Gather round, Bomber Nation, pull up a chair and let’s have a chitchat about Brady Oliveira and the place he’s carving out among the greats in this franchise’s history and the annals of the Canadian Football League.
First, consider some facts as a starting point as we continue with the latest in our Positional Preview series by shining a light on the offensive backfield:
-The reigning CFL Most Outstanding Player/two-time Most Outstanding Canadian is just 27, has played in 64 games over five years — the last three seasons as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers feature running back.
No other running back in franchise history, FYI, has been decorated with as many league awards, three, as Oliveira.
-He has captured back-to-back league rushing titles and his 4,317 yards already ranks eighth in Blue Bombers history. He’s certain to pass Fred Reid (4,505) this season, while another 1K would move him to within striking distance of Andrew Harris (5,402) and Gerry James (5,541), who rank fifth and sixth.
-Oliveira has cranked out 17 100-yard rushing games, ranking behind only three Blue Bombers legends in Charles Roberts (37), Willard Reaves (26) and Leo Lewis (20). All three of those greats are in the club’s hall of fame while both Roberts and Lewis are in the Canadian Football Hall of Fame.
There’s also this to munch on: ask the young Winnipegger about what’s ahead for him and he’ll exclaim he’s still got more — much more — to give. A nugget to discuss, further to the above — Oliveira’s workload as a back has seen him carry the ball 482 and 476 times over the last two years while his receptions have grown from 23 to 38 to a career-high 57 last year.
What’s interesting as we zoom out for a bigger picture look at the position is how the depth behind Oliveira has improved despite the departure of Johnny Augustine, another Canadian, to Hamilton this winter in free agency.
Peyton Logan
The Blue Bombers sought Peyton Logan in free agency not just because of his skills as a returner during his days in Calgary, but also because of his RB resumé. Logan has a career rushing average of 6.5 yards — Oliveira’s, by comparison is 5.4 — albeit in spot carries in 36 games spread out over three years with the Stamps.
That combination — the best back in the CFL coupled with a versatile runner/kick returner — gives new offensive coordinator Jason Hogan some intriguing options in the attack.
The fullback position is handled by Michael Chris-Ike after Bailey Feltmate retired to become the special-teams coordinator of the Dalhousie Tigers of the Atlantic Football League. A 2024 draft pick by the Blue Bombers, Chris-Ike dressed for nine games last year and would be seen as a work-in-progress at the FB spot, which was not featured prominently in the offence last year.
In any case, all of this is to say the Blue Bombers are set at in the backfield with Oliveira lugging the rock, especially with his increasing hunger to be front and centre as the team chases another Grey Cup title, but with him as the No. 1 running back.
The exciting part — frightening for CFL opponents — is the notion he’s got so many more chapters yet to write in his career.
POSITIONAL PREVIEW ’25
The Running Backs/Fullbacks
Michael Chris-Ike (25) and Brady Oliveira (20)
The Returnees:
Starter: Brady Oliveira*
Returning vets: FB Michael Chris-Ike*
CFL vets: Peyton Logan (Calgary)
Newcomers: RB Matthew Peterson* (acquired in a trade with Hamilton); Quinton Cooley
Departed: RB Johnny Augustine* (Hamilton), RB Chris Smith (Hamilton), FB Bailey Feltmate* (retired).
*Indicates Canadian
Keep an eye on:
#4, Peyton Logan
We’ve gushed about the importance of Logan’s arrival in two of these previews now — this one and in the Specialists instalment.
Logan is potentially that big an addition for a Blue Bombers side that desperately needs a boost in the return game and could use depth and a different look behind Oliveira.
Did you know?
A Blue Bombers running back has captured the CFL rushing crown in five of the last seven years — Andrew Harris from 2017-19 and Oliveira over the last two years.
Notable Number:
One more on CFL rushing champions: since the turn of the millennium the Blue Bombers have had nine rushing champs — Roberts (2003, 2005, 2006), Fred Reid (2010), Harris (2017-19) and Oliveira (2023-24).
Calgary is next with six over that span followed by Montreal with four, while Toronto, Edmonton, Hamilton and B.C. have each had one rushing champ since 2000.
