Brady Oliveira led the CFL in rushing in 2023
It’s the type of compliment which undoubtedly had Brady Oliveira’s mug breaking out into a size-large grin and his chest bursting with pride.
And given the source of the kudos – passed along on Friday from his mentor in Andrew Harris – it might well serve as both fuel for Oliveira and as a warning for the rest of the Canadian Football League.
Harris, in town to sign a one-day contract to officially retire as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and for the premiere of the documentary on his life ‘Running Back Relentless’, made reference to the man who replaced him in the backfield as just showing the ‘tip of the iceberg’ of his skillset so far in his young career.
He then added this of Oliveira, who is still just 26 years old: “I’m excited to see how he grows and takes the Canadian running back to the next level.”
Roll that around in your noggin’ for a moment as we consider the magnitude of that possibility. Oliveira, after all, is coming off a season in which he was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian and was the runner-up to Toronto’s Chad Kelly for Most Outstanding Player. That came after a superb season in which he led the CFL in rushing with 1,534 yards – the second-highest total by a Canadian in league history after Calgary’s Jon Cornish rumbled for 1,813 yards in 2013.
Oliveira was named the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian Player in 2023
That’s what made Oliveira’s decision to remain in his hometown and re-sign just before free agency while at least two other CFL teams offered more money so mammoth for the Blue Bombers. He was a workhorse for the club in ’23, with his 260 rushes and 38 receptions combining to give him almost 300 touches out of the backfield. Not to be lost in those numbers are his pass-blocking skills, arguably the best among CFL feature backs.
All that is what made Harris’ ‘tip of the iceberg’ comment such an eyebrow raiser because if there’s more from Oliveira, that’s a plus for the Blue Bombers offence. Heck, if he even comes close to what he did in ’23, that’s a bonus.
The Blue Bombers have veteran depth behind him in Johnny Augustine, who has a 5.8-yard career rushing average in spot duty since joining the team in 2018 and an intriguing Canadian prospect in Jonathan Rosery, a 2023 CFL draft pick of the club who starred at the University of Alberta as a running back/slotback type.
Two Americans will also be in training camp – rookies are on the field May 8th; the veterans join them on May 12th – in Ronnie Brown, a star at Division II Shepherd University who had a look from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last year and Louisiana-Lafayette product Chris Smith, who spent part of last year with the Seattle Seahawks.
What’s interesting about the Blue Bombers backfield heading into camp is what they might do to address the vacancy at fullback or if they opt to fill the spot with an American prospect. The club did select Michael Chris-Ike, a running back from Delaware State who will get some reps at fullback, in the CFL Draft earlier this month.
Damian Jackson, the former Navy Seal who also offered depth at defensive line, was released over the winter while veteran Mike Miller retired after missing all of the season for health reasons and is now the club’s special teams coordinator. The fullback position doesn’t necessarily get a ton of snaps in this offence – and the return of battering ram QB Chris Streveler might affect the overall need for one — but it is another weapon offensive coordinator Buck Pierce would obviously love to have in his arsenal.
All that said, the Blue Bombers backfield is gold as long as Oliveira continues to get his touches and churn out yards.
Johnny Augustine
POSITIONAL PREVIEW ‘24
The Running Backs/Fullbacks
The Returnees:
Starters: Brady Oliveira*
Returning vets: Johnny Augustine*
Newcomers: Ronnie Brown, Chris Smith, Jonathan Rosery* (2023 Blue Bombers draft pick)
2024 CFL Draft pick: Michael Chris Ike* (Rd, 14th overall)
Departed: FB Damian Jackson (released), FB Mike Miller* (retired; now special teams coordinator).
*Indicates Canadian
Keep an eye on:
#24 Chris Smith, RB:
Smith put up solid numbers during his college days with the Louisiana-Lafayette Ragin’ Cajuns, rushing for 2,167 yards and 16 touchdowns over 53 games. It will be a longshot for an American back to unseat Oliveira, but Smith’s abilities as a returner – he had two kickoff returns in college – could make him an intriguing depth player.
Did you know?
Oliveira’s rushing totals of 1,534 last year was the sixth highest in franchise history behind Robert Mimbs (1,769, in 1991), Willard Reaves (1,733 in 1984) and three seasons by Charles Roberts (1,624 in 2005; 1,609 in 2006 and 1,554 in 2003).
Notable Number:
Oliveira has rushed for 1,000 yards in consecutive seasons after finishing with 1,001 in 2022. The last Blue Bomber tailback to hit the 1K mark in three straight years was Harris, who had 1,035 yards along the ground in 2017 and then 1,390 in 2018 and 1,390 again in 2019.
Roberts holds the team record for consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons at six, set between 2002 and 2007.
