Walters: “Only time will tell, but I do like our roster.”

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers took some shots in Canadian Football League free agency, just as every team does, but the club’s football brain trust believes it has offset those losses with a combination of proven veterans and players on the cusp — all without breaking the bank.

And now, as is always the case as the initial frenzy of the open market subsides, we wait until the answers start to crystallize in training camp and the first chunk of the season.

Whereas a year ago GM Kyle Walters focussed on fitting both Brady Oliveira and Dalton Schoen in under the cap, this winter the team took a more scatter-shot approach to filling its roster needs.

The club lost three proven starters in free agency in receiver Kenny Lawler and guard Liam Dobson — both to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats — and Canadian cornerback Tyrell Ford to the Edmonton Elks. Three spot starters along the defensive line — tackle Miles Fox and ends TyJuan Garbutt (Hamilton) and Celestin Haba (Toronto) — have all moved on as has linebacker Brian Cole II (Hamilton). The team also cut ties with veteran receiver Drew Wolitarsky (Hamilton) and linebacker Adam Bighill (currently a free agent) while receiver Ontaria Wilson has signed with the New York Jets.

Offsetting that have been several additions: receivers Dillon Mitchell, Jerreth Sterns, Reggie White Jr — all former starters with Edmonton, Saskatchewan and Montreal, respectively — defensive end James Vaughters (Calgary), linebacker Jonathan Jones (Toronto), quarterback Shea Patterson (Saskatchewan) and running back/returner Peyton Logan (Calgary). As well, the team augmented its Canadian talent by scooping up receiver Gavin Cobb (Edmonton), defensive lineman Brock Gowanlock (Montreal) and defensive back Josh Hagerty.

Calling this a ‘much different year’ than in offseasons past, Walters was asked Thursday during a media zoom call if he feels the team is better now than it was before free agency.

“That’s a good question. I think we’ve got a plan,” he said. “We’ve added some pieces on defence. I think we’ve got more experience. Obviously, losing Tyrell is tough, he’s an All Star. But we’re confident in the scouting department that we’ll be able to find an American DB to come in and play corner, that’s obviously priority No. 1.

“With Tony Jones, the way he played (last season), and adding Jonathan Jones…. Kyrie (Wilson), we’ve got some depth now at linebacker that we haven’t had (previously). (Defensive tackle) Cam Lawson being healthy and ready for camp is someone we didn’t have last year (due to a knee injury). That’s almost like a new piece. And we wanted an experienced end to go opposite of Willie (Jefferson) and James (Vaughters) brings that.

“Defensively we’re a little bit deeper. I mean, whether we’re better or not I guess we’ll see.”

Walters added re-signing Dalton Schoen was ‘like a new addition’ after he was limited to 2 1/2 games last year after suffering a season-ending knee injury. He also noted the addition of Logan, who solves the team’s kick return needs while giving depth behind Brady Oliveira.

“It was a different year, rather than just going after and signing our high-end starters back and paying them and filling the rest with rookies,” he said. “I think it will be a more competitive camp with guys that have played in the CFL. Only time will tell, but I do like our roster.”

Other notes and quotes from the near-30 minute session Walters had with the media on Thursday, which can be seen in its entirety here:

–The loss of Lawler:

Walters said the club started contract talks with Lawler’s agent back in December, adding: ‘They had a number in mind, and I had a number in mind and they ended up getting the number. It was above what we thought and above what we could do. Similar to last time (when Lawler signed in Edmonton before returning), it’s good for Kenny and his family; when you get that kind of contract offer it’s hard to turn it down that’s for sure.”

As to why the Blue Bombers didn’t go to the same number as the Ticats:

“When you look at the totality of the receiving room for that type of number would we be willing to go with a couple other rookie contracts — which would have come down to — or could we maybe spread it around? That was the decision. It was a difficult decision because Kenny is an unbelievable football player. Dynamic, great in the football community and everything about him.

“It was just for that receiving room I just wasn’t prepared to be able to do that for that amount of money.”

