Ed Tait takes a look back at the 2019 Blue Bombers season with his Top 10 stories of the year…

#10 – RELOADING AFTER 2018

There are just a few days left on the 2019 calendar and pardon the Winnipeg Blue Bombers if they opt to take that time to continue basking in some Grey Cup glow.

And let’s be honest here: the good vibes that have come after ending a long championship drought will likely carry well into the offseason for the Bombers and their faithful.

Yet, as we begin our fourth annual Year in Review series which looks back at the Top 10 Bombers stories of 2019, it’s important to rewind to this time last year as our launch point and revisit the uncertainty that swirled around the franchise before the magical championship run had even started.

If you recall, the Bombers exited 2018 with a loss to the Calgary Stampeders in the Western Final, and with that heartache came some serious concerns about what the roster might look like when training camp opened in 2019.

Winnipeg had 31 pending free agents as ’18 came to a close and with the proliferation of one-year contracts in the Canadian Football League there are always challenges in trying to keep a championship-caliber squad intact. After all, it’s not only about dollars in free agency, it’s about fit, about being wanted and about opportunity.

There was also the not-so tiny fact the CFL and the CFL Players Association were still negotiating a new collective bargaining agreement, meaning executives had to rebuild/reload/retool with a moving target for a salary cap.

Bombers GM Kyle Walters and the football operations staff got after attacking their list before the free agent market opened, re-signing Adam Bighill, Nic Demski, Stanley Bryant, Jermarcus Hardrick, Brandon Alexander, Jesse Briggs, Michael Couture, Shayne Gauthier, Jeff Hecht, Jackson Jeffcoat, Justin Medlock, Thomas Miles, Chad Rempel, John Rush, Jake Thomas and Kyrie Wilson, and then Drake Nevis a few weeks into the proceedings.

But the retirement of Matthias Goossen to pursue a career with the Delta Police Department, with guard Sukh Chungh signing with B.C. and safety Taylor Loffler in Montreal, the Bombers lost three Canadian starters. Couple that with the exits/releases of Chris Randle, Moe Leggett, Kevin Fogg, Jovan Santos-Knox, Tristan Okpalaugo and Ian Wild and the retirement of Weston Dressler and the Bombers were looking at some significant changes well before spring had arrived.

Countering that was this: the continuity of the coaching staff – plus the fact the Bombers had posted the second-best record to the Stamps over the previous three years – helped serve to make Winnipeg an attractive destination when free agency began.

The Bombers took a big-time swing at upgrading their receiving corps in free agency and were among the highest bidders for the likes of Derrell Walker, Greg Ellingson and DeVier Posey before that trio instead settled on new homes in Toronto, Edmonton and Montreal, respectively.

They also had their fingers crossed Chris Matthews would come back to them – he was the CFL’s top rookie in 2012 with the Bombers – after he had exhausted his NFL pursuit. Matthews would sign in May, but be out of the picture just six games into the season as the Bombers opted to turn to newcomers like Kenny Lawler and Rasheed Bailey.

And so while the team wasn’t generating the free agent headlines that teams like B.C. or Edmonton did, they did make two significant additions – both on defence – in landing defensive end Willie Jefferson and cornerback Winston Rose.

The Bombers knew what they were getting in Jefferson, who had been Saskatchewan’s Most Outstanding Player and Most Outstanding Defensive Player in 2018, and he more than delivered in Winnipeg colours. Jefferson was an absolute force and a difference maker en route to being named the league’s best defender, and was a machine in the Grey Cup to cap off a spectacular 2019.

Rose, even while tying for the league lead in interceptions in 2018, was an under-the-radar addition who turned out to be a boon for the Bombers defence as he picked off a league-best nine interceptions and took the next step in morphing into a shut-down cover corner.

Ultimately, then, what the 2019 Bombers proved is there is no guarantee that teams which make the biggest splashes in free agency will be wrapping themselves in playoff glory months later. Instead, it’s the club that shops wisely, drafts adeptly and is diligent in finding pieces that fit their player profile that is often left standing on the last Sunday in November.

This is the first in a series recapping the Top 10 Bomber stories of 2019.
Next: #9 – A Burst Out of the Starting Blocks