The offseason game plan was always going to be simple and straightforward for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and it read exactly like this: A team which had captured back-to-back Grey Cup titles in 2019 and 2021 and lost a shot at a third by one point after winning a franchise-best 15 games in 2022 was going to do its damnedest to be all-in for 2023 with as many of the same faces as possible.
And so as Canadian Football League free agency officially opens Tuesday at 11 a.m., it should be said the Blue Bombers football operations brain trust has dutifully followed its own blueprint.
“That’s it, 100 percent. We’re still in the winning window with this group of guys,” said Blue Bombers GM Kyle Walters on Monday. “I know we’re getting a little bit older, but we’ve been to three straight Grey Cups with this group, and they deserve another shot to see if we can make another run.
“That’s the thought behind it: we’ve got the core and there will be some changes but let’s take the main group back and see how it goes this year.”
All of this isn’t to say there won’t be changes, with the biggest one – the return of all-star receiver Kenny Lawler – officially to be announced on Tuesday after he reportedly agreed in principle on a two-year contract during last week’s ‘legal tampering’ negotiating window.
But the Blue Bombers narrative heading into the CFL’s annual talent grab isn’t so much about the addition of Lawler, but the significant heavy lifting already completed in the months leading up to the market opening.
Dating back to the contract extension signed by quarterback Zach Collaros in mid-October, the club has inked 18 players who were pending free agents, among them starters Stanley Bryant, Willie Jefferson, Jermarcus Hardrick, Pat Neufeld, Jake Thomas, Adam Bighill, Winston Rose, Desmond Lawrence, Jackson Jeffcoat, Nic Demski, Alden Darby, Jr. and Kyrie Wilson, specialists Janarion Grant and Mike Benson and key Canadians like Mike Miller, Shayne Gauthier and Jesse Briggs.
That is a ton of names knocked off the to-do list.
“If you remember last year with the December 12th Grey Cup making for a short offseason, it was freakin’ chaos,” Walters said. “This year we started at least having talks with guys through the year to try and expediate the process and it’s proven successful.
“It just wasn’t as rushed with so many bodies (needing to be signed in a short window). When you look it, we got a lot of guys knocked off our list, but it was much more spread out this year, which was better.”
Here’s where things stand with the other Blue Bombers pending free agents on the verge of heading to market:
Centre Michael Couture (signing with the B.C. Lions):
“Michael’s a good player, it’s just that we’ve got a bit of depth at the centre position, and this is part of the decision,” Walters said. “With Tui (Eli) coming back (following a year away from the game) it helps at the centre position and Chris Kolankowski stepped up and played very well during Michael’s injury last year.
“With our Canadians, Paddy (Neufeld) is playing at an all-star level, Geoff Gray getting better with more snaps and Liam Dobson getting his feet wet we’re feeling OK there. That’s what makes it slightly less painful to have a great player like Michael test the waters.”
Receiver Greg Ellingson will go to market while Walters said negotiations with Bailey were to include a chat with the slotback’s agent on Monday and could continue until the 11th hour.
Dalton Schoen still has until Tuesday to possibly sign in the NFL and if he returns will be playing the second year of his rookie contract with the Blue Bombers.
“He has until tomorrow,” Walters said. “We’ll see. I never want to say too much until (the window) closes.”
Defensive end Keion Adams will go to market, quarterback Dakota Prukop is said to be ‘exploring all options’ and defensive tackle Casey Sayles is reportedly signing with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats:
“Casey has got a nice offer from another team,” said Walters, “but Ricky Walker is in our building and it’s a bit less painful to lose certain guys when you have other players you are already familiar with that can try and step up and replace their productivity.”
Veteran defensive backs Nick Taylor and Mercy Maston – Taylor coming off an Achilles last season and Maston having missed the last two seasons with the same injury suffered in each of the last two training camps.
“Those are tough,” said Walters. “And with Evan (Holm) and Jamal (Parker) having gone in there last year and showed that as young guys they could play at a decent level, well, that helped makes our decision.”
Talks with Global linebacker Les Maruo are said to be still ongoing.
Should he return that will boost the club’s international depth that also includes defensive lineman Thiadric Hansen, offensive lineman Tomoya Machino, receiver Timothy Knuettel and defensive back Souleymane Karamoko.
Briggs, whose return was announced Monday, is a reliable vet on special teams.
“He runs the punt team and is a captain-calibre guy that wants to keep playing,” Walters said. “(Head coach) Mike (O’Shea) trusts him in that locker room and on the field.”
