Sterns: “I saw this as a good opportunity for me.”

There are the easy-to-see numbers on the resumé of Jerreth Sterns, spelled out clearly in the black and white of his statistics.

The gifted receiver — who signed a free agent deal with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Tuesday — played in 23 games over two years with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, all of them starts.

Parachuted into to Riderville in July of 2023, he morphed into a reliable target and last year pulled in 39 passes for 492 yards and a pair of scores in a dozen games.

Yet, even with all that Sterns remains very much a work in progress. He’s hardly a blank canvas, but as Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea often points out, often it’s the players in their second and third years who begin to flourish as they become more aware of the pro game and their surroundings.

And that can be especially so for receivers who learn to use the benefits of pre-snap movement to attack defenders.

“That’s it 100 percent and that’s why I’m so excited to come there,” said Sterns in a chat with bluebombers.com from his offseason base in Dallas, Texas. “My first year, I got signed by Saskatchewan close to halfway through the season and so it felt like I was just thrown into the fire without having a training camp or anything to really learn about the waggle and all that.

“This past year was really my first full season and that’s why this upcoming year is going to be my chance if I continue to work hard and stay focussed and make the most of this opportunity. My agent (Fred Weinrauch) and I saw this as a good opportunity for me. I guess you could call it a fresh start.

“Hopefully I can have a chance to have a bigger role in the offence there and having the chance to play with a guy like (Zach) Collaros will be huge, especially for a guy like me who is still young in his career. That’s the kind of thing that has me so excited.”

Sterns appeared in 23 games in Saskatchewan over two years/ Photo courtesy the Saskatchewan Roughriders

There will be a ton of opportunity for Sterns & Co. in what will be a revamped Blue Bombers receiving corps this season. Gone are Kenny Lawler, Drew Wolitarsky — both to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — along with Ontaria Wilson to the New York Jets and Lucky Whitehead, who is currently an unsigned free agent.

Sterns will join fellow newcomers Reggie White Jr, ex of the Montreal Alouettes, and former Edmonton Elks draft pick Gavin Cobb, a product of the University of Manitoba alongside returnees Nic Demski, Dalton Schoen, Kevens Clercius and Keric Wheatfall as well as Kody Case and Myron Mitchell, who ended last year on the one-game injured list.

“There’s opportunity there,” Sterns said. “We lost some guys, sure, but there are still guys there who have been doing it for a while in Schoen and Demski — those are two guys I look up to because they play all over and make plays from all over. It’ll be exciting for me to learn from them and hopefully make plays alongside them.

“Those guys in Winnipeg play the right way. They know how to win and always seem to find a way — we knew that in Saskatchewan and knew we had to be on our ‘A’ game when we played them. They’re coached well, a well-disciplined team. They’re just winners. And that fan base was always amazing anytime we came to Winnipeg so I’m excited about that part, too.”

Sterns tipped his hat to the Roughriders for bringing him to the CFL, saying, “they took a chance on me without really much pro film or anything like that. They took a gamble on me and allowed me to show what I can do. But I’m excited now for this next chapter in Winnipeg.

“It’s pro sports. It’s a business and you’ve always got to remember that. There’s no love lost on either side. I’ve got a lot of friends there and that’s a big part of football — the relationships. The relationships I built over there with those guys will be a bond I have forever. But now, as I said, it’s about doing that now with the Bombers.”

Jerreth Sterns during his Western Kentucky days. Photo courtesy ConferenceUSA.com

Sterns put up massive numbers in his final year at Western Kentucky, pulling in 150 passes for 1,902 yards and 17 touchdowns for the Hilltoppers — totals that earned him looks in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Los Angeles Rams. Yet his size — 5-9, 175 — has always been a talking point despite his productivity.

Sterns, for his part, doesn’t view that as a negative, but as a motivator.

“I’ve never been satisfied no matter what kind of numbers I put up,” he said. “As an under-sized guy and not necessarily the fastest it’s always been about showing I can play regardless of how big or fast I may be.

“I’m more than just an eye test; I’m a football player and I’ve been that way for a long time.”

ANOTHER ARM ADDED: The Blue Bombers confirmed the signing of QB Shea Patterson on Wednesday, bolstering a room that already includes Collaros, Chris Streveler, Jake Dolegala and Terry Wilson.

Patterson has three years of CFL experience with Saskatchewan (2023-24) and Montreal (2021) and was 2-4 as a starter last year in relief of an injured 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.

He and Sterns, obviously, have a history of working together.

“He texted me when he signed with the Bombers and said, ‘See you soon!’,” said Sterns. “I just sent him back an eye emoji because that’s my guy and we built a good relationship in Saskatchewan to continue to work with him. He’s a good one.”