Blue Bombers Rookie Camp Wrap

Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp unfolds like a riveting reality series in two distinct chunks:

First comes the preliminary round which features rookies, draft picks or still green banana-types who had a brief look-see the year before. And then the main training camp where the auditions have some very-real consequences before the roster is pieced together.

There are close to 110 players currently listed on the roster and that number must be quickly shaved to 85 — excluding ‘non-counters’ like 2026 CFL Canadian Draft picks and junior players — by midnight Saturday, with the next round of cuts coming as soon as next Tuesday when the team must be down to 75.

The final cuts will come after the Blue Bombers second preseason game here at home on May 29th vs. the B.C. Lions.

Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said the goals of rookie camp are multi-dimensional, but the main items on the to-do list are to have a quick introduction to everyone on and off the field and then get the new charges ready for what is about to come.

Receiver Jayden Harrison goes up to pull in a pass on Friday

“You really want to give them a tasted of everything they’re going to go through,” O’Shea stated Friday. “Give them a start to the playbook so that those first two or three days (of main camp) they know what they’re supposed to do and how they’re supposed to do it so they can actually compete.

“Without a rookie camp it would be really hard for guys to step in and show what they can really do without the comfort of a few days of getting acclimated.”

With rookie camp coming to a close early Friday afternoon and here are some initial takeaways, in no particular order…

THE QUARTERBACKS

Bryce Perkins

All the quarterbacks in camp — veteran Zach Collaros, returnee Terry Wilson along with Taylor Elgersma, Bryce Perkins and Payton Thorne, plus Cole Anseeuw of the University of Manitoba, who is here as part of the CFL’s QB Internship Program — were on the field over the last three days.

Collaros’ work was limited and that will change dramatically on Sunday as he gets comfortable operating in new offensive coordinator Tommy Condell’s scheme.

Of the remaining pivots, each had their moments although it’s Elgersma that popped from this perch because of his size, arm strength and comfort at the controls. And, yes, everyone’s eyes are drawn to him as well because he is Canadian and entered camp with already a ton of hype.

“I’ve seen him face-to-face for less than a week,” said O’Shea when asked specifically about Elgersma. “But it seems like a really good quarterback room and it’s going to be a lot of fun through camp. I know he’s serious about competing and putting his best foot forward. We picked him (in last year’s draft) because we knew he was quite capable.”

The QBs are always under the microscope — that’s not new — but who separates from the pack behind Collaros will be one of the main storylines through every practice and the two preseason games.

TALENT-HEAVY POSITION GROUPS

We’ll get a truer read of this when all the vets are on the field on Sunday, but the collection of talent along the offensive and defensive line and in the secondary is particularly impressive. That’s not to diminish the other position groups, but there are going to be some tough decisions to make along the line of scrimmage and in the one cornerback vacancy in the secondary.

Of note, the new cornerbacks vying for the spot opposite newcomer Jonathan Moxey include Major Williams, Jordan Taylor, Ridge Texada and Robert Javier.

Williams, FYI, was scouted by Blue Bombers Assistant GM Jim Jauch last summer during the Kansas City Chiefs training camp and was brought into Winnipeg last fall for a look during the practice roster expansion period.

“Being around the vets last year, the guys who built this program to what it’s been over the last few years, those guys really helped me with everything,” Williams said. “That gave me the background knowledge of what was going to happen in this rookie camp and it was a blessing. I did a lot of studying over the offseason and I did a lot of research. I’m new to the game — the Canadian game is very unique — so I had to learn the movement, the Waggle, the formations, the pre-snap indicators.

Major Williams

“It’s a very different game and you can’t really play man-to-man like they do (down south). You’ve got to know where your help is. I put all that in my head so that this wasn’t all new to me. When I first came here I was mostly at corner but now I’m inside, outside, corner, safety. Now I know what everyone is doing and it’s helped me play faster.”

There’s a ton of talent along the offensive line, too, further pushing the narrative of potentially changing the ratio up front by playing three Americans instead of two.

And what’s jumping out along the D-line is the size and speed of the newcomers, including Kydran Jenkins and Kemari Munier-Bailey — both of whom played in last year’s regular season finale — along with De’Shaan Dixon and big D-tackle Arnold Young (6-3, 297).

GOOD FIRST IMPRESSION

The Blue Bombers selected defensive end Nuer Gatkuoth fourth overall in last week’s CFL Canadian Draft and he’s participating in Denver Broncos minicamp through Sunday.

The club’s next pick — big tight end Dante Daniels — popped out in Blue Bombers rookie camp not just because of his size, but because of his hands and his versatile skillset.

And the coaches love his approach.

“Listen, he put his hand up and said, ‘You need a snapper, I’ll snap. I haven’t done it in a game but I’ve practised it before’ and he goes down there not knowing the calls, not knowing whatever and basically is stepping up and putting himself in a position that is probably uncomfortable,” said O’Shea. “He’s that kind of kid.”

He’s also described himself a couple of times as a nice guy on the field and a ‘dickhead’ on it.

Check out his interview from post-practice today:

NEXT: The Blue Bombers will have medicals and in-house meetings on Saturday before returning to the field Sunday morning for the official opening of main training camp with the session running from 9-11:40 a.m. at Princess Auto Stadium and open to the public.