Chris Matthews of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers looks up into the stands during second half CFL action between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Winnipeg, Sunday, September 9, 2012. (CFL PHOTO - Marianne Helm)
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers open training camp on Sunday. This is the seventh in our annual positional-preview series leading up to the first day…
RECEIVERS
They spent the winter big-game hunting and waited days, weeks, and months before landing their coveted prize.
Yes, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers made no secret of their desire to add a veteran receiver this past offseason, and when the Canadian Football League free agent market opened in February, they made lucrative pitches to the likes of Gregg Ellingson and Derel Walker before those two opted to sign in Edmonton and Toronto.
That led to considerable angst in Bomber Nation, despite the team hauling in one of the marquee names available in defensive end Willie Jefferson. And that unease carried over into the spring and right up to May 10th – 87 days after free agency began – until the moment the club announced it had signed Chris Matthews.
And it was then that the collective blood pressure amongst football fans in these parts dropped considerably, for in Matthews the Bombers have not only brought back a familiar face, they have added a veteran piece, a huge target and a proven winner.
Matthews, still just 29, first arrived in Winnipeg in 2012 after a look-see from the Cleveland Browns and a stint with the Iowa Barnstormers of the Arena Football League.
He made an immediate splash, too, winning the Canadian Football League’s Most Outstanding Rookie award while leading the Bombers in receiving with 81 receptions for 1,192 yards and then parlayed his two years with the Bombers into NFL opportunities with the Baltimore Ravens and Seattle Seahawks. He returned to the CFL last fall and helped the Calgary Stampeders win the 2018 Grey Cup.
The addition of Matthews, a 6-5, 230-pound fitness freak, makes the Bombers receiving corps that much deadlier. He’ll open up room for veteran Darvin Adams, who has posted consecutive 1,000-yard seasons and has 23 TDs in his last 40 games as a Bomber.
Pair those two with Canadian starters Drew Wolitarsky and Nic Demski – both of whom had break-out seasons in 2018 – along with promising 2018 draft picks Rashaun Simonise and Daniel Petermann, second-year Bombers Kenbrell Thompkins, Corey Washington, Charles Nelson and Kenny Lawler, and the impressive collection of newcomers who have flashed their talents at both the team’s free agent camp last month and through rookie camp, and the Bombers have the pieces for what could be a dynamic receiving corps.
That’s significant for all the obvious reasons – despite leading the CFL in scoring last year and finishing in a tie for second in the league with 30 TD passes (Calgary was first with 36), the Bombers were a team built first around Andrew Harris and the run game, with Matt Nichols operating an efficient passing attack. Winnipeg led the CFL in rushing yards per game at 134.9, but was just sixth in passing at 244.9 yards. Those numbers were down from 2017, when the Bombers averaged 271.9 yards passing per game, ranking just eighth overall.
The arrival of Matthews should help boost those numbers, as he gives offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice one more weapon for his arsenal and makes the attack that much more multi-faceted with a bevy of Americans and Canadians at his disposal.
That’s no small thing, either, as the overall depth also gives the club the option to start three Canadians in the receiving corps, although that seems less likely with the arrival of Matthews and the new talent that has popped off the page already.
There’s more: with the Bombers leaning heavily to using one of their four designated import spots on a receiver who also returns kicks, that provides another opportunity for a gifted pass catcher to get onto the roster – hello, Charles Nelson or Lucky Whitehead.
All of this means that as main camp opens Sunday, the Bombers have filled a big-time need by adding Matthews to what was already a dangerous offence. The bonus now would be to see one of the many prospects they have signed become the next Stegall, Murphy or Pitts. Or the next Chris Matthews or Darvin Adams.
A LOOK AT THE RECEIVERS
The Returnees: Darvin Adams, Drew Wolitarsky*, Nic Demski*, Kenbrell Thompkins, Rashaun Simonise*, Daniel Petermann*, Corey Washington, Charles Nelson, Kenny Lawler (practice roster)
Free agent additions: Chris Matthews
CFL newcomers: Chris Hubert, Garrett Johnson, Josh Stewart, Tim Wilson, Matt Hazel, Kenny Walker, Lucky Whitehead, Rasheed Bailey
2019 CFL Draft picks: Malik Richards (5th round, 43rd overall) was injured in rookie camp and released. He was replaced on the roster by Manitoba Bisons receiver Dylan Schrot.
Departures: Weston Dressler (unsigned); Ryan Lankford (Ottawa)
*Indicates Canadian
IMPACT NEWCOMER
Chris Matthews
Big target. Big addition. Big potential influencer for a receiving corps that, aside from Darvin Adams, is still relatively young. The Bombers landed a huge free agent catch just before training camp last year in linebacker Adam Bighill. Could Matthews have the same impact on the offence in 2019?
X FACTOR
Rashaun Simonise
It’s rare for a Canadian receiver to be in a training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals before he even gets drafted, but that was Simonise’s story before the Bombers even called out his name last spring. The skills and speed are all there. Now the question is whether he can step up and fight for a starting gig.
NOTABLE NUMBER | 2
The Bombers last two receivers to crack the 1,000-yard mark in 2012 – Chris Matthews and Terrence Edwards. Since then the club has had just four 1,000-yard seasons posted by a receiver: Clarence Denmark in 2014, Weston Dressler in 2016 and Darvin Adams in 2017 and 2018.
By comparison, the Ottawa REDBLACKS had five different receivers – Brad Sinopoli, Greg Ellingson, Diontae Spencer, Earnest Jackson and Chris Williams – combine for 13 1K seasons since 2015.
