Every Canadian Football League club is a work in progress at this point on the calendar, and for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, their 2019 season opener is still 20 days away.

And by CFL camp standards – which are notoriously short – that is still an absolute eternity.

The Bombers completed their eighth day of practice on a frigid Sunday morning at IG Field and while there is more continuity here in Winnipeg than in any other CFL market, there are still some unanswered questions and still-developing storylines.

With that in mind, here are our thoughts from Week 1 of camp…

QBs IN MOTION:

One of the early observations at camp has revolved around QB Matt Nichols, his offseason training regimen/diet, his overall health and how much more mobile he looks through the first week of practice.

The veteran pivot is coming off a season in which the Bombers were 9-5 while he was under centre, but saw his numbers suffer after a campaign in which he started on the injured list with a knee injury and carried the ball only 15 times for 52 yards – a 3.5-yard average.

So, how does a healthy Nichols and his improved mobility potentially impact the offence?

It’s unlikely that Nichols will match his 2017 rushing totals when he carried for 188 yards and a 7.2 average – fifth among CFL QBs that year behind Jeremiah Masoli (446), Mike Reilly (390), Jonathan Jennings (267) and Cody Fajardo (240). And that’s especially so now with Chris Streveler so effectively running the Bombers short-yardage package.

But a more mobile Nichols means he can move the pocket and change his launch point occasionally, making him less of a stationary target. That could mean a return to his 2017 passing numbers, when he threw for a career-best 4,472 yards with a sparking TD-to-interception ratio of 28:8.

THE OL WATCH:

The Bombers O-line, which has been the picture of stability and continuity over the last few years, will feature two new faces this year after the retirement of Matthias Goossen and Sukh Chungh’s exit to B.C.

On that front, Michael Couture and Cody Speller continue to take turns splitting the duties at centre while Geoff Gray has been working with the No. ones at right guard. Patrick Neufeld, who is a lock at left guard, has yet to participate in practice while right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick has been dinged the last few days. That means only Stanley Bryant, the reigning two-time CFL Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, has been a fixture through the first week at his left tackle spot.

All of this has given opportunity for some of the newer hogs in camp – including first-round pick Drew Desjarlais – to get lots of reps. Desjarlais, for example, worked with the ones at left guard on Sunday. Tui Eli, a 2019 draft pick, missed a couple of days of camp on a personal matter and could morph into an option once he knocks the rust off after missing all of last year with a knee injury.

That said, the Bombers have also added four import OL over the last three days – part of that is related to attrition with Hardrick and Neufeld on the shelf and Manase Foketi on the veteran-exempt list. Some of it is linked to players the club were interested in signing just springing free from the NFL.

But it also means nothing here is carved in stone yet, including the possibility of still starting three imports up front.

THE 7 CANADIAN STARTERS:

Related to the above is where the Bombers might start their seven Canadian starters in Week 1 and beyond. Running back Andrew Harris, the aforementioned Neufeld, receivers Drew Wolitarsky and Nic Demski are all locks.

The Bombers will go with a Canadian at centre in either Speller or Couture and at safety, where Jeff Hecht and Derek Jones are in a battle for the starting safety chores. Where the seventh Canadian starter lines up remains a bit of a mystery, especially with some of the moving pieces on the O-line. Gray is getting a lot of opportunity with the starting lineup and there is certainly depth to go all Canadian on the interior of the O line.

But veteran defensive tackle Jake Thomas is quietly having a solid camp and the team does have the depth to go Canadian there, with veteran Maxx Forde and three 2019 draft picks in Jonathan Kongo (who is still recovering from a knee injury and has yet to practice), Connor Griffths and Tariq Lachance.

THE AIR DEFENCE:

Three starters from last year are wearing different uniforms in Chris Randle (Ottawa), Kevin Fogg (Toronto) and Taylor Loffler (Montreal).

That has opened the door wide open for players, including a number of new faces who made solid impressions at the Florida mini-camp and are doing the same here now.

The starting defence over the last few days has featured Chandler Fenner and Winston Rose at corner, Brandon Alexander and Marcus Sayles at halfback and the Hecht/Jones combo at safety. Very much in the mix are two faces from last year in Chris Humes and Tyneil Cooper and new faces like Mike Jones, Elijah Battle, Malik Boynton, Amari Coleman, Joe Este and Marcus Rios.

Anthony Gaitor, who looked solid at the strong-side linebacker spot last year, is also an option to drop back and play either halfback or corner.

A BIG ADDITION:

Bomber fans knew about Chris Matthews previously – he spent 2012-13 in Winnipeg before heading south and was the CFL’s top rookie in ’12 – before he rejoined the Stamps late last season.

He’s a big target at 6-5, 230 and has a huge catch radius, making him a superb compliment to the receiving corps with his ability to win 50-50 balls. Offensive coordinator Paul LaPolice likes to move his pieces all over the line of scrimmage, but expect Matthews to line up at wide receiver, with Darvin Adams getting a lot more work at slotback. That’s where the signing of Matthews could impact the most – the attention he’ll command makes the receiving corps that much more dangerous.

A BIG ADDITION, PART II:

The way the presence of Matthews impacts the offence will also be occurring on defence, where end Willie Jefferson makes the Bombers front seven as imposing as any in the CFL.

As difficult as this may be to fathom, Jefferson looks even bigger than the 6-6, 245 he is listed as on the roster. His first step is lightning quick, his wingspan is massive and he sets the same tone in practice as others like Adam Bighill and Brandon Alexander do on defence.

A GLOBAL IMPACT?:

The new collective bargaining agreement designated that each team now dresses a ‘global’ players, as part of the league’s new 2.0 philosophy to grow the game outside this country’s borders.

Of the four global players in Bombers camp, the player who looks most ready to contribute is German linebacker Thiadric Hansen. He’s got good size at 6-2, 240 and has played in the German Football League, most recently with the Potsdam Royals. Hansen pulled up with an injury in practice a couple of days ago, but could make a contribution on special teams.

A SPECIAL TEAMS SPARK:

The Bombers ranked eighth in punt-return average and sixth in kickoff-return average last year, getting their one return score from Kevin Fogg on a missed field goal in the season opener.

But the flash showed by Charles Nelson in the regular season finale last November and the arrival of former Dallas Cowboys return man Lucky Whitehead gives the Bombers some intriguing options. Both also bring an element of speed that could be a boost to the offence.