-The late salary cap boost that came down last week during the CFL’s negotiating windows and its impact:

“I’ll tell ya, it was an interesting one. When you guys found out, when the PA (CFL Players Association) released the statement about the cap is when I did (find out). It certainly was surprising and caught most people off guard, I think. Organizationally, we’re operating as normal — as if nothing has changed and until further that’s our plan, to keep plugging along as we were.”

Asked if the club pivoted to spend more money after seeing that increase, Walters added:

“That was an interesting one because at the time with everybody in this window you’re looking at handshake agreements or verbal agreements and there was a lot of uncertainty with the salary cap and would agents and teams re-think things and start over? I think across the board the answer is no.

“So, I think most teams were thinking the same thing. Of all the reported verbal agreements I think all of them have been followed through, if I’m correct. I can only speak for our team, but it certainly didn’t change any of the strategies and planning prior to that. Instead, it was a rather confusing and as I said earlier, we’re just going to plug along as it was prior to that.”

–On the notion that in a year the club is hosting they Grey Cup it could not worry about the cap as much and spend aggressively in free agency:

“I don’t know that we operate any differently. I think it was blown out of proportion last year when B.C., the signings that they had and all the rumours coming out of there, from a cap standpoint. But I don’t think that’s happened in the past. I think it’s a one-off.

“So, the idea that, Sask and Hamilton in years prior to that were dramatically over the cap because they were hosting the Grey Cup game, I think is false. I don’t think that’s happened. And I’ve said this before: I think you’re doing your team a disservice, or organizationally, where you have to answer to the players and coaches and say, ‘Well, this year we’re really going to try hard to win the Grey Cup because it’s in Winnipeg.’ It’s illogical from a spending standpoint because the reaction from everybody would be, ‘Well, why wouldn’t we do that every year, then? If we have the means to do it this year, we should do it every year.’

“We’re operating as normal. And we’ve been able to put some successful teams together the last few years and compete in the Grey Cup and that’s the expectation level again this year.”

-The new receiver room:

Walters said the club got good intel on White Jr from Eric Deslauriers, one of the club’s new Senior Director of Player Personnel who joined the club from the Alouettes. They are also hopeful Mitchell and Sterns can give the offence some proven targets along with Schoen, Nic Demski and Kevens Clercius.

“We’re excited. It will be a little different vibe in that receiver group but a dynamic group and a bunch of different skillsets. We anticipate it working out quite well for us.”

-The how and why behind the losses of Ford and Dobson — two Canadian starters:

“I think with Tyrell it was evident….we put an offer in, thought it was decent, but the deciding factor I think with Tyrell and his agent I think was honest — his goal was to go play with his brother (Elks QB Tre Ford), and if Edmonton was able to figure out a way to make it work financially, that was his choice. We knew that, or we saw that coming, I guess. So not much of a surprise.

“Again, Liam, same thing, we had an offer for Liam and thought it was a fair offer. It’s the same thing I said to Kenny, when a team comes in with a number like that, it’s great for Liam, it’s great for his family and that’s just part of free agency. Things like that happen. We’ve been in that position. It’s just business.”

-The other new faces like Patterson, Cobb, Gowanlock and Hagerty:

“We wanted to add a quarterback with some experience to throw in there. You saw Strevs (Chris Streveler) put it perfectly, like ‘Let’s go, let’s have a competition.’ Shea’s the same way. Let’s go. We’re going to have a legitimate battle in there for quarterback reps. He’s all gung-ho for it. He has some CFL experience, has had some varying levels of success and coming in and being able to get some reps in training camp and compete.

“Gavin, same thing, a veteran guy, has some return ability. Him and Brock, Bison kids pumped to come back. Just adding some of that Canadian depth with some of the injuries we had with our Canadians depth-wise at the end of the year. We wanted to add some guys with some CFL experience and let them come in and combine with some of the draft picks that we’re going to have to add some depth and have those guys compete for their spots on the team, the practice roster, however it shakes down.”