It’s been the one constant with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers from one year to the next over their eight consecutive playoff seasons, eight consecutive double-digit campaigns, five straight appearances in the Grey Cup and two championships:

Roster turnover in the secondary.

Yes, through all the successes this franchise has enjoyed dating back to 2016 there has always been change from one year to the next in the air defence with the club’s scouting department consistently unearthing, drafting, recycling or trading for ready-to-insert in the starting lineup talent. That list includes the likes of Dee Alford, Deatrick Nichols, Evan Holm, Terrell Bonds, Brandon Alexander, T.J. Heath, Demerio Houston, Taylor Loffler, Chris Randle, Marcus Sayles and Winston Rose, among others.

What this long-winded intro does is help us segue into our second instalment of our annual Positional Preview series on the defensive backs, where change is once again the constant.

Deatrick Nichols

The Blue Bombers secondary will open camp in May with two vacancies — All-CFL corner Tyrell Ford left the club in free agency to join his twin brother Tre with the Edmonton Elks. As well, veteran safety Brandon Alexander — a fixture in the secondary for seven seasons — was not re-signed, nor was versatile defender Nick Taylor, added late last season for the playoff run.

Those changes come to a unit which was part of a defence that surrendered a league-low 19.9 points per game, allowed the fewest yards net offence (328.6), in passing yards per game (234.8) and in opponent passing efficiency (86.9) while tying for sixth in interceptions with 14.

The club is uber-solid at the halfback position with Nichols and Holm, while Kramdi has morphed into an outstanding dime. Simply slotting a new face into the safety position isn’t as straightforward as it might seem, as in defensive coordinator Jordan Younger’s scheme the team often deploys two safeties. Whatever the look, both Parker and Michael Griffin II figure to be candidates for a ton of snaps.

That leaves the other corner spot opposite Bonds, who started all 18 games pus the playoffs last season after stints in the XFL, USFL and four games with the Baltimore Ravens in 2020. As of this weekend the Blue Bombers have 17 newcomers signed for camp, joining the 10 who return from last year. Based on this club’s history, at least one of the new faces will step up and become a regular in unit that perennially ranks among the CFL’s best — even with the changes.

POSITIONAL PREVIEW ’25

The Defensive Backs

Evan Holm

The Returnees:

Starters: Halfbacks Deatrick Nichols and Evan Holm, cornerback Terrell Bonds, dime back Redha Kramdi*.
Vets: Nick Hallett*, Jake Kelly*, Jamal Parker, Jr., Marquise Bridges, Michael Griffin II, Russell Dandy (practice roster expansion last year)
CFL vets: Josh Hagerty* (Edmonton), Enock Makonzo (Hamilton)
Newcomers: Cam Allen, Isaiah Avery, Montrae Braswell, Latavious Brini, Javaris Daniels, Rashaan Gaulden, Tay Gowan, Dexter Lawson, Jr., Duron Lowe, Marcus Hillman, Quandre Mosely, Jordan Toles, Trey Vaval, Jaiden Woodbey, Marque Collins
2025 CFL Draft: Ethan Ball* (Rd 6, 54th overall)
Departed: Tyrell Ford* (Edmonton), Brandon Alexander (unsigned), Nick Taylor (unsigned), Noah Hallett* (unsigned), Soulemayne Karamoko (unsigned), Tyrique McGhee (Saskatchewan), Soulemayne Karamoko (unsigned).
*Indicates Canadian

Keep an eye on:

CB Russell Dandy, #36

Truthfully, we could trot out any one of the newcomers listed above and put him in this slot as a potential candidate for a starting gig in the secondary.

Many of them have had NFL looks including Gaulden and Gowan — former draft picks of the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, and a player like Davis, for example, comes from an SEC talent machine like Auburn, where he was named to the All-SEC freshman team in 2016.

Still, there must be something about Dandy that has intrigued Blue Bombers management — he was in camp last year and released, then brought back again in the September practice roster expansion and re-signed in December. Dandy was in rookie camp with the New York Jets last spring before coming north and stood out during his days at Eastern Illinois (2021-23).

Did you know?

We continue to throw this stat out every year because it is so astonishing – back in 1990 the Blue Bombers defence set a CFL record that still stands with 48 interceptions. That total included 26 picks by the two corners, both in the Blue Bomber Hall of fame, with Less Browne finishing with 14 and Rod Hill an even dozen. Last season, Winnipeg’s two corners combined for eight interceptions — seven by Ford and one by Bonds — while the Edmonton Elks led the league with 25 picks.

Notable Number: 4

The Blue Bombers defence has ranked first in passing yards against in each of the last four seasons, a remarkable number. Winnipeg allowed a league low 234.8 yards passing last year, 229.4 passing yards in 2023, 253.6 in 2022 (tied for first with B.C.) and a measly 216.4 yards through the air in 2021.