/JustinPalardy/status/1638601811060727811

So, it looks like Justin Palardy will be back at training camp with the Bombers judging by this.

As he said,  he dusted of his old helmet - which happens to be a Blue Bomber helmet - so only the future will tell. 

He's a police officer in Halifax I think, and hasn't kicked in combat for 6 years.  I think he's just nostalgic, I don't see a comeback.

Oh I didn't realize he is a police officer, well he has a good career then, so I'm not expecting him to make a comeback.

Walters suggested signing another 35 players or so as TC approaches. That would take us to about 100 players with contracts. Everyone looks good in the early days. It's fun for us fans to have early favourites and see how they do as TC starts.

A few newbies are going to stick. Who are they and what is the domino effect? Can't wait to hear about the new faces.

Transactions:

2023-03-29   WPG   STANLEY, Gee   LB   A   Emporia State   Add To   Active Roster

Not a lot on this guy. 6'2"  200 lbs.

Division 2 player, who came up the juco route.  Seemed to have 2 decent years with Emporria State, getting an honourable mention as conference all-star.  He was listed as both linebacker and rover.

It looks like he may have passed up his extra year of Covid eligibility, as his draft year is listed as 2022, but his years at Emporia were 2020 and 2021.

very small. thought he was maybe a college safety who would be a SAM here. Doesn?t appear to be the case. Might have some speed to play STs though

SAM linebackers are often right around that size. Alden Darby is 5'11, 194 pounds.

Interesting thought. That could where he gets his 1st look. We have a bunch of import and Canadian LB types that are good on ST's. It may take more than just that skill to make the roster, but it's a start. I'd guess he'll get some looks in the secondary as well but going to be lots of players to beat out for a spot.

Like many rookies looking to impress on a solid veteran roster, destination for most will be on the PR to start the season. Not a bad thing but beating out anybody for game 1, going to be tough, even as a DI.

We need some depth to challenge though. Usually we see 3 to 5 rookies in TC.

Size is one thing I liked about Donald Rutledge, at 6'-1" 215 lbs. he was slightly bigger than the average DB and used his size to his advantage.  Anyone know how he's making out in the USFL?

Season hasn't started yet. Until it does, I'm not convinced it exists.

Transactions:

2023-03-30   WPG   MACLEAN, Christopher   P   N   Toronto   Add To   Active Roster



2022 CFL Draft position rankings: specialists
By JC Abbott - April 28, 2022

3. Christopher MacLean, University of Toronto (Brampton, Ont.)

MacLean was just 9-of-14 with a long of 35 yards as a kicker last season, but made strides as a punter by averaging 41.8 yards per kick and pinning opponents inside their twenty yard line a whopping 20 times. He has transferred to the University of Calgary for his final years of U Sports eligibility and could be an intriguing futures pick.

https://3downnation.com/2022/04/28/2022-cfl-draft-position-rankings-specialists/#:~:text=Christopher%20MacLean%2C%20University%20of%20Toronto,line%20a%20whopping%2020%20times.

MacLean named First Team All-Canadian
11/24/2022

LONDON, Ont. - The awards continue to pour in for the University of Calgary Dinos punter Chris MacLean.

Just a few weeks after being named the top punter in Canada West, MacLean was voted as the top punter in all of U SPORTS by being named a First Team All-Canadian at the annual football awards show in London, Ont. on Thursday evening.

MacLean had an outstanding first season in the Scarlet & Gold. The transfer from Toronto not only led Canada West but was the top punter in the nation this season, averaging 46.5 yards/kick. MacLean finished the season with 11 of his punts finishing inside the opposing team's 20-yard line and had a season-best boot of 75 yards. In fact, 25 of his 67 punts traveled 50-plus yards on year, including a whopping eight in the team's final game at Saskatchewan.

The Brampton, Ont. product also filled in for an injured teammate the final few weeks of the season to handle field goal and kickoff duties. He netted a 27-yarder in the win at Alberta Oct. 15, as well as finishing a perfect 4-for-4 in point after attempts.

MacLean is the latest in a recent line of strong kicking specialists for the Dinos. Calgary has also earned the top honour in all of Canada by a kicker in 2010, 2013, 2015 and 2018, though MacLean is the first in the Scarlet & Gold to win the award for punting.

https://godinos.com/news/2022/11/24/football-maclean-named-first-team-all-canadian.aspx

Hmmmm. Very good punting stats.  I couldn't find how good his directional kicking was but his net punt yardage was good. OTOH, distance is important but hang time and directional kicking will be needed as well.  Seems to have a very strong leg, so that's good.

Could only find that he took on K role due to another player being injured. Stats were incomplete and not great but he might be capable of developing into a dual role kicker.

Sounds like he has one year of eligibility left so that's a good thing.

Blue Bombers add three to roster - March 30, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., March 30, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of three players - American linebackers Nate Givhan and Gee Stanley, and Canadian punter Chris MacLean.

Givhan (6-4, 245; University of Toledo; born: September 20, 1998 in Montgomery, Ala.) comes to the Blue Bombers following a college career with the Rockets where he appeared in 47 games from 2018-22 and registered 97 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for a loss, 13 sacks, one interception, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

He capped his days at Toledo by helping the school edge the Liberty Flames 21-19 in the Boca Raton Bowl last December while being named the game?s defensive MVP.

Stanley (6-2, 195; Emporia State; born: August 12, 1997, in Miami, Fla) comes to the Bombers after a collegiate career that began at Robert Morris University (2016), continued at Coffeyville Community College (2018) and was completed at Emporia State (2019, 2021).

Stanley was the Northeast Conference Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2016 while at Robert Morris and was named a HERO Sports FCS Freshman All-American. He had 42 tackles and two sacks in 2018 at Coffeyville and in his final season at Emporia registered 67 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, three passes defended and one forced fumble.

He had signed to play for the Arkansas Attack of Major League Football in 2022 before the season was cancelled.

MacLean (6-3, 195; University of Calgary; born: May 6, 1999, in Brampton, Ont.) comes to the Blue Bombers after a collegiate career that included being named a U Sports First Team All-Canadian and a Canada West All-Star in 2022. Last season, MacLean finished with an average of 46.5 yards per punt, with 11 landing inside the opponent?s 20-yard line. Of his 67 punts in 2022, 25 travelled 50 yards or more. He was also an injury replacement as a placekicker late in the year, kicking one 27-yard field goal on three attempts, while going 4-for-4 in convert attempts.

A transfer from the University of Toronto where he played from 2019-21, MacLean was an OUA Second Team All-Star in 2021.

Givhan is built like a tank, and runs a 4.65/40. Could fit right in with the J's.

MacLean looks like he's a pretty solid punter. 

BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS: APRIL 3, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., April 3, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of American linebacker Joe Beckett.

Beckett (6-4, 240; Wofford; born: May 25, 1999 in Lexington, SC) played eleven games for the Terriers in the 2021 season. He led the team with 80 tackles and had 4.0 tackles for loss and a sack. He was the team leader in tackles in five of the eleven games. He also returned a fumble 55 yards for a touchdown.

For his career at Wofford, he played in 53 games with 28 starts at linebacker. He recorded 183 career tackles with 14.5 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks. He was part of Southern Conference Championship teams in 2017, 2018 and 2019, playing in the NCAA FCS Playoffs three seasons as well. After going undrafted, Beckett attended New York Giants mini camp.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/04/03/blue-bombers-transactions-april-3-2023/

It's going to be tough for anyone to crack the game day roster, barring injury. There are some players that were on the PR mostly in 2022 that might not want to stick around for another season on the PR. Whether any newbies beat them out for a spot is an entirely different question. Logic says there will be a few rookies that shine in TC and will be retained.

Realistically there might be an opening for a Canadian DB if Noah Hallett has not recovered completely by TC. That said, we have a few candidates that could take that spot at least in the short term if not permanently depending on his recovery.


How will Adamson fair at converting from DL to OL. Regardless he's probably going to spend time on the PR.

As we've been adding possible LB candidates, Cole and Cooper may be hard pressed to make the roster in any capacity.

I don't think we see very many actual changes ( Lawler, Eli aside ) on game day rosters. This is not to suggest we won't bring in some very good new talent. It's just that we have the least amount of actual roster openings compared to previous seasons.

My expectation is that top new talent will spend time on the PR waiting to learn the CFL game and injuries to take place.

Anyone expecting a surprise somewhere and if so where or why?

Transactions:

2023-04-06   WPG   GARNER, Gavin   WR   A   Northwest Oklahoma State   Add To   Active Roster
2023-04-06   WPG   GRISOLIA, Tyler   OL   N   Toronto   Add To   Active Roster

https://draftscout.com/dsprofile.php?PlayerId=1056363&DraftYear=2022

At 6?3 Garner is big. Will be an intriguing guy to watch, put up good D2 stats

Garner had 1100 yards receiving and 12 touchdowns his senior year, honourable mention as Div 2 All-American.  I think he is 6'3'", so nice size. 

Sounds like a winner, can he adjust to our game and run a decent route.  Time will tell.

Looks like he should fit in:

Eagles Insight   @Eagles_Insights (May 4, 2022)
A new addition to the list today!

Gavin Garner, WR (NWOSU)
6'5" 220lbs
Last Season: 58rec, 1099yrds, 12tds
Big, imposing frame. Gets the most out of his long stride and shows a willingness and aggressiveness as a downfield blocker
https://twitter.com/Eagles_Insights

Blue Bombers add two to roster - April 7, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., April 7, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of two players - American receiver Gavin Garner and Canadian offensive lineman Tyler Grisolia.

Garner (6-5, 220; Northwestern Oklahoma State; born: August 20, 1997, in Newcastle, OK.) comes to the Blue Bombers after attending rookie mini camps with both the Philadelphia Eagles and New Orleans Saints last spring. He finished his five-year collegiate career with 149 receptions for 2,414 yards and 25 touchdowns in 40 games. His final season was his most productive, catching 58 passes for 1,099 yards and 12 touchdowns while being named a member of the Don Hansen NCAA Division II Honorable Mention All-American team.

