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Friday night preseason tilt last chance to impress Bombers’ brass
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 31/05/2023 (302 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will go with a roster full of mostly fresh faces for their preseason finale after playing a majority of its veterans in last week’s opener.
The Bombers welcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders to town Friday night in what will be the team’s final tuneup before the regular season gets underway with a home date against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 9.
The lineup against the Roughriders will feature some experienced Bombers, but is made up mostly of rookies and newcomers trying to carve out a spot — either on the active roster or practice team. Final cuts will be made Saturday.
“Be right and make plays,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said when asked what players can do to make a final strong and lasting impression. “Show a high degree of physicality — all the stuff we like from football players.”
There are still positions to be won, whether that be for a rare starting role or providing depth. To get you better informed on what to look for come kickoff on Friday, here are five of the more intriguing position battles.
SHORT-YARDAGE QB
It’s clear that after the performance by Tyrrell Pigrome last week against the Edmonton Elks that he’s the front-runner for the third quarterback spot, which will be responsible for running short-yardage packages. Pigrome punched in a QB sneak for his first score and then scrambled a remarkable run of 45 yards for his second, while also showing off his arm strength by converting a second-and-27 with a 34-yard dart.
That sets the stage for Josh Jones to make some ground with a strong performance. Jones only got two series last week, in the game’s final minutes, and wasn’t able to generate much, completing just one pass for 10 yards.
With starter Zach Collaros not dressing, No. 2 Dru Brown will likely get the start, and could even see as much as the first half. That will make it all the more important for Pigrome and Jones to make the most of their opportunity.
AMERICAN RECEIVER
Given the news about Kenny Lawler and his transfer to the suspended list, resulting in him missing between three or four weeks, there’s suddenly an opening for an American at receiver.
Enter Carlton Agudosi. Agudosi, who briefly thrilled fans last season with a two-touchdown performance against the Calgary Stampeders in his CFL debut, only to suffer a season-ending ankle injury the following week, will take over in Lawler’s absence.
There was already plenty of hype attached to Agudosi heading into this season, with the team seemingly comfortable to go with him over veteran Rasheed Bailey. Bailey took a reduced salary to stay, leading to a one-year deal, meaning he’ll also be getting his reps.
With Agudosi and Bailey getting a starting role on offence with Lawler out, what might happen in three or four weeks when he returns? That will play itself out, of course, but Agudosi, who had no catches and just one target against Edmonton last week, needs to start showing off his skillset if he hopes to edge Bailey.
PLACE KICKER/PUNTER
It’s safe to assume that barring a disastrous outing, Sergio Castillo will be the club’s place kicker, responsible for field goals and kickoffs. Don’t count out Chandler Staton, who made good on his lone field goal against the Elks — a 34-yarder — and all three of his one-point converts, while averaging 67.8 yards on kickoffs, with his longest measuring 73 yards.
Both will be kicking against the Roughriders and although Castillo, given his experience and time with the Bombers, is likely to be the leg of choice, another consistent performance by Staton could be a lead to spot on the practice roster.
It appears to be an uphill battle for Marc Liegghio to secure the job of punter for another year, and it certainly doesn’t help that his greatest competition are a couple of global players. Under the new CFL collective bargaining agreement, globals – players selected in the league’s annual Global Draft – effectively count as Canadians on the roster.
Jamieson Sheahan and Karl Schmitz both had four punts last week and delivered strong results. Schmitz averaged 49.5 yards and Sheahan averaged 48.3 yards — a small sample size, to be sure, but both numbers are higher than the 46.9 yards Liegghio averaged in 2022.
Sheahan might have the inner track if only for the reason he’s 10 years younger than Schmitz, but what happens against Saskatchewan could determine a final decision between the two. From there, the next step will be deciding whether or not to stick with Liegghio.
DEFENSIVE LINE
Although the title says defensive line, the real focus here is on the interior and finding a suitable defensive tackle that can help stuff the run. With Casey Sayles signing in Hamilton, the spot beside Canadian Jake Thomas is currently penciled for Ricky Walker, who looks to see an increased role after spending the last two seasons as a rotational option.
There are other intriguing options behind Walker and by no means has anything been guaranteed. Some names to keep an eye on, as far as Americans, are Caleb Thomas and Keenan Agnew. Thomas had a stellar outing last week, finishing with a QB sack and a blocked field-goal that sealed the 25-23 win over the Elks.
Willie Jefferson will play a second straight preseason game while Jackson Jeffcoat misses his second straight. With Jeffcoat injured again, it’s not unreasonable to suggest he won’t be available for an entire 18-game regular season, meaning the Bombers will need to do a good job finding depth.
That could be filled by American Aaron Sterling, who had a QB sack last week. Then there’s 2023 first-round draft pick Anthony Bennett, who has also been progressing nicely and with a Canadian passport would provide more roster flexibility.
A particular focus will be on the run after the Elks chewed up 160 rushing yards last week. It will be another tough test this week against the Roughriders, who will be dressing two dynamic tailbacks in Jamal Morrow and Frankie Hickson.
WEAKSIDE LINEBACKER
The Bombers will have to wait at least a few weeks for the return of Kyrie Wilson (Achilles) after he was placed on the six-game injured list early into training camp. Malik Clements is the clear front-runner after filling in for Wilson last season, but the weakside linebacker position still feels up for grabs.
That’s because it’s an area on the roster that is often easy to fill for a club’s scouting staff and one that doesn’t take long for an American to adjust to. Simply put, you want a player that is physically tough and quick to the ball.
There really isn’t a lot of competition behind Wilson and Clements, but don’t sleep on newcomer Barrington Wade. Wade is new to the CFL but he’s long in the arms, claiming his wingspan to be better suited for someone much taller than his 6-1 frame.
The coaching staff like Wade and his eagerness to play special teams. If he plans to supplant Clements as the starter, Wade will have to make plays on defence.
Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
History
Updated on Friday, June 2, 2023 6:12 PM CDT: fixes typo