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News February 11, 2025

CFL Free agency: Blue Bombers Day 1 Wrap

New Blue Bombers running back/returner Peyton Logan has signed a two-year contract. Photo courtesy The Canadian Press/Jeff McIntosh

@EdTaitWFC

The doors to the Canadian Football League’s annual free agent market swung open Tuesday with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers playing active shoppers while also seeing some of their roster looted by higher bidders.

The Blue Bombers addressed some needs, including adding six players in kick returner/running back Peyton Logan and stockpiling receivers Jerreth Sterns and Reggie White Jr., while bolstering their Canadian depth in defensive end Brock Gowanlock, receiver Gavin Cobb — both University of Manitoba products — along with defensive back Josh Hagerty.

Update: on Wednesday morning the club added another in veteran quarterback Shea Patterson who was 2-4 in his six starts last season in relief of Trevor Harris, including a 19-9 win over the Blue Bombers in Regina last July in a game in which he threw for 261 yards and a touchdown while rushing for 35 yards. Patterson adds to a QB room that now includes Zach Collaros, Chris Streveler, Jake Dolegala and Terry Wilson.

At the same time, while not officially reported yet by their rivals, the club is expecting to have receiver Kenny Lawler and defensive end TyJuan Garbutt sign with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and cornerback Tyrell Ford with the Edmonton Elks. Confirmed reports already have seen the departures of guard Liam Dobson, linebacker Brian Cole and defensive tackle Miles Fox to the Tabbies and defensive end Celestin Haba to the Toronto Argonauts.

Long-snapper Mike Benson re-signed with the Blue Bombers on Tuesday while Brandon Alexander, Johnny Augustine, Noah Hallett, Nick Taylor and Lucky Whitehead have all hit the open market, as has Bailey Feltmate, who has reportedly retired.

The club also made official the release of future hall of fame linebacker Adam Bighill with this video salute:

Already this offseason the Blue Bombers had announced the signings of veteran defensive end James Vaughters (Calgary), linebacker Jonathan Jones (Toronto) and receiver Dillon Mitchell (Edmonton) while locking up offensive linemen Stanley Bryant, Pat Neufeld and Eric Lofton, linebackers Tony Jones, Kyrie Wilson and Shayne Gauthier Dalton Schoen, defensive linemen Willie Jefferson and Jake Thomas, defensive backs Evan Holm and Jamal Parker, Jr. and quarterback Chris Streveler.

The signing of Logan could be an under-the-radar addition as he gives the Blue Bombers a boost to their kick return game and backfield depth with Brady Oliveira. Just 26, Logan signed a two-year deal and last year in 14 games with the Calgary Stampeders rushed for 355 yards, added 121 receiving, led the red and white in both punt and kickoff returns with his 539 punt return yards and 13.5-yards per punt return both ranking third in the league.

“It’s pretty cool. I’m really excited,” said Logan in a conversation with bluebombers.com from Calgary Tuesday afternoon. “The people that reached out to me from Winnipeg really made me feel wanted. They said they wanted me; they kept in contact with me and that was important.

“I had some players reach out to me the past few days. I just wanted to know how the team works, how their system works. Watching from afar you see they’ve consistently been to championship games and overcome adversity. They always seem very disciplined, too. All that stuff really stands out.”

Peyton Logan; photo courtesy The Canadian Press

Logan said he heard from Blue Bombers special teams coordinator Mike Miller and punter Jamieson Sheahan and received a text from Oliveira and said he wants to report to Winnipeg for rookie camp to hit the ground running when main camp opens in May.

“I don’t mind going to new environments or adapting to new situations. I’m very adaptable. I’m not afraid of change,” he said. “I’m a structure guy. I always say I carry myself like a soldier — you give me the gameplan, tell me what I have to do, tell me what I have to study and that’s what I’ll do.

“I try to be as versatile as I can… anything you need me to do, if you need returns, I can go be a returner. If you need me to be a running back for a few plays I can do that. If you need me to run down the field and make a tackle, I can do that. I’m fine with any of that.”

Sterns and White Jr. will be part of a revamped Blue Bombers receiving corps with Lawler, Drew Wolitarsky (Hamilton) and Ontaria Wilson (New York Jets) all now in different uniforms and will join returning veterans Dalton Schoen, Nic Demski, Kevens Clercius and Keric Wheatfall.

Sterns finished 2024 with 39 catches for 492 yards and two touchdowns and in 23 games over two years with the Roughriders had 83 receptions for 941 yards and three touchdowns. White Jr., meanwhile, started to flash last year some of his form from 2022 — when he had 53 catches for 722 yards in 15 games before suffering a knee injury that cost him the entire 2023 season. In a dozen games a year ago for the Als he had 24 receptions for 355 yards and four TDs.

Cobb, Gowanlock and Hagerty give the Blue Bombers some younger Canadian depth on both sides of the ball and on special teams, with Cobb also a former Canada West All-Star as a returner during his days with the University of Manitoba Bisons.

Gowanlock was limited to just three games with Montreal last year due to injury but gives the Blue Bombers more homegrown D-line talent while Hagerty has 32 CFL games to his name with Toronto and Edmonton and is an excellent contributor on special teams.