Grisolia (6-3, 305; University of Toronto; Richmond Hill, ON) dressed for seven games for the University of Toronto Blues last year and most recently attended the Canadian Football League's invitational combine at the University of Waterloo.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/04/07/blue-bombers-transactions-april-7-2023/

Transactions:

2023-04-11   WPG   ATEMAN, Kelvin   OL   A   Toledo   Add To   Active Roster
2023-04-11   WPG   HENRY, TaZhawn   RB   A   Houston   Add To   Active Roster

Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign RB Ta'Zhawn Henry and OL Kelvin Ateman

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed former Houston running back Ta'Zhawn Henry and former Toledo offensive lineman Kelvin Ateman on Tuesday.

Ta'Zhawn Henry is five foot seven and weighs 180 pounds. The 24-year-old from Houston, Texas, had 88 carries for 359 yards, three touchdowns, 21 catches for 246 yards, and one touchdown in nine games for the Cougars in 2022.

Henry began his collegiate career at Texas Tech (2018-19) with 161 carries for 681 yards, 11 touchdowns, 44 catches for 283 yards, one touchdown, and 13 kick returns for 318 yards in 20 games for the Red Raiders. He was an Academic All-Big 12 First Team selection in 2019.

Then, he transferred to Houston (2020-21) with 160 carries for 764 yards, nine touchdowns, 38 catches for 324 yards, one touchdown, and six kick returns for 101 yards in 19 games for the Cougars.

Kelvin Ateman is six foot six and weighs 300 pounds. The 24-year-old from Detroit, Michigan, appeared in four games as a reserve offensive lineman for the Rockets in 2022. Ateman played four seasons at Toledo (2018-21).

He played 15 games in the course of four seasons at Toledo playing left guard and left tackle. He played left tackle in the 2022 MAC Championship and helped the Rockets' offense gain 390 yards in a 17-7 win over Ohio.

https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2023/04/11/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-rb-tazhawn-henry-and-ol-kelvin-ateman/


BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS: APRIL 14, 2023
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of two American players - running back Ta'Zhawn Henry and offensive lineman Kelvin Ateman Jr.

Henry (5-7, 180; University of Houston; born: January 25, 2000, in Houston, TX.) joins the Bombers after a four-year collegiate career split between Texas Tech (2018-19) and Houston (2021-22). Henry had had 23 touchdowns over his career with the Red Raiders and Cougars and finished with 1,553 rushing yards, 634 yards receiving and 429 kickoff yards.

Henry led Texas Tech in rushing attempts and touchdowns in 2018 and was the school's all-purpose yards per game leader in 2019. At Houston, Henry finished second on the team in rushing in 2021 and, despite missing four games last season, rushed for 359 yards while adding 246 yards receiving and finished with the second highest all-purpose yards on the roster.

Ateman Jr. (6-6, 300; University of Toledo; born: April 3, 1999, in Detroit, MI) dressed for fifteen games over his five-year collegiate career (2017-21) with the Rockets and was part of the 2021 Rockets team that went 7-6 overall before falling to Middle Tennessee in the Bahamas Bowl. He most recently participated in last month's University of Toledo Pro Day in front of scouts from both the National Football League and the CFL.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/04/14/blue-bombers-transactions-april-14-2023/

Henry is a little guy at 5'7". We always bring in some import RB's for TC. The issue is that we're tied into starting a Canadian RB with our ratio. I'm sure he'll see some reps to spell our guys in TC but he might be looked at more seriously as returner on the PR.

The question for any rookie import RB is can he beat out McCrae on the PR. McCrae is also somewhat of a backup receiver but we have Agudosi and Harrison competing for that role as well. Henry's receiving stats don't look like he was more than a last resort on dump passes.

Grant is a lock as our returner but we may keep a rookie on the PR that is specifically a return specialist? That said versatility is king and PR spots are limited. An import RB is a hard sell on the PR IMO.

Historically, we always have 3 credible running backs on the roster.  Back when Oliveira got injured his rookie year, Augustine backed up Harris and we had an import on the PR.  When we had Oliveira, Harris and Augustine, we didn't really need the import RB on the PR.  I agree that McRae is the next man up in that regard, so as long as he is on the roster or PR in some way, shape or form, we don't really need another RB (although McRae will have to face the competition).

At Henry's size, the first thing I thought of was returner, but when I looked at his college numbers he was not really a very prolific returner.  I kind of agree with your conclusion, that Henry has to beat out McRae to stick around.  But that being said, we will have an import RB on the PR in all likelihood.  I don't see how McRae cracks the game day roster as a receiver with Lawler coming back and Agudosi in the wings. 

Henry looks like a great jitterbug runner with good speed, plenty of accolades and highlights of his feats on YouTube.  Could potentially make a great backup for Grant and possibly replace McCrae as a multi-tool offensive weapon.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AxxWpJ77Pc&ab_channel=ibifiri.mp4

Out of all new comers who could be the new Dee Alford or Dalton Schoen? Could the scouts go 3 for 3 for finding true diamonds in the rough as a rookie American? Always exciting.

No real idea who it will be. However I think it will be on the defensive side of the roster. Team looks very good on offence. It's not that the defence looks bad but depth is a little thinner and starters are a little older. So we may find a player that starts as a DI and moves towards becoming more prominent as the season progresses.

Looks like we still will have about 30 more players to sign based on Walters earlier comments. Should start seeing waves of those soon with rookie camp only 3 weeks away.

Roster may not be totally accurate yet, however:

1. DB's 27
2. DL 10
3. LB's 11
4. OL 13
5. WR's 15

Total number of players about 84 of which 29 are Canadians. In theory we'll draft 9 Canadians and 3 global players. That leaves possibly 12 - 18 import rookies that might yet be added?

I expect to see another dozen or so receivers added. 2-4 more OL and possibly a similar number of DL.

Bighill receives some well earned admiration.

"How was he not starting in the NFL??: Nathan Rourke, Luke Willson bond over Adam Bighill's "dominance"

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/13/how-was-he-not-starting-in-the-nfl-nathan-rourke-luke-willson-bond-over-adam-bighills-dominance/

Article on CFL.CA shows 2023 salaries for top QB's. In the case of Collaros, half of his was paid from 2022 SMS. That was a great benefit to the 2023 SMS re-signings.

Interesting

Link or title?  Can't find it on cursory search of cfl.ca home page.

If Collaros 2023 was half paid from 2022 then KW is a genius; and we may have extra space this year to grab any surprise drops or returning NFLers.

Transactions - cfl.ca

2023-04-17   WPG   OROZCO, Marc       K   A   Grambling State   Add To   Active Roster
2023-04-17   WPG   IVY, Christopher   OL   A   Tulsa   Add To   Active Roster

https://www.espn.com/college-football/player/_/id/3140526/marc-orozco

https://tulsahurricane.com/sports/football/roster/chris-ivy-jr-/8018

Actually it was on 3rd down but I thought it was on CFL.CA  I interpret the signing bonus in October 2022 as paid from the 2022 SMS. I suppose I could be incorrect that signing and bonus could be at different times. However it could explain how we had cash to re-sign nearly all our vets.

It's normal for teams to use up remaining SMS to re-sign players prior to free agency. The amount for Collaros is unusual but not against the rules when using remaining SMS.

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/17/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-quarterbacks-for-2023-season/

Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign OL Christopher Ivy and K Marc Orozco

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed former Tulsa offensive lineman Christopher Ivy and former Grambling State kicker Marc Orozco on Monday.

Christopher Ivy is six foot three and weighs 296 pounds. The 26-year-old from Wichita, Kansas, played two games for the Tulsa Oilers of the Indoor Football League. Collegiately, Ivy played three seasons at Tulsa (2016-18). He played 36 games for the Golden Hurricanes. His first two seasons were on special teams before playing the 2018 season at left tackle in his senior season.

Before Tulsa, Ivy was a two-year letter winner and starter at Wichita Heights High School. Ivy started two years at left tackle, helping Wichita advance to the state quarterfinals twice, all while earning a spot on the Kansas Football Coaches Association (KFCA) All-State team.

In addition, he earned an honorable mention for All-City merits during his junior season and was First-Team All-Conference and Second-Team All-City as a senior.

Marc Orozco is five foot nine and weighs 170 pounds. The 27-year-old from Denton, Texas, played one game for the Empire with three duces. Orozco played two seasons with the Albany Empire of the National Arena League.

In 2022, Orozco won three special teams' Player of the Week awards. He attempted two field goals and made ten duces for the Empire.

Collegiately, Orozco played four seasons at Grambling State (2014-18) making 55 of 70 field goals (78.6%) with 184 of 190 extra points made (96.8%) for 349 points, and 12 punts for 523 yards. Orozco was named All-SWAC First Team, BOXTOROW All-American, and earned STATS FC All-American in 2017.

https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2023/04/17/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-ol-christopher-ivy-and-k-marc-orozco/

The CFL's 15 highest-paid quarterbacks for the 2023 season
By Justin Dunk - April 17, 2023

1) Zach Collaros, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $600,000
Maximum value: $600,000

The CFL's two-time reigning Most Outstanding Player will be the league's highest-paid player again in 2023, earning the full value of his contract in hard money. Collaros had a $300,000 signing bonus allocated for this year to sign a three-year extension with Winnipeg in October 2022.

2) Bo Levi Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $502,000
Maximum value: $520,000

3) Trevor Harris, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $500,000
Maximum value: $500,000

4) Jeremiah Masoli, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $425,000
Maximum value: $433,000

5) Jake Maier, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $405,000
Maximum value: $447,000

6) Taylor Cornelius, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $392,000
Maximum value: $432,000

7) Cody Fajardo, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $371,000
Maximum value: $425,000

8 ) Vernon Adams Jr., B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $285,000
Maximum value: $350,000

9) Nick Arbuckle, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $130,000
Maximum value: $229,000

10) Matthew Shiltz, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $125,000
Maximum value: $205,000

11) Dane Evans, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $94,000
Maximum value: $151,000

12) Caleb Evans, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $90,000
Maximum value: $364,700

13) Dominique Davis, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $90,000
Maximum value: $143,000

14) Chad Kelly, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $87,000
Maximum value: $248,000

15) Dru Brown, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $82,000
Maximum value: $97,000

The Oklahoma State product has a $75,000 base salary with $7,000 in housing money and will collect $500 each time he plays more than 51 percent of Winnipeg's offensive plays in a game.

