The Bombers did all the heavy lifting before free agency opened – Winnipeg Free Press

After the player market opened on Tuesday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers didn't even dip a toe into CFL free agency, and didn't even make as big of a splash as other CFL teams.

That's the beauty of doing so much work upfront, as general manager Kyle Walters and his staff have spent the preceding weeks and months locking up as many of the team's players as possible. When the offseason began, the Bombers had 35 pending free agents, with half of those players extended, resulting in 18 of the 24 starters from last year's Gray Cup returning in 2024.

“That's what we've been working on and this year is no different than the last few years where we spent most of December, January and early February trying to figure out how to get the core group back. He was able to do it again this year,” Walters said during media availability at the stadium on Wednesday. “I said at the (league) meetings in January that this year there will be a little more turnover than in previous years. It seemed longer this year than other years.”

The Bombers are happy with the upcoming season just a few months away and Walters believes they have a real chance to return to Gray Cup play for the fifth year in a row with the roster they have assembled.

While they were able to bring back most of their core leadership group, including last-minute deals to All-Stars Brady Oliveira and Dalton Schoen, they couldn't do it all.

Elsewhere in the league, several key contributors signed contracts, including offensive lineman Jermarcus Hardrick (Saskatchewan) and cornerback Demerio Houston (Calgary), while the Bombers also had to pass on a few familiar faces to stay below $5.58. – million salary.

Here are key takeaways from Wednesday's chat.

— For several weeks there was talk that Oliveira and Schoen could not be re-signed. Walters admitted he didn't think the deals were possible until about 24 hours before they were signed, giving him “less than a 10 percent chance.”

Much of the fear stemmed from their price tags — both signed for $230,000 in 2024 but were asking for significantly more — and after it became clear each player wanted to cut their numbers, Walters said it became a “full-court press.” to fulfill it. He didn't say that part publicly, but club president and CEO Wade Miller and senior director of community and player relations Darren Cameron also played an integral role in bringing them back.

– Walters repeatedly noted that the Bombers were able to extend most of last year's starters. Of the six not returning, two (Hardrick and Jeff Gray) were on the offensive line and two more were on the defensive end (Jackson Jeffcoat and Ricky Walker). It's well known that the key to winning in pro football is owning the line of scrimmage, which is suddenly thinner for scorers than in previous years. Walters said those holes will either be filled in-house — with Liam Dobson and Tui replacing Eli Gray and the combination of Celestin Xaba and Myles Fox — among others — easing the D-line punch, or the scouting staff continuing to look for hidden gems down south.

When asked which departing player stung the most, Walters said they all had a hard time stomaching it, adding that when managing a successful team that means a pay raise, it's impossible to keep everyone. That said, it was clear that Hardrick's departure to the Roughriders would be difficult to replace, as American big hitters are hard to come by.

— Walters said Gray, a Winnipeg native who has been with the team since 2018, has been the “odd man out” as he tries to build a new O-line. Veteran cornerback Winston Rose has been told he won't be back, and the Bombers are getting younger at the position. Walters also said he does not expect receiver Rasheed Bailey to return after Bailey informed the club he would explore other options. Bailey took a significant pay cut to stay last season, and with all the receivers paid this year, there wasn't enough to go around.

— There hasn't been much information on where the talks are going with forward Sergio Castillo, except that negotiations are ongoing. Both sides want to make a deal, but money remains an issue. Things looked a lot more promising last week, which makes you wonder if something else is at play. Castillo has a young family in the US. Does he want to see what the new United Football League has to offer? Could the Hamilton Tiger-Cats be having second thoughts after signing Mark Liggio? After all, the Ticats recruited former Bombers special teams coordinator Paul Boudreau in recent weeks, and Castillo has a relationship with both Boudreau and Hamilton, where he had his breakout season in the CFL before tearing his ACL.

— Bombers running back Janarion Grant still has a chance to return this year. They have to find it. Walters said Grant has been difficult to reach, even with his agent trying to figure out his whereabouts at times. It wouldn't be the first time, but the Bombers continue to see if a deal can be struck.

“His agent dropped me a note last night,” Walters said. “So we'll go around and see what we can or can't do with Janarion.”

Winnipeg signed Aron Cruikshank, who comes to Winnipeg with a solid college resume during his time at Rutgers and then as a possible backup plan for a short stint with the NFL's Pittsburgh Steelers.

– Jeffcoat made disparaging remarks in last week's report about how the Bombers have treated him this season, claiming he was disrespected for what he described as a lack of relationship with the club. He said Winnipeg didn't contact him about an extension until the negotiating window approached, and by then it was too late. Jeffcoat looked at other teams, but after a few days those talks went quiet and he chose to retire instead.

Walters didn't want to elaborate, but suggested, “Frustration can creep through the process when it's not on the timeline or the dollar value that either party wants. And I think this is an example. It goes both ways. Of course, there's some frustration in the process, dealing with timelines, dealing with dollar values. Because for many people there is a domino effect. This is a problem.”

— Walters is excited about the club's influx of Canadian talent on the road. Not only do they have the top 10 draft picks in the CFL this year, including a pair of second- and fifth-round picks, but also four players returning to college in 2023 — they also announced that Tyrell Ford will leave the NFL and return. to Winnipeg.

The Bombers drafted Ford in the second round in 2022. Ford is the twin brother of Edmonton Elks linebacker Tre Ford, who signed with the Green Bay Packers early in 2023 but was cut after training camp. The 25-year-old spent a year trying to sign another NFL deal before returning to the CFL, signing with the Bombers this offseason before becoming a free agent.

— Walters said he doesn't expect the CFL to sign any free agents in the coming days. In fact, the club released 31-year-old defenseman Damian Jackson on Wednesday, which could be the first to come in to create much-needed goaltending room.

“We have no money,” he said. “The spots available will be for youth players, training camps for first-year players. If someone wants to come in with a minimum contract, we'll kick the tires on that.”

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Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

After several injuries playing hockey that included broken wrists, hands and jaws; medial collateral ligament tears in both knees; and with a collapsed lung, Jeff felt his interest in sports was better off the ice and in the classroom.

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