Kydran Jenkins is staking a claim for a starting defensive end job; photos by Cameron Bartlett
It’s so close now — one more full practice, a walk-through and then the final preseason game — and Kydran Jenkins understands fully there’s something there for the taking; something for him to grab hold of and call his own.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are just a couple days away from their final preseason game this Friday at home against the B.C. Lions. Roster spots are still available and so, too, are some vacancies still to be determined in the starting lineup.
And Jenkins, as a slippery machine coming off the edge, would absolutely kill to see his name pencilled in as the starting defensive end opposite Willie Jefferson.
“I want it bad,” Jenkins told bluebombers.com after practice this week. “Look, just this opportunity to play football again is a blessing. But I want it for myself. I want it for my family. If you’re out here, you have to love it.
“I love this game. When they called me last fall, it was a no brainer. I was ready. I wanted to come that very day when they called me.”
Yes, football fans in these parts were first introduced to Jenkins last October when the 23-year-old product of Purdue University and Louisville, GA was added as part of the practice roster expansion.
He suited up for the regular-season finale against the Montreal Alouettes and made an eyebrow raising impression with his first career tackle and quarterback sack.
And the player we’ve seen over the last three weeks or so is a further developed prospect than the blank canvas he was upon arrival last fall.
“He can get after the passer. That’s his game — he can really rush the passer,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “He’s got deceiving size and weight (6-1, 275), so he packs a lot of punch into his frame and that can catch guys off guard. He’s also quicker than some guys might consider. He also has some creativity when it comes to rushing the passer.”
Whoever grabs that spot would be replacing veteran James Vaughters, who left in free agency this winter for the Saskatchewan Roughriders after leading the Blue Bombers in sacks with six.
Asked what they are seeking in that end position, O’Shea added this:
“We’re looking for a complete player. We’re not just looking for just a pass rusher; we’re looking for a complete player. It happens that one of his (Jenkins) major attributes is he can get after it pretty good.
“We need a guy who is going to grow, with football IQ who is going to play however it comes to him, whatever the offence throws at us, he’s going to play the play correctly. That’s what we would need — that kind of consistent play, but also consistent effort throughout the course of the game.”
Jenkins liked his first preseason effort in Saskatoon last Saturday — he had three tackles as the Blue Bombers rolled through a bunch of D-linemen — but, again, now it’s time to close the deal.
“There’s no days off. That’s the motto right now: no days off,” he said. “Every day I’ve got to get better, push through all the bruises and bumps, stay in the weight room and keep learning from all the vets.” — Kydran Jenkins
“I’m trying to chase that other end spot and be the main guy for that. I’m working to make sure I’m doing my job, that I know everything. This camp is different. Last October I came in just to showcase my talent. Now I’m competing for a spot.
“This is just making me hungrier and hungrier for the season. I have a chance again on Friday to do my thing and showcase my talent.”
DAY 17 NOTES:
Highlights from Mike O’Shea’s media session, which can be viewed in its entirety here:
On linebacker Ja’Kobe Clinton, who had a Pick-6 in Saturday’s game in Saskatoon:
“Very athletic. Small-school guy. Very self-aware — understands he comes in now to a pro playbook and there is a lot. Different field, different game and there’s a lot to learn but he is attacking it with vigour. That kind of self-awareness is pretty cool to see.”
“It’s pretty evident that he’s a grinder. We like those type of guys. They generally have a lot of gratitude for being where they’re at because their journey has been tougher and they are usually not afraid to express that. They show it with the way they attack the day; how they play, how they run around. That’s generally noticeable.”
-On Zach Collaros when it was suggested there is some chatter that for a guy who turns 38 in August he is, ‘too old, too slow and not as accurate”:
“That’s not what I see. I see a guy who is the best quarterback in the league.”
-On what he sees from receiver Dorian Singer, who also returned kicks on Saturday:
“What I see him doing is he’s got a script in his hand and he’s walking the field reading the script, lining up, moving into the plays, getting that extra work in after and, generally speaking, he brings some other guys with him to do it. So, he’s learning and teaching by learning.
“He’s a skilled returner and a very good receiver, too. I notice the amount of work he’s doing when nobody’s watching.”
ICYMI: We did a different version of The Huddle on Tuesday with players in meetings as myself and Josh Kjarsgaard, our Senior Manager, Creative Content and Huddle producer, chopped up what we saw in the first preseason game and also had a Coors Lite Chill Chat session with Stanley Bryant.
That show is here:
NEXT: Blue Bombers practice on Wednesday goes from 10-11:50 a.m.