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/17/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-quarterbacks-for-2023-season/

The CFL's 15 highest-paid running backs and fullbacks for the 2023 season
By John Hodge - April 18, 2023

Running backs
1) William Stanback, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $160,000
Maximum value: $170,000

2) Andrew Harris, Toronto Argonauts (N)

Hard money: $145,000
Maximum value: $160,000

3) Ka'Deem Carey, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $137,000
Maximum value: $145,500

4) James Butler, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $116,000
Maximum value: $133,000

5) Kevin Brown, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $113,000
Maximum value: $121,000

6) A.J. Ouellette, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $111,000
Maximum value: $123,000

7) Brady Oliveira, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (N)

Hard money: $100,000
Maximum value: $114,000

The Winnipeg native is coming off his first career 1,000-yard season and entering the second year of the contract extension he signed last year. Now that the 25-year-old has established himself as an every-game starter, he should be due for a raise following the upcoming season.

8 ) Jamal Morrow, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $99,000
Maximum value: $110,000

9) Jeshrun Antwi, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Hard money: $95,000
Maximum money: $117,000

10) Sean Thomas-Erlington, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)

Hard money: $94,000
Maximum value: $118,000

11) Jackson Bennett, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $93,000
Maximum value: $123,000

12) Walter Fletcher, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $93,000
Maximum value: $99,000

13) Johnny Augustine, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (N)

Hard money: $91,000
Maximum value: $120,000

The Guelph product will earn an $8,000 bonus the first time he makes the active roster this season and an additional $750 each time he plays more than 51 percent of Winnipeg's offensive snaps in a game. He will also earn $1,000 if he eclipses the 1,000-yard rushing mark in 2023.

14) Ante Milanovic-Litre, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $89,000
Maximum value: $112,000

15) Kienan LaFrance, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)

Hard money: $89,000
Maximum value: $102,000

Fullbacks
1) David Mackie, B.C. Lions (N)

Hard money: $109,000
Maximum value: $128,000

2) Marco Dubois, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $100,000
Maximum value: $119,000

3) Alexandre Gagne, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Hard money: $95,000
Maximum value: $116,000

4) Mike Miller, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (N)

Hard money: $95,000
Maximum value: $95,000

The CFL's all-time leader in special teams tackles got a $6,200 signing bonus to return to Winnipeg for a sixth season with the team. The rest of his deal will be paid out in the form of a salary, housing money, and travel allowance.

5) James Tuck, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Hard money: $93,000
Maximum value: $96,000

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/18/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-running-back-and-fullbacks-for-the-2023-season/

How is Montreal paying 600K to 3 RB's & 2 FB's?  Depth is great, but hat seems like some wasted $$

The CFL's 20 highest-paid receivers for the 2023 season
By John Hodge - April 19, 2023

1) Eugene Lewis, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $320,000
Maximum value: $320,000

2) Kenny Lawler, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $250,000
Maximum value: $258,000

The 28-year-old received a $125,000 signing bonus to return to Winnipeg in free agency after being named a CFL all-star as a member of the team in 2021. Lawler made $305,000 as a member of the Edmonton Elks this past season, catching 58 passes for 894 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games.

3) Steven Dunbar Jr., Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $200,000
Maximum value: $206,000

4) Kurleigh Gittens Jr., Toronto Argonauts (N)

Hard money: $200,000
Maximum value: $200,000

5) Tim White, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $187,000
Maximum value: $220,000

6) DaVaris Daniels, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $180,000
Maximum value: $180,000

7) Reggie Begelton, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $175,000
Maximum value: $181,000

8 ) Duke Williams, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $175,000
Maximum value: $180,000

9) Nic Demski, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (N)

Hard money: $175,000
Maximum value: $175,000

The 29-year-old received a $35,000 signing bonus to ink a three-year extension with his hometown team through 2025 with the value of the deal rising in each respective year. The rest of his earnings for 2023 will be paid in the form of a $140,000 salary.

10) Dominique Rhymes, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $173,000
Maximum value: $193,000

11) Kaion Julien-Grant, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Hard money: $165,000
Maximum value: $171,000

12) Lucky Whitehead, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $159,000
Maximum value: $174,000

13) Brayden Lenius, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)

Hard money: $152,000
Maximum value: $152,000

14) Greg Ellingson, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $149,000
Maximum value: $155,000

15) Jake Wieneke, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $146,000
Maximum value: $162,000

16) Bralon Addison, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $145,000
Maximum value: $151,000

17) Dillon Mitchell, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $143,000
Maximum value: $150,000

18) Malik Henry, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $141,000
Maximum value: $182,000

19) Jaelon Acklin, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $140,000
Maximum value: $196,000

20) Nate Behar, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $137,000
Maximum value: $157,000

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/19/the-cfls-20-highest-paid-receivers-for-the-2023-season/

This is insane.  Complete nutters-ville.

I don't think so, he's going to be a good one and he's still on his upside, many higher paid receivers are past their prime and are on their downside.  Best deal Malik Henry, worst Eugene Lewis.

Dillon Mitchell is another good valued contract!
Duke and Wieneke are a little tough to understand. 600 yards receiving and 2 TD's in 16 games played isn't worth that for Wieneke... sorry

Sask. received so many rejected offers this year, overpaying was the only way they could get their own players to re-sign.  They actually made Anthony Lanier the highest-paid American defensive player in the CFL by signing him to a one year contract worth $250k.  I can think of at least 10 defensive players that are better than Lanier.

The CFL's 20 highest-paid offensive linemen for the 2023 season
By JC Abbott - April 20, 2023

1) Drew Desjarlais, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $250,500
Maximum value: $256,500

2) Mark Korte, Edmonton Elks (N)

Hard money: $220,000
Maximum value: $229,000

3) David Beard, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)

Hard money: $200,000
Maximum value: $207,500

4) Joel Figueroa, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $199,800
Maximum value: $205,800

5) Dariusz Bladek, Toronto Argonauts (N)

Hard money: $190,000
Maximum value: $200,000

6) Sean McEwen, Calgary Stampeders (N)

Hard money: $190,000
Maximum value: $196,000

7) Ryan Hunter, Toronto Argonauts (N)

Hard money: $190,000
Maximum value: $195,000

8 ) Stanley Bryant, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $190,000
Maximum value: $190,000

Winning four Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman trophies has its privileges, including receiving the entirety of your contract in hard money. The 36-year-old left tackle has no performance incentives in his latest extension with the Bombers and collected $80,000 up front in the form of a signing bonus.

9) Michael Couture, B.C. Lions (N)

Hard money: $178,800
Maximum value: $188,800

10) Brandon Revenberg, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)

Hard money: $176,000
Maximum value: $201,000

11) Chris Van Zeyl, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)

Hard money: $176,000
Maximum value: $191,000

12) Philip Blake, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)

Hard money: $170,000
Maximum value: $175,000

13) Zack Williams, Calgary Stampeders (N)

Hard money: $167,000
Maximum value: $182,000

14) Jacob Ruby, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $161,000
Maximum value: $176,000

15) Evan Johnson, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)

Hard money: $160,000
Maximum value: $168,600

16) Peter Godber, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)

Hard money: $160,000
Maximum value: $166,000

17) Sukh Chungh, B.C. Lions (N)

Hard money: $155,000
Maximum value: $190,000

18) Ryan Sceviour, Calgary Stampeders (N)

Hard money: $151,000
Maximum value: $166,000

19) Sean Jamieson, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Hard money: $142,000
Maximum value: $164,000

20) Jermarcus Hardrick, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $140,000
Maximum value: $166,000

The Bombers have the league's best right tackle, inking Hardrick to an extension with a $30,000 signing bonus. The 32-year-old will take home another $15,000 after his first game of the year, $5,000 more after his ninth appearance and standard incentives of $1,000 for a divisional all-star selection, $2,000 for a CFL all-star selection, and $3,000 for a major award.

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/20/the-cfls-20-highest-paid-offensive-linemen-for-the-2023-season/

Bombers invite standout high school receiver Mekhi Tyrell to training camp as territorial exemption

There has never been harder to scout talent for the CFL, but the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are digging especially deep this year.

According to a report from Mike Sawatzky of the Winnipeg Free Press, the club has signed local high schooler Mekhi Tyrell to a tryout agreement that will see him participate in training camp with the professional team.

While prospects who play football at the college or university level must enter the league through the draft, CFL teams routinely invite players without collegiate experience from their local region to training camp. These territorial exemptions are typically pulled from the rosters of nearby Canadian Junior Football League teams, like the Winnipeg Rifles. Notable current players such as Andrew Harris, Jevon Cottoy, and Logan Ferland have all entered the league via that avenue.

Those prospects are typically in their early to mid-twenties at the time of their tryouts. Tyrell is an anomaly, having turned 19 years old earlier this month. The youngest players in the CFL last year were twins Jalen and Tyson Philpot, who turned 22 last July.

The six-foot-one, 185-pound target hails from the Winnipeg suburb of Transcona but has played his last two seasons at Clarkson Football North in Ontario, a prep school that plays an American schedule. He is currently ranked as the 22nd-best Canadian prospect in the 2023 recruiting class according to CanadaFootballChat and the top-rated receiver.

Tyrell has received interest from a number of NCAA programs, including attending the Nick Saban Football Camp at the University of Alabama in June. However, he was unable to receive scholarship offers due to academic issues.

The young receiver has strong ties to the Bombers through local training program Recruit Ready, which counts star Canadian pass catcher Nic Demski among its coaches.

Tyrell will report to Blue Bombers' rookie camp on May 8 and will not count against their roster limit until final cuts. He faces a steep climb to make the roster directly from high school but could become the youngest CFL player since 1977, when Hall of Fame punter Hank Ilesic dressed for Edmonton at 17 years old.

