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News July 28, 2026

48-Hour Primer | Week 9 vs. B.C.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers hope to see a whole lot of the above -- quarterback sack celebrations -- in Thursday's home date against the B.C. Lions; photos by Cameron Bartlett

@EdTaitWFC

They’ve seen him up close and personal in the preseason, studied and dissected his game film since then and done a deep dive into his college days.

In that respect, then, Kaidon Salter’s name and his game hardly represent a deep, dark mystery to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

So, the mission now for the Blue Bombers defence is to make the first Canadian Football League start for the B.C. Lions quarterback — who is expected to take the first snap in Thursday’s meeting at Princess Auto Stadium — as uncomfortable as possible.

And by uncomfortable we mean absolutely nightmarish.

The Lions will make their depth chart official on Wednesday, but all the reporting out of Vancouver has indicated Salter — a 23-year-old rookie from Dallas who split his college career between Liberty and Colorado — will get the start for the Lions, who are without all-star Nathan Rourke and have started Chase Brice over the last two games.

“He’s got a great portfolio if you dig deep on him,” said veteran Blue Bombers defensive back Deatrick Nichols. “He was a 4-5-star recruit who went to Tennessee, then Liberty where he had 1,000 yards (rushing; in 2023, when he also threw for 32 touchdowns and was named the Conference USA MVO) and then to Colorado.

“He’s got a good background and when you do your homework, he’s not a guy you’d be thinking, ‘OK, this is a piece of cake.’ He’s got something to prove and if that’s the guy they’re going to start he’s going to be ready to play and try to make a name for himself.

“My point of view it’s always a scary situation when you’re going against a guy that you don’t have too much film on,” Nichols added. “How many times have you seen a starting quarterback go down and then the second-string comes in and he does well because you’re not ready or not prepared for him?

“Those guys in those situations can just go out and rip it. They’ve got nothing to lose, and it can get a little funny or a little scary knowing that somebody is coming out here to play that way.”

The Blue Bombers did face Salter this year in the second preseason game, when he took to the field after halftime and promptly completed 11-of-12 passes for 123 yards and a TD while also rushing four times for 15 yards.

“He’s a mobile quarterback who likes to get the ball out genuinely fast, especially when he knows where he wants to go with the ball,” said defensive end Willie Jefferson. “He’s a young quarterback in this system and in the CFL but we know Buck (Pierce, Lions head coach) is going to put him in the best position.

“We spoke about this in the meetings today. We have to go out there and play our game, disrupt him and make him uneasy and try to take away his first couple of looks.”

“He’s here in the CFL. He’s a guy they obviously have full trust in and someone that can give them a spark,” added linebacker Tony Jones. “He’s an elusive guy who can extend plays and whenever you’re playing against a guy like that you have to really lock in and not let him show where his strengths are.”

Here’s the other thing about all this: as much as a rookie QB making his first start might look like the gimpy antelope limping around the watering hole to a cackle of hyenas, the Blue Bombers defence — as well as their offence and special teams — have their own issues to attend to after last week’s 52-30 sloppy and mistake-filled loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

So, there will be no taking anyone for granted here.

“Most definitely not. It makes you look bad,” said Jefferson. “He’s a professional. He made it here for a reason. He won that spot and if he does get the opportunity to start, he gets the opportunity to go against our 1s.

“We also get the opportunity to show him what the CFL is like and what it’s like to play here at Princess Auto Stadium in front of 30,000-plus and the fans screaming.”

OUCH UPDATE: The Blue Bombers had a closed practice on Tuesday, meaning no media was able to get eyeballs on the session. The full depth chart for Thursday’s game against the Lions will be released on Wednesday morning.

So, for what it’s worth, here is the final injury update of the week:

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