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/20/bombers-invite-standout-high-school-receiver-mekhi-tyrell-to-training-camp-as-territorial-exemption/

The CFL's 20 highest-paid defensive linemen for the 2023 season
By JC Abbott - April 21, 2023

Defensive tackles
1) Anthony Lanier, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $250,000
Maximum value: $250,000

2) Jake Ceresna, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $205,000
Maximum value: $215,000

3) Dylan Wynn, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $181,000
Maximum value: $187,000

4) Casey Sayles, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $180,000
Maximum value: $190,000

5) Mike Rose, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $161,000
Maximum value: $176,000

6) Cleyon Laing, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $156,000
Maximum value: $174,000

7) Derek Wiggan, Calgary Stampeders (N)

Hard money: $151,000
Maximum value: $166,000

8 ) Almondo Sewell, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $145,000
Maximum value: $145,000

Defensive end
1) Folarin Orimolade, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $240,000
Maximum value: $240,000

2) Lorenzo Mauldin IV, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $200,000
Maximum value: $209,000

3) Willie Jefferson, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $200,000
Maximum value: $200,000

At 32 years old, Jefferson is still the league's freakiest athlete and one of its biggest characters. The perennial all-star signed a one-year extension with Winnipeg in November made up entirely of hard money, meaning his $100,000 signing bonus can count against last year's salary cap if the organization chooses.

4) Mathieu Betts, B.C. Lions (N)

Hard money: $180,000
Maximum value: $206,000

5) James Vaughters, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $176,000
Maximum value: $182,000

6) A.C. Leonard, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $170,000
Maximum value: $181,000

7) Pete Robertson, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $170,000
Maximum value: $173,000

8 ) Jackson Jeffcoat, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $162,000
Maximum value: $185,000

Jeffcoat received a $40,000 signing bonus as part of his latest extension with the Bombers but will collect another $13,000 after his first game. After playing just 12 regular-season games in each of the last four campaigns, the 32-year-old defensive end will earn $10,000 for hitting that mark again.

9) Robbie Smith, Toronto Argonauts (N)

Hard money: $150,000
Maximum value: $160,000

10) David Menard, B.C. Lions (N)

Hard money: $147,000
Maximum value: $157,500

11) Nick Usher, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $145,000
Maximum value: $155,000

12) Ja'Gared Davis, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $132,500
Maximum value: $173,000

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/21/the-cfls-20-highest-paid-defensive-linemen-for-the-2023-season/

The CFL's 20 highest-paid linebackers for the 2023 CFL season
By JC Abbott - April 22, 2023

Weakside and middle linebackers
1) Wynton McManis, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $179,800
Maximum value: $196,400

2) Cameron Judge, Calgary Stampeders (N)

Hard money: $174,000
Maximum value: $185,000

3) Adam Bighill, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $165,000
Maximum value: $165,000

Still an elite defender at 34 years old, Bighill's latest two-year extension is all hard money. The future Hall of Famer collected a $25,000 bonus on January 1 and will earn $140,000 in salary.

4) Henoc Muamba, Toronto Argonauts (N)

Hard money: $155,000
Maximum value: $172,500

5) Chris Ackie, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Hard money: $146,500
Maximum value: $166,000

6) Jameer Thurman, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $145,800
Maximum value: $151,800

7) Jovan Santos-Knox, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $136,000
Maximum value: $151,000

8 ) Bo Lokombo, B.C. Lions (N)

Hard money: $135,300
Maximum value: $141,300

9) Avery Williams, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $135,000
Maximum value: $141,000

10) Larry Dean, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $126,500
Maximum value: $131,500

11) Tyrice Beverette, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $125,000
Maximum value: $135,000

12) Kevin Francis, Edmonton Elks (N)

Hard money: $122,000
Maximum value: $145,500

13) Adam Konar, Edmonton Elks (N)

Hard money: $116,300
Maximum value:$144,400

14) Micah Teitz, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)

Hard money: $106,500
Maximum value: $127,000+

15) Nyles Morgan, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $105,000
Maximum value: $116,000

Strongside linebackers
1) Derrick Moncrief, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $145,000
Maximum value: $169,000+

2) Adarius Pickett, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $137,500
Maximum value: $143,500

3) Loucheiz Purifoy, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $128,300
Maximum value: $139,300

4) Patrick Levels, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $118,000
Maximum value: $144,000

5) Chris Edwards, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $100,000
Maximum value: $109,000

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/22/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-linebackers-for-the-2023-cfl-season/

The CFL's 20 highest-paid defensive backs for the 2023 season
By JC Abbott - April 23, 2023

1) Tunde Adeleke, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (N)

Hard money: $168,500
Maximum value: $186,500

2) Royce Metchie, Toronto Argonauts (N)

Hard money: $155,000
Maximum value: $155,000

3) Marcus Sayles, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $140,000
Maximum value: $157,000

4) T.J. Lee, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $137,000
Maximum value: $154,000

5) Monshadrik Hunter, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $128,800
Maximum value: $137,800

6) Nick Marshall, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $125,000
Maximum value: $132,000

7) DaShaun Amos, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $125,000
Maximum value: $125,000

8 ) Garry Peters, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $123,200
Maximum value: $136,200

9) Tre Roberson, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $121,000
Maximum value: $136,000

10) Jonathan Moxey, Calgary Stampeders (A)

Hard money: $121,000
Maximum value: $132,500

11) Wesley Sutton, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $120,000
Maximum value: $126,500

12) Rolan Milligan, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $117,500
Maximum value: $125,500

13) Aaron Grymes, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $115,000
Maximum value: $123,000

14) Scott Hutter, Edmonton Elks (N)

Hard money: $106,000
Maximum value: $121,000

15) Richard Leonard, Hamilton Tiger-Cats (A)

Hard money: $103,000
Maximum value: $110,000

16) Ciante Evans, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $101,800
Maximum value: $107,800

17) Brandon Alexander, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $101,000
Maximum value: $101,000

After recovering from an injury suffered in the 108th Grey Cup, Alexander was able to return to his safety spot for the final five games of 2022 and the playoff run. The 29-year-old quietly re-did his contract in February in exchange for a $17,200 signing bonus, making it entirely hard money.

18) Cariel Brooks, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $98,500
Maximum value: $109,000

19) Brandin Dandridge, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $98,000
Maximum value: $107,000

20) Jumal Rolle, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $97,800
Maximum value: $121,800

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/23/the-cfls-20-highest-paid-defensive-backs-for-the-2023-season/

The CFL's 10 highest-paid kickers and returners for the 2023 season
By John Hodge - April 24, 2023

Kickers and punters

1) Brett Lauther, Saskatchewan Roughriders (N)

Hard money: $130,000
Maximum value: $136,000

2) Sean Whyte, B.C. Lions (N)

Hard money: $130,000
Maximum value: $133,000

3) Sergio Castillo, Edmonton Elks (A)

Hard money: $123,000
Maximum value: $146,000

4) Boris Bede, Toronto Argonauts (A)

Hard money: $120,000
Maximum value: $138,000

5) Lewis Ward, Ottawa Redblacks (N)

Hard money: $115,000
Maximum value: $126,000

6) Ren? Paredes, Calgary Stampeders (N)

Hard money: $100,000
Maximum value: $111,000

7) Richie Leone, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $90,000
Maximum value: $116,000

8 ) David Cote, Montreal Alouettes (N)

Hard money: $89,000
Maximum value: $93,000

9) Stefan Flintoft, B.C. Lions (A)

Hard money: $82,000
Maximum value: $90,000

10) Marc Liegghio, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (N)

Hard money: $74,500
Maximum value: $80,000

The Western product is entering the final year of his rookie deal, which means he's due a league-minimum salary of $70,000 along with $4,500 of housing money. He will also earn $278 each time he performs more than 51 percent of Winnipeg?s punts or kickoffs and field goals in a game, which accomplished in all 18 regular season games last year.

Returners
1) Chandler Worthy, Montreal Alouettes (A)

Hard money: $127,000
Maximum value: $155,000

2) DeVonte Dedmon, Ottawa Redblacks (A)

Hard money: $127,000
Maximum value: $153,000

3) Mario Alford, Saskatchewan Roughriders (A)

Hard money: $115,000
Maximum value: $123,000

4) Janarion Grant, Winnipeg Blue Bombers (A)

Hard money: $111,000
Maximum value: $115,000

The Rutgers product returned punts for touchdowns in each of Winnipeg's two playoff games last year, earning a $27,000 signing bonus on his new deal. He will also collect a $3,200 bonus if he makes the active roster for a minimum of 12 games.

https://3downnation.com/2023/04/24/the-cfls-15-highest-paid-specialists-for-the-2023-season/

Winnipeg Blue Bombers   @Wpg_BlueBombers

We have selected Punter @JamSheahan from @CalFootball eight overall in the @CFL
 #GlobalDraft.

We have selected Bermudian Punter Karl Schmitz 17th overall in the @CFL
 #GlobalDraft.

Derek Taylor   @DTonOB

A look at my guess of the Bombers depth chart ahead of tonight's draft. They've been 6 Canadians on offense since 2018, no reason to think that changes this season.
#CFL

https://twitter.com/DTonOB/status/1653471535129083927

In the last three drafts the Bombers have had 19 picks:

8 DBs
3 DL
3 LB
1 WR
1 OL
1 P/K
1 RB
1 FB

By my count 4 players from the 2020 draft still with the team, 2 from 2021, 3 from 2022.

MEET THE 2023 DRAFT CLASS
Ed Tait

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers had a specific and straightforward game plan heading into the 2023 Canadian Football League Draft, and while they may have been tempted to stray from it, they religiously followed the script with the conviction of a Franciscan monk.

Holding on to all eight of their picks - one in each round - the Blue Bombers significantly restocked their defensive depth, grabbing three defensive linemen in Anthony Bennett and Tanner Schmekel, both of the University of Regina, and Collin Kornelson of the University of Manitoba, two defensive backs in Jake Kelly of Bishop's and Bret MacDougall of Windsor and one linebacker in Ottawa's Max Charbonneau, along with a receiver Jeremy Murphy of Concordia and Alberta running back/receiver Jonathan Rosery.

Earlier in the day the team selected two punters in the Global Draft in Jamieson Sheahan of the University of California by way of Australia, and Bermuda native Karl Schmitz, a 36-year-old still kicking who has already had tryouts with three NFL teams in his pursuit of a professional gig. GM Kyle Walters is to meet with the media Wednesday morning and will provide more detail and explanation about the club's 2023 draft. In the meantime, here's a more detailed look at the newest Bombers:

THE NEW BLUE CREW
Anthony Bennett
Selected: First round, 8th overall
Position: Defensive end
School: Regina
Ht: 6-1; Wt: 229
Born: October 4, 1996; Hometown: Weston, Fla.

Notable: Played five years at Florida Atlantic University before transferring to Regina in 2021, his mother's hometown. He's 26 and was named a U Sports All-Canadian and Canada West All-Star in 2022 after registering eight sacks, and an interception for a touchdown. Comes from a football family as his father Charles played with Tampa Bay in the NFL, his uncle Tony also played in the NFL, while his brother Andrew also played for Regina. During his days at FAU, he played at 255, but trimmed down to play the Canadian game.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers: The Bombers lost Jonathan Kongbo to the NFL's Denver Broncos and the big Canadian gave them flexibility with the roster and the ratio in occasionally spelling off ends Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat. Grabbing Bennett gives the club those options again along the defensive front along with returning Canadian tackles Jake Thomas and Cam Lawson, and especially with Cole Adamson going to get a long look during camp at being converted to the O-line.

There's also this: he's mature at 26, has an engaging personality and team-first approach that should be a natural fit in the team's locker room.

Jake Kelly
Selected: Second round, 15th overall
Position: Defensive back
School: Bishop?s
Ht: 5-11; Wt: 182
Born: April 1, 1999; Hometown: Markham, Ont.

Notable: An exceptional tester at the CFL Combine, he ran a 4.56 40 - tied for third fastest at the event - had the best vertical at 40.5 inches, the fifth-best broad jump, and the second-best 3-cone time. As TSN Draft guru said after the pick was made, "there's no doubt he is one of the most-explosive athletes in this entire draft class." Named the winner of Gaitors Brian Morely Defensive Player of the Year award last year. Had 19 tackles, one forces fumble, two interceptions - one for a touchdown - and seven break-ups in eight games last year. Also returned punts.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers: Tyrell Ford, last year's top pick by the Blue Bombers, signed a futures deal with the Green Bay Packers in the offseason and the club cut both Patrice Rene and Malcolm Thompson last December. Nick Hallett has been solid, but his brother Noah has battled the injury bug the last two seasons. Both Charles-Antoine Beaulieau and Jordan Veltri were added to bolster the Canadian DB depth and Kelly provides even more.

Jeremy Murphy
Selected: third round, 26th overall
Position: Receiver
School: Concordia
Ht: 6-0; Wt: 180
Born: May 14, 1999; Hometown: Montreal, Que.

Notable: A U-Sports First Team All-Canadian, Murphy had 29 receptions for 589 yards and two TDs for Concordia. Ran a 4.58 40 at the CFL Combine and is said to have exceptional hands. Attended the College Gridiron Showcase in Fort Worth, Texas in January after being identified by a panel of football scouts and coaches. He was the U-Sports Rookie of the Year in 2019; missed most of the 2021 season after suffering a hamstring tear.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers: The offence starts two Canadian receivers in Nic Demski and Drew Wolitarsky and has the promising Brendan O'Leary-Orange also ready to take the next step. Murphy fills an immediate depth need here and does have the potential to be a starter down the road.

Tanner Schmekel
Selected: fourth round, 35th overall
Position: Defensive tackle
School: Regina
Ht: 6-2; Wt: 270
Born: July 22, 1999; Hometown: Regina

Notable: A First Team U-Sports All-Canadian and Canada West All-Star in 2022, he had 14 tackles, two sacks and six tackles for a loss last year. Joins Bennett, a Rams D-line teammate, as a Bomber 2023 pick.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers: Bennett gives the club ratio flexibility at end, and Schmekel will provide depth behind Thomas and Lawson as homegrown talent in the middle of the D-line.

Collin Kornelson
Selected: fifth round, 44th overall
Position: Defensive tackle
School: Manitoba
Ht: 6-2; Wt: 288
Born: February 14, 2000; Hometown: Winnipeg

Notable: One of the Bisons captains last year, Kornelson played in the 2022 U-Sports East-West Bowl. Tied for the top total among O-linemen at the CFL Combine with 21 bench-press reps. Recently profiled on bluebombers.com.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers: Canadian depth along the D-line was an area of need heading into the draft, but has been more than filled now with Bennett, Schmekel and Kornelson. Character guy, good teammate who should fit well in the Bombers locker room. He also could return to Manitoba.

Bret MacDougall
Selected: sixth round, 53rd overall
Position: Defensive back
School: Windsor
Ht: 6-2; Wt: 185
Born: June 25, 2001; Hometown: LaSalle, Ont.

Notable: Had two interceptions, 26 tackles, two tackles for a loss, one fumble recovery and forced fumble for the Lancers last year. An a 4.65 40 at the CFL Combine.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers: Joins Kelly, the second-round pick, as two new faces to bolster the team's Canadian depth in the defensive backfield.

Jonathan Rosery
Selected: seventh round, 62nd overall
Position: Running back/receiver
School: Alberta
Ht: 5-8; Wt: 199
Born: January 16, 2000; Hometown: Edmonton, Alb.

Notable: Rushed 36 times for 160 yards and added 29 receptions for 536 yards and two TDs for the Golden Bears last year. Tore his ACL in 2019, but came back to play in the 2021 U-Sports East-West Bowl.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers: Exceptional offensive talent who has drawn comparisons to Nic Demski because he had touches both as a receiver and running back during his days with Alberta. Potentially gives the Bombers backfield and receiving depth.

Max Charbonneau
Selected: eighth round, 71st overall
Position: Linebacker
School: Ottawa
Ht: 6-3; Wt: 225
Born: August 19, 1999; Hometown: Ottawa

Notable: Played in 28 games over four years with the Gee-Gees, registering 38 tackles, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a pass break-up.

Why he's a good fit for the Bombers:  The Bombers have veterans Jesse Briggs (33) and Shayne Gauthier (31) among their Canadian linebacking corps - along with Tanner Cadwallader (25). Charbonneau will get his shot on special teams, as all of the above did, and could be a longer-term option when Briggs and Gauthier finish their careers.

GLOBAL DRAFT SELECTIONS
JAMIESON SHEAHAN
Selected: Round 1, eighth overall
Position: Punter
School: University of California
Ht: 6-0; Weight: 205

FYI: One of the many Australian kickers now doing their thing in the NFL and CFL, Sheahan was born in Whyalla, Australia and spent the last three years as Cal's punter. A product of the ProKick Australia system, he was named Second Team All-Pac-12 last year and gave up his remaining college eligibility by declaring for the NFL Draft last December but was not selected. He ranked second last year in the Pac-12 with a 45.1-yard average.

KARL SCHMITZ
Selected: Round 2, 17th overall
Position: Punter
School: Jacksonville University
Ht: 6-4; Weight: 210

FYI: Schmitz is 36 - yes, 36 - and still chasing the football dream after stints with the Denver Broncos, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers. Born in Bermuda, he moved to St. Louis at age 16 and fell in love with football but played just a half season of high school football after being in a car accident just prior to his senior year. Schmitz became a bit of a YouTube sensation a few years back after kicking a 70-yard field goal.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/02/meet-the-2023-draft-class/

Blue Bombers add three to roster - May 3, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., May 3, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce signing of two American players in kicker Marc Orozco and offensive lineman Chris Ivy, and Canadian linebacker Robbie Lowes.

Orozco (5-9, 170; Grambling State; born: February 13, 1996, in Denton, Tex.) comes to the Blue Bombers after a collegiate career with the Tigers (2014-18) and two seasons with the Albany Empire of the National Arena League. Orozco, who can placekick and punt, finished his days at Grambling with an 87.9 field-goal percentage after hitting on 51 of 58 attempts while connecting on 96.8 percent of his converts. He was named an All-Southwest Athletic Conference First Team and a BOXTOROW All-American in 2017.

Ivy (6-3, 296; University of Tulsa; born: June 26, 1997, in Wichita, KS.) played in 35 games over three years (2017-19) with the Golden Hurricanes and three games this season with the Tulsa Oilers of the Indoor Football League before committing to the Blue Bombers.

Lowes (6-1, 205; Regina born: June 26, 1997, in Regina, SK) was originally drafted by Winnipeg in the fourth round, 34th overall in the 2021 CFL Draft. Lowes played two games for the Blue Bombers in 2021, and suffered a season ending injury during training camp in 2022.  Lowes started all eight Canada West games in 2019 for the Regina Rams. He finished third on the team with a total of 35 tackles (29 solo, 12 assisted) and added an interception, a fumble recovery, two forced fumbles, and two blocked kicks.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/03/blue-bombers-add-three-to-roster-2/

Transactions:

2023-05-03   WPG   TAYLOR, Jadrian   WR   A   Texas El Paso   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-03   WPG   DIXON, Christian   LB   A   Middle Tennessee State   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-03   WPG   CHARBONNEAU, Max      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   ROSERY, Jonathan      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   MACDOUGALL, Breton      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   KORNELSON, Collin      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   SCHMEKEL, Tanner      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   MURPHY, Jeremy      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   KELLY, Jake      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   BENNETT, Anthony      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-03   WPG   LOWES, Robbie   LB   N   Regina   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-02   WPG   SCHMITZ, Karl      N      Add To   Draft
2023-05-02   WPG   SHEAHAN, Jamieson      N      Add To   Draft

Winnipeg Blue Bombers sign DL Jadrian Taylor and LB Christian Dixon

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed former UTEP defensive lineman Jadrian Taylor and former Middle Tennessee State linebacker Christian Dixon on Wednesday.

Jadrian Taylor is six foot one and weighs 246 pounds. The 23-year-old from Lufkin, Texas, had 42 tackles (21 solo, 21 assists), 11.5 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, five pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 12 games for the Minors in 2022.

Jadrian Taylor played three seasons at UTEP (2020-22) with 81 tackles (42 solo, 39 assists), 19.5 sacks, 16 sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 32 games. He was an Honorable Mention All-Conference USA in 2021 after making 33 tackles (19 solo, 14 assists), 7.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, and one pass breakup in 13 games.

Before UTEP, Taylor played two seasons at Kilgore College (2018-19) with 53 tackles (35 solo, 18 assists), eight sacks, and two forced fumbles in 21 games for the Rangers.

Christian Dixon is five foot ten and weighs 220 pounds. The 24-year-old from Charlotte, North Carolina, played one season at Middle Tennessee State with 46 tackles (22 solo, 24 assists), 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one pass breakup, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 13 games for the Blue Raiders in 2022. He was named Third Team PFF College All-C-USA.

Before Middle Tennessee State, Dixon played four seasons at Towson (2017-19, 2021) with 159 tackles (90 solo, 59 assists), 17.5 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, five pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in 33 games for the Tigers.

https://www.bgmsportstrax.com/2023/05/04/winnipeg-blue-bombers-sign-dl-jadrian-taylor-and-lb-christian-dixon/#:~:text=Jadrian%20Taylor%20is%20six%20foot,for%20the%20Minors%20in%202022.

Blue Bombers transactions - May 4, 2023

WINNIPEG, MB., May 4, 2023 - The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following transactions:

Added to roster:
Global punter Karl Schmitz

BLUE BOMBERS SIGN KICKER SERGIO CASTILLO

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the signing of veteran kicker Sergio Castillo to a one-year contract.

Castillo (5-11, 196, West Texas A&M; born: November 1, 1990, in La Joya, TX) returns to the Blue Bombers for a third stint after beginning his CFL career in Winnipeg in 2015 and then returning late in 2021 at the trade deadline before playing an instrumental role in the club's second of back-to-back Grey Cup Championships.

Castillo has appeared in 59 CFL games over six seasons with the Blue Bombers (2015), Ottawa RedBlacks (2016), Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2017), B.C. Lions (2019), Blue Bombers (2021) and Elks (2022). He was also in training camp with the Tennessee Titans in 2021 after playing in seven games with the New York Jets in 2020.

Castillo holds a career field goal percentage of 85.5 in the CFL, having made 124 of his 145 attempts, and has a career convert percentage of 90.4. Castillo went 37-of-44 (84.1 percent) in field goal attempts with the Elks last year while connecting on 26-of-29 (89.7) of his convert attempts.

He was named CFL All-Star in 2019 with the Lions after connecting on 41-of-45 field goal attempts (91.1 percent), including five field goals covering 50 yards or longer.

Castillo was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Atlanta Falcons in 2014, but made his professional debut with the Bombers in October of 2015, making all five of his field goal attempts. He finished that year going 10-of-13 for the club before Justin Medlock was signed in free agency in 2016.

In 2017 he suffered a season-ending knee injury while with Hamilton and did not kick again in a game in 2018. He has also had stints with the San Antonio Commanders of the Alliance of American Football and the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/04/blue-bombers-sign-kicker-sergio-castillo/

Transactions:

2023-05-04   WPG   SCHMITZ, Karl   P   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-04   WPG   TYRELL, Mekhi      N      Add To   Territorial Exemption
2023-05-04   WPG   GASKIN, Keyshawn      N      Add To   Territorial Exemption
2023-05-04   WPG   KAMENZ, Brandon      N      Add To   Territorial Exemption
2023-05-04   WPG   FUNK-CLEMENTS, Joseph   DB   N   Winnipeg Rifles Jr.   Add To   Territorial Exemption

BLUE BOMBERS SIGN FIVE 2023 DRAFT CHOICES

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers announce the signing of five 2023 Draft selections: defensive lineman Anthony Bennett (8th overall), defensive back Jake Kelly (15th overall), receiver Jeremy Murphy (26th overall), defensive back Bret MacDougall (53rd overall) and linebacker Max Charbonneau (71st overall).

Bennett (6-3, 230, University of Regina; born: October 4, 1996, in Weston, FL) was named a first-team All-Canadian and a Canada West all-star after setting a school single-season record with eight sacks with the Regina Rams in his senior year.  He tied a school record for most tackles for loss in a single season (10.5) and started all eight Canada West games at defensive end, finishing the year with 25.5 tackles (19 solo, 13 assisted). In 2021, Bennett finished fourth on the team and led all Rams defensive linemen in tackles (17 solo, 8 assisted) while tying for the team lead with 7 1/2 tackles for loss, adding two sacks. Prior to joining the Rams, Bennett spent the 2015-2019 seasons with Florida Atlantic University.

Kelly (6-0, 180, Bishop's University; born: April 1, 1999, in Markham, ON) was named the Brian Morely Defensive Player of the Year last season and an Academic All-Canadian in 2021 with the Bishop's University Gaiters. He played in eight games for the Gaiters in 2022-23, recording two interceptions (one for a touchdown), one forced fumble and 24 total tackles (19 solo and 5 assisted). Kelly played in seven games in 2020-21, totalling 29 tackles (24 solo, 5 assisted) and one interception.

Murphy (6-2, 195, Concordia University; born: May 14, 1999, in St. Bruno, QC) was named to the U Sports First All-Canadian team in 2022, his second national award. The pandemic derailed his sophomore season and in 2021, Murphy tore his hamstring, ending his season. But he returned in 2022, posting career numbers: He recorded 29 receptions for 589 yards and two touchdowns in seven games and averaged 20.3 yards a catch, leading the Quebec conference. In January, Murphy also attended the 2023 College Gridiron Showcase in Texas.

MacDougall (6-3, 205, University of Windsor; born: June 25, 2001, in LaSalle, ON) was named a 2022 U SPORTS Academic All-Canadian and participated in the 2022 East-West Bowl last season after recording 29 tackles, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, two interceptions and three pass breakups in his third season with the Lancers. He appeared in six games in 2021, making 15 tackles (9 solo, 12 assists) and dressed for three games in 2019 but did not record any stats.

Charbonneau (6-3, 225, University of Ottawa; born: August 19, 1999, in Ottawa, ON) played four seasons with the GeeGees, seeing action in 28 games and recording 53.5 total tackles (38 solo, 31 assisted). His 2022 season was his best as he appeared in six regular season games at middle linebacker, recording 17 total tackles (9 solo, 16 assisted) and adding one tackle for loss, a forced fumble, a pass breakup, and a blocked kick. In his two playoff starts in 2022, Charbonneau tallied 10.5 tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss, and a forced fumble.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/05/blue-bombers-sign-five-2023-draft-choices/

POSITIONAL PREVIEW #1: THE SPECIALISTS

THE SPECIALISTS
The Returnees:

Placekicker/punter: Marc Liegghio*
Long-snapper: Mike Benson*
Punt returns: Janarion Grant
Kickoff returns: Janarion Grant

The New Faces

Placekicker: Sergio Castillo (returning for third stint with the team), Chandler Staton, Marc Orozco
Punter: Devin Anctil, Chris MacLean*
Returner: Various candidates to be determined during camp

*Indicates: Canadian

Keep an eye on: K Marc Orozco
He had a solid career at Grambling State, where he connected on 78.6 per cent of his field goals before starring in the National Arena League. He is apparently capable of handling all three kicking chores, just as Liegghio did last year.

That is what will now be the intriguing story within the placekicking battle in camp - will the club lean to having just one kicker handle all three chores, or use two spots to get the best placekicker and punter on the roster?

Did you know?
The Blue Bombers have been the least-penalized team on specials over in each of the last three years. They were first in 2019 with 30 infractions on special teams; first in 2021 with 19 and first last season with just 14 - 20 fewer than the next lowest teams (Hamilton, Montreal and Saskatchewan were all at 34).

Notable Number: 7
Janarion Grant has seven kick-return touchdowns in just 33 games with the Blue Bombers dating back to 2019 and is already the franchise's all-time kick return touchdown leader, with seven and counting. That includes six punt returns and one on a kickoff.

His total is nine all-time, if his punt return touchdowns in the Western Final and Grey Cup from last year are included.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/04/positional-preview-1-the-specialists/

POSITIONAL PREVIEW #2 - THE DBS

The Returnees:

Safeties: Brandon Alexander, Nick Hallett*, Souleymane Karamoko (G)
Halfbacks: Deatrick Nichols, Jamal Parker, Evan Holm
Cornerbacks: Winston Rose, Desmond Lawrence, Demerio Houston
Dime: Alden Darby, Jr., Redha Kramdi*, Cedrick Lavigne*
Injured: Noah Hallett*
Newcomers: Will Allen, Jr., Charles-Antoine Beaulieu*, Jordan Brown, Abu Daramy-Swaray, Karon Delince, Jordan Veltri*, Deuce Wallace
Departed: Tyrell Ford* (signed with Green Bay Packers; rights remain with Wpg if he returns to the CFL), Donald Rutledge, Jr., Nick Taylor, Malcolm Thompson*, Patrice Rene*, Tyquwan Glass
CFL 2023 Draft picks: Jake Kelly (second round, 15th overall); Bret MacDougall (sixth round, 53rd overall)

*Indicates Canadian; (G) - Global player

Keep an eye on: CB Desmond Lawrence
He arrived last October after being dumped by Hamilton, but found a home on the CFL's stingiest defence, starting three games - his debut coming October 15th in Vancouver, followed by starts in both the Western Final and Grey Cup.

He's got good size at 6-1 and 215 and somehow fell out of favour with the Ticats last season, less than a year after being named the club's Most Outstanding Rookie. Having the benefit of a full training camp and more help from coaches like Hall and Younger could be massive for Lawrence in Winnipeg.

Did you know?
Rod Hill (1988-92) holds the club record for career interceptions with 47, followed by Norm Rauhaus (1956-67) with 34 and Gord Rowland (1954-63) with 31. All three are members of the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame.

Notable Number: 48
The Blue Bombers defence of 1990 set a CFL record that still stands with 48 interceptions as a team that year. The highest total last year was 29, by Toronto.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/05/positional-preview-2-the-dbs/

Transactions:

2023-05-05   WPG   CASTILLO, Sergio   K   A   West Texas A&M   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-05   WPG   WADE, Barrington   LB   A   Iowa   Add To   Active Roster

Barrington was one of the negotiation list players the Bombers disclosed back in December:

https://www.cfl.ca/2022/12/14/cfl-reveals-updated-negotiation-lists-for-each-team/

CFL QB INTERNSHIP WELCOMES NINE PIVOTS INTO CAMPS

TORONTO - Nine quarterbacks from across the country are set to hone their skills alongside their professional counterparts as part of the 2023 CFL QB Internship. CFL rookie camps open May 10 with training camps set to kick off May 14.

The program, which welcomed its first class in 2010, provides an opportunity for promising young pivots playing in Canada to develop their skills, participate in practices, attend team and positional meetings with CFL clubs, as they continue their journeys through amateur football.

WINNIPEG | ARNAUD DESJARDINS | LAVAL UNIVERSITY | MONTREAL (hometown)

2022 Vanier Cup champion

Led U SPORTS in passing touchdowns (20) and completion percentage (73.0)

Six 300+ passing yard games last season

Second in U SPORTS with 2,555 passing yards

2022 First-Team All-Canadian, RSEQ All-Star

2023 CFL Combine participant as an underclassmen
https://www.cfl.ca/2023/05/05/cfl-qb-internship-welcomes-nine-pivots-into-camps/

BLUE BOMBERS ADD EIGHT TO ROSTER

The Blue Bombers today announce the signing of American quarterbacks Cooper Callis and Josh Jones, American linebackers Christian Dixon and Barrington Wade, American defensive end Jadrian Taylor, and three 2023 CFL Draft choices; defensive lineman Tanner Schmekel (35th overall), running back Jonathan Rosery (62nd overall) and defensive lineman Collin Kornelson (44th overall).

Callis (6-3, 215; Southwest Baptist University; born: June 8, 1999 in Jackson, MO.) played in 25 games from 2020-22 with the Bearcats, completing 68.2 percent of his passes for 7,712 yards and 73 touchdowns against 22 interceptions while rushing for 407 yards and five more scores. He began his collegiate career at Fullerton College of the California Community College Athletic Association.

Jones (6-3, 220; University of North Carolina at Pembroke; born: June 6, 2000 in Wilmington, N.C.) comes to the Blue Bombers after a collegiate career with the UNCP Braves (2018-22) that saw him suit up for 46 games as a five-year starter and four-year captain. Jones threw for 2,302 yards and 13 touchdowns last year for the Braves while rushing for 219 yards and two more scores. Over his collegiate career he threw for 10,148 yards and 70 touchdowns while rushing for 10 more.

Dixon (6-0, 220; Middle Tennessee State: born: in Charlotte, NC) spent his collegiate days at Middle Tennessee State as a redshirt senior in 2022 after previously playing at Towson State University (2017-21). Dixon had 46 total tackles, including 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks and two forced fumbles last year at Middle Tennessee. In 2021 at Towson State he was named All-CAA Third Team linebacker after finishing with 73 total tackles and tying for the team lead with four sacks.

Wade (6-1, 210; University of Iowa; born: March 16, 1998 in Skokie, IL.) played in 33 games over 3 seasons (2018-21) with the Hawkeyes posting 23 tackles, 1 sack and 2 interceptions. Wade was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2021, and was later claimed off waivers by the Denver Broncos. The linebacker played in four NFL games and had one tackle and one assist before joining the Bombers this season.

Taylor (6-1, 246; University of Texas at El Paso; born: February 9, 1999 in Lufkin, TX.) began his collegiate career with Kilgore College (2018-19) where the defensive end had 53 tackles, 8 sacks, and 2 forced fumbles across 21 games. He then transferred to UTEP (2020-22), where he finished with 81 tackles, 19.5 tackle-for-losses, 16 sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble return for a touchdown over 32 games. Taylor was an Honourable Mention All-Conference USA in 2021 after a stellar campaign with 33 tackles 6.5 sacks, and a pass breakup in 13 games.

Schmekel (6-2, 300, University of Regina; born: July 22, 1999, in Regina, SK) was a 2022 U SPORTS First-Team All-Canadian and Canada West All-Star. The defensive lineman started all eight Canada West games at defensive tackle in 2022, registering six tackles for loss including a pair of sacks during conference play. The three-time University of Regina Defensive Lineman of the Year finished the season with a total of 14 tackles (11 solo, 6 assisted) and a pass breakup. Schmekel redshirted with the Rams in 2017 before starting all eight games in 2018 and leading the team's linemen in tackles, finishing with 16 1/2 and adding 1 1/2 tackles for loss. He then played for the Regina Thunder (CJFL) in 2019 before returning to the Rams in 2021.

Rosery (5-9, 193, University of Alberta; born: January 16, 2000, in Edmonton, AB) was named a 2022 Canada West All-Star after amassing 536 yards on 29 receptions for two touchdowns and adding 160 more along the ground last season. In his four seasons with the Golden Bears, Rosery totalled 75 receptions for 1,151 yards and six touchdowns while adding 564 rushing yards and another score.

Kornelson (6-3, 240, University of Manitoba; born: February 14, 2000, in Winnipeg, MB) stays home, moving down the hall from his University of Manitoba locker where he was team captain in 2022. After playing his minor football for the Valour Patriots and then the St. Paul?s Crusaders, Kornelson joined the Bisons in 2019. In six games in 2021, he recorded 18.5 tackles, one sack and one tackle for a loss. He built on his totals in 2022, playing in all eight games and registered 27 tackles, 1.5 sacks and two tackles for loss.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/07/blue-bombers-add-eight-to-roster/

POSITIONAL PREVIEW - THE LINEBACKERS

The Returnees:

Middle: Adam Bighill, Shayne Gauthier*, Les Maruo (G); Brian Cole,
Weak side: Kyrie Wlson, Malik Clements, Tanner Cadwallader*, DeJaun Cooper, Robbie Lowes* (missed last year due to injury)
Newcomers: Still TBD
Departed: None
CFL 2023 Draft picks: Max Charbonneau* (eighth round, 71st overall)

*Indicates Canadian; (G) - Global player

Keep an eye on: Brian Cole
Added to the practice roster in early summer after a stint in Edmonton, it wasn't long before Cole made an impression with his work on special teams. A former star at Mississippi State and a seventh-round draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings in 2020, he has also had NFL looks from Miami and Carolina. He's now got some CFL experience to his name and, like so many others entering their second year in the Canadian game, could be ready to take that proverbial next step.

Did you know?
Dating back to 1955 and the inception of the CFL's Most Outstanding Defensive Player Award, seven Blue Bombers players have combined to capture the honour nine times.

They are: Bighill, as mentioned above, in 2018 and 2021, Willie Jefferson in 2019, Jovon Johnson in 2011, Greg Battle in 1990 and 1991, Tyrone Jones in 1985, Frank Rigney in 1961 and Herb Gray in 1960.

Notable Number: 817
Career tackle total for Adam Bighill. That ranks him seventh on the CFL's all-time list, just 16 behind Solomon Elimimian in sixth place. Barrin Simpson is fifth at 955 and Chip Cox is fourth at 979. The top three are Willie Pless (1,241), Mike O'Shea (1,151) and Alondra Johnson (1,095).

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/06/positional-preview-3-the-linebackers/

POSITIONAL PREVIEW - DEFENSIVE LINE

A LOOK AT THE DEFENSIVE LINE
The Returnees: DE Willie Jefferson, Jackson Jeffcoat; DT: Jake Thomas*, Cam Lawson*, Ricky Walker, Thiadric Hansen (G), DeJaun Cooper, Cole Adamson* (a defensive tackle at Manitoba, he is being shifted to OL for camp, but could move back to the D-line).
Departed: DT Casey Sayles (Hamilton, free agency); DE Cedric Wilcots (Hamilton, trade last October for Alden Darby, Jr.); Keion Adams (unsigned free agent).
2023 CFL Draft picks: Anthony Bennett (1st round, 8th overall); Tanner Schmekel (4th round, 35th overall); Collin Kornelson (5th round 44th overall)
CFL newcomers: Joe Beckett, Nate Givhan, Aaron Sterling, O'Bryan Goodson.

Keep an eye on: Aaron Sterling
The Blue Bombers signed Sterling in March and the University of South Carolina edge rusher is an intriguing prospect. He's battled injuries but brings an element of toughness that could make him a key fit in the D-line.

Read more about Sterling here in Blue Bomber scout Cyril Penn's Tales from the Scouting Trail piece. https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/03/28/tales-from-the-scouting-trail-aaron-sterling/

Did you know?
The last Blue Bombers player to lead the CFL in sacks was Phillip Hunt, with 16 back in 2010.

Notable Number: 75
The Blue Bombers club record for sacks in a season is 75, set in 1984 (the stat was first tracked by the CFL in 1980). That year Tyrone Jones led the club record with 20.5 sacks (back when the league used half sacks), which was a club record before Elfrid Payton had 22 in 1993).

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/07/positional-preview-4-defensive-line/

BLUE BOMBERS ADD FIVE TO ROSTER

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce signing of four American players in quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, receivers Otis Lanier and Matt Cole and defensive end/long-snapper Damian Jackson, as well as National receiver Michael O'Shea.

Pigrome (5-10, 200; Towson State; born: October 22, 1997, in Birmingham, AL.) comes to the Blue Bombers after a collegiate career spent at the University of Maryland (2016-19), Western Kentucky University (2020) and most recently with Towson State (2022). He spent the 2021 season at Ole Miss but did not play. Pigrome threw for 1,638 yards and 14 touchdowns with the Tigers last year, rushing for an additional 574 yards and two more TDs. He was the 2015 Gatorade High School Player of the Year in Alabama while at Clay-Chalkville High.

Lanier (5-10, 185; Howard Payne University; born: October 7, 1997, in Houston, Tex.) spent the last two seasons with the Yellow Jackets. Last year he had 66 receptions for 955 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the American Southwest Conference in receiving yards, receptions per game and all-purpose yards. He also nine punt returns for 166 yards and one TD and was a First Team All-ASC selection. He had 46 receptions for 807 yards and nine TDs in 2021.

Cole (5-10, 197; McKendree University; born: November 7, 1996, in Chicago, IL.) arrives in Winnipeg after spending last year on the practice roster of the Washington Commanders. Originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Miami Dolphins in 2020, he would later make his NFL debut later that season after being picked up by the San Francisco 49ers, making two tackles on special teams. Cole has also had stints with the New York Jets and Giants, the Carolina Panthers and Seattle Seahawks

Jackson (6-2, 263; University of Buffalo; born July 22, 1992, in Las Vegas, NV) appeared in 13 games last year for the Bulls, including making nine starts at defensive end while handling the long-snapping chores. He had 27 tackles, 2.5 tackles for a loss, a sack, and a fumble recovery. He transferred from Nebraska, where he spent five seasons after initially walking on with the Cornhuskers. He was a member of the Navy SEALS for four years and was the 2021-Armed Forces Merit Award Winner.

O'Shea (6-0, 183; Okanagan Sun; born: March 9, 2000 in Mississauga, ON) joins the Blue Bombers after two solid years with the Sun in the British Columbia Football Conference, including helping lead the squad to a 21-19 win over the Regina Thunder in the national championship last fall - a game in which he caught a touchdown pass and also had seven returns for 108 yards, earning him the Special Teams Player of the Game award. O'Shea had 28 receptions for 483 yards and eight touchdowns last season, adding another seven catches for 164 yards and a TD in the playoffs. In his first year with Okanagan, he had 27 catches for 654 yards and 11 TDs. He is also an exceptional kick returner, having taken five punt returns back for touchdowns in his two years with the Sun while averaging 25.9 yards per kickoff return last season. Those numbers earned him a spot on the Canadian Junior Football League First-Team All-Canadian squad. In 2021 he was a CJFL First-Team All-Canadian as a receiver. He is the son of Blue Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/08/blue-bombers-add-five-to-roster/

Transactions:

2023-05-08   WPG   O'SHEA JR, Michael   WR   N   Okanagan Sun   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   KORNELSON, Collin   DL   N   Manitoba   Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   JACKSON, Damian   LS   A   Buffalo   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   PIGROME, Tyrrell   QB   A   Towson University   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   LANIER, Otis   WR   A   Howard Payne   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   SCHMEKEL, Tanner   DL   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   ROSERY, Jonathan   WR   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   MURPHY, Jeremy   WR   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   MACDOUGALL, Breton   DB   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   KELLY, Jake   DB   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   CHARBONNEAU, Max   LB   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   BENNETT, Anthony   DL   N      Add From Draft   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   JONES, Josh   QB   A      Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-08   WPG   CALLIS, Cooper   QB   A   Southwest Baptist   Add To   Active Roster

POSITIONAL PREVIEW - OFFENSIVE LINE

The Returnees:
Starters: LT Stanley Bryant, LG Geoff Gray*, C Chris Kolankowski*, RG Pat Neufeld*, RT Jermarcus Hardrick
Returning vets: Liam Dobson*, Tui Eli*, Tomoya Machino (G), Drew Richmond
Departed: C Michael Couture* (B.C.)
2023 CFL Draft picks: None
CFL newcomers: Cole Adamson* (attended camp last year as a DL before returning to the U of M), Kelvin Ateman, Jr.; Chris Ivy, Tyler Grisolia*, Payton Muljo, Brandon Sanford*

Keep an eye on: Tui Eli
The big University of Hawaii product was drafted in the fourth round in 2019 and in 2021 suited up for 14 games, including four starts. He sat out last season was brought back in January with a new three-year contract.

His skillset is there to start at any of the three inside positions along the line, but there will be eyeballs on him as soon as camp opens regarding his strength and conditioning levels.

Did you know?
The Blue Bombers did not select an offensive lineman in the two most-recent CFL Drafts - a first for the club since 2001-02. That decision was made partly because the position wasn't as a high priority with the current collection of Canadian talent and also because of a relatively thin draft class at that position. The move of Adamson from D-line to O-line was also a factor.

Dating back to 1963 the Blue Bombers have not selected an O-lineman with any of their picks in 18 different draft classes.

Notable Number: 80
The Blue Bombers have surrendered 80 sacks over the last three seasons, including 29 last year. That total is second fewest only to Calgary, which has given up 71 over that same span.
Just by comparison, the 2015 Blue Bombers surrendered 71 sacks and the Saskatchewan Roughriders gave up 77 sacks alone last season.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/08/positional-preview-5-offensive-line/

POSITIONAL PREVIEW - THE RUNNING BACKS

The Returnees: RB Brady Oliveira*, RB Johnny Augustine*, Greg McCrae, FB Mike Miller*, Konner Burtenshaw*
Departed: None
2023 CFL Draft picks: Jonathan Rosery* (7th round, 62nd overall)
CFL newcomers: Ta'Zhawn Henry,

Keep an eye on: Greg McCrae
McCrae offers an enticing skillset, having racked up 21 carries for 164 yards last year (a 7.8-yard average) while pulling in 16 receptions for 164 yards and a TD. Finding him a roster spot, let alone touches in the offence, will be a challenge for the coaching staff. But McCrae has proven worthy.

Did you know?
A Blue Bombers player has led the league in rushing 17 times dating back to 1950. That's tied for most over that span with Calgary. The Blue Bombers who have won rushing titles include Tom Casey (1950), Mack Herron (1972), Jim Washington (1976), Willard Reaves (1984-85, 1987), Robert Mimbs (1990-91), Michael Richardson (1992-93), Charles Roberts (2003, 2005-06), Fred Reid (2010) and Andrew Harris (2017-19)

Notable Number: 113.5
The Blue Bombers averaged 113.5 yards rushing per game last year, second only to Calgary's 135.3.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/09/positional-preview-6-the-running-backs/

POSITIONAL PREVIEW - THE RECEIVERS

The Returnees:
Starters from 2022: Dalton Schoen, Nic Demski*, Drew Wolitarsky*, Rasheed Bailey
Also: Janarion Grant, Brendan O'Leary-Orange*, Carlton Agudosi, Greg McCrae (also listed at RB), Tavaris Harrison, Jaivon Heiligh (PR last year), Timothy Knuettel (Global, on PR last year)
CFL free-agent additions: Kenny Lawler (Edmonton)
Departed: Greg Ellingson (Montreal)
2023 CFL Draft picks: Jeremy Murphy (3rd round, 26th overall)
CFL newcomers: Manasseh Bailey, Gavin Garner, Otis Lanier, Michael O'Shea*, Tre Turner, Michael Young, Jr.

*Indicates: Canadian

Keep an eye on: Carlton Agudosi
A massive target at 6-6, 220, the 29-year-old Rutgers product showed so much in his four quarters of work, before being injured early in a game a week later. If healthy he gives the receiving corps another dangerous threat - not as a burner, but as a player with an incredible catch radius.

Did you know?
Nic Demski posted career-best numbers with 64 receptions for 772 yards and 10 receiving TDs. The Blue Bombers haven't had a Canadian receiver hit the 1,000-yard mark since Gerald Wilcox (69 catches for 1,024 yards) back in 1995.

Notable Number: 41
Schoen had 70 receptions in his break-out season with an incredible 41 of them second-down conversions.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/09/positional-preview-7-the-receivers/

ROOKIE CAMP PRIMER

FIVE TO WATCH

Topping our 'To Watch' list a year ago was receiver Dalton Schoen, who then went on to lead the Canadian Football League in receiving and being named the league's Most Outstanding Rookie. That's a high bar, but here are a handful of fresh faces to begin tracking now:

#90 DE Jadrian Taylor: The Blue Bombers could use some import depth behind Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat and Taylor, who spent two years at UTEP, is one of the candidates to track during camp.

LB Barrington Wade: Has had NFL looks from Baltimore and Denver, has impressive testing numbers, and caught the eye of Bombers scout Cyril Penn last year at Broncos training camp.

WR Michael Young: Played his college ball at both Notre Dame and Cincinnati before NFL opportunities last year from Indianapolis and Houston. The Blue Bombers receiving corps is stacked, but that doesn't stop management from looking.

#49 LB Gee Stanley: An intriguing prospect in that he can play linebacker and could also get a look at the Dime spot. That versatility can be key in the CFL.

DE Aaron Sterling: Similar situation to Taylor, listed above.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/09/rookie-camp-preview-2/

BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following transactions:

Transferred to retired list:
National linebacker Robbie Lowes

BLUE BOMBERS TRANSACTIONS
MAY 10, 2023

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers today announce the following transactions:

Added to roster:
American offensive lineman Desmond Bessent (6-7, 305, University of Buffalo)
American receiver Dominick Fiscelli (5-9, 180 Northern State University)
American running back Vance Barnes (5-8, 190, Northern State University)

Released from roster:
American receiver Otis Lanier


Transactions:
2023-05-10   WPG   FISCELLI, Dominick   WR   A   Northern State   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-10   WPG   MCGHEE, Tyrique   DB   A   Georgia   Add From Suspended   Active Roster
2023-05-10   WPG   COLE, Matt   WR   A   McKendree College   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-10   WPG   BARNES, Vance   RB   A   Northern State   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-10   WPG   BESSENT, Desmond   OL   A   Buffalo   Add To   Active Roster
2023-05-10   WPG   LOWES, Robbie   LB   N   Regina   Transfer To   Retired

POSITIONAL PREVIEW - QUARTERBACKS

The Returnees: Zach Collaros, Dru Brown
CFL newcomers: Cooper Callis, Billy Hall, Josh Jones, Tyrrell Pigrome
CFL Canadian quarterback internship program: Arnaud Desjardins (Laval)
Departed: Dakota Prukop (USFL)

Keep an eye on: Dru Brown
The battle for the third-string/short-yardage package gig might be the most compelling in the here and now, but Brown's continued development for the Blue Bombers is critical long-term, even with Collaros signed through 2025. The club would love to have him transform from a No. 2 to a 1A and that will take real snaps in real action.

Did you know?
Collaros threw for 37 touchdowns and just 13 interceptions last year. His +24 touchdown-interception differential tied for the ninth-highest in CFL history - Montreal's Antony Calvillo was +30 in 2008 - and broke the club record of +23 set by Jack Jacobs in 1951.

Notable number: 57
Collaros has thrown for 57 touchdowns the past two seasons - 37 last year and 20 in the shortened 2021 campaign. That's the highest back-to-back total by a Blue Bombers pivot since Khari Jones threw for 71 scores in 2002-03 - a club record 46 in 2002 and 25 in 2003. Jones also had 30 passing TDs in 2001.

https://www.bluebombers.com/2023/05/11/positional-preview-8-quarterbacks/

Transactions:

2023-05-11   WPG   LANIER, Otis   WR   A   Howard Payne   Delete From Active   Free Agent