Exciting day for Gray, Blue Bombers

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 14/10/2018 (2013 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Geoff Gray left home 17 months ago determined to earn a full-time job in the NFL.

On Monday, the 6-6, 315-pound former University of Manitoba Bisons offensive lineman’s career came full circle when he was introduced to the Winnipeg media as a very late-season signing by the Blue Bombers. He expressed no regret, just hope for the future.

Gray had a free-agent tryout with the NFL’s Green Bay Packers in 2017 before being cut loose and moving on to extended stays with the New York Jets and Cleveland Browns. The Browns released him on Aug. 28, just prior to the start of the regular season.

The 24-year-old Winnipegger, drafted eighth overall by the Blue Bombers in the 2017 CFL Draft, waited on other NFL options, accepting a workout with the Seattle Seahawks. But there was no contract offer forthcoming and Gray spent the last six weeks pondering his future.

In the last 14 days, the framework of a deal with the Blue Bombers emerged.

“It was a combination of a number of things,” said Gray. “When I got back, obviously, you want to kinda see where things (are) — there’s a lot of adjustment with NFL rosters. But it wasn’t one specific decision.

“It was coming to it over time, so Winnipeg is the place where I grew up, obviously, and I just want to get to a football situation where I feel more stable and comfortable and can really move forward with. I definitely appreciated my time in the NFL but this is, really, long term, where I’d like to be.”

Terms of the deal were not disclosed but the length of contract will take the 24-year-old through the 2020 season. In July, the league reinstated an NFL window allowing players to explore and sign with NFL teams heading into the final year of their CFL deals, which gives Gray some flexibility prior to the 2020 season.

“I’m just the kind of person where I felt the Bombers were the avenue I felt committed too and I wanted to get moving forward a bit as opposed to waiting til the off-season to negotiate a contract, which is definitely an avenue some people take and just get to playing football again,” said Gray. 

Gray hasn’t given up on the NFL but he’s making the CFL and the Blue Bombers a clear priority. He insisted to agent Darren Gill he wanted to do a deal with the Bombers quickly while Winnipeg, feeling the pinch of salary-cap issues that are the norm late in the regular season, would have been content to wait until the off-season.

Gray is a man of varied interests with a keen interest in his academic career. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree from the U of M’s engineering faculty in May and is planning to enrol in a masters program in the new year.

How he fits immediately into the Blue Bombers’ scheme is unknown. Gray believes he is capable of playing guard or tackle but guard is believed to be his optimum position. The Bombers, with possibly the most stable and accomplished O-line in the CFL, already have two veteran Canadian guards — Patrick Neufeld and Sukh Chungh — firmly established in the starting lineup.

However, with both Chungh and another Canadian, centre Matthias Goossen, poised to become free agents in the off-season, is there a natural opening there for Gray?

“That largely depends on the circumstance and how things work with the team,” said Gray.

“My physical ability is still there. But it’s been a while since I’ve started a game, and it’s going to take a bit to get back used to playing Canadian football. Obviously the Bombers have a formula that’s working for them right now. So who knows? It can depend on so many things.”

The Bombers are on a bye week but it would be very unlikely Gray would play when the 9-7 Bombers return to the field Oct. 26 against the visiting Calgary Stampeders. Gray would like to play immediately but understands the reality of his situation.

“Everyone plays football because you want to play football,” said Gray. “No one plays football because you want to look good sitting there on the sideline. Then I’d just go to the Halloween store, get a football costume and do a little photo shoot. I’m just a very reasonable person. And that’s kind of a bold statement. But, no, I want to play, but I’m not going to have a fit if I’m not playing the first game.

“I understand where I’m coming back and how far they are into the season. I just want to play well. So if I’m playing well, then I’m going to play. So I just want to get back to playing well. Yeah, it would be nice to get back to playing a full game, for sure.”

During his time in Cleveland, Gray rubbed shoulders with Browns’ O-line coach Bob Wylie, a colourful character who once served on the Blue Bombers coaching staff.

“Coach Wylie was with the Bombers for a couple of years while I was with the Bisons,” said Gray. “Never talked to him much then, just kinda in passing a couple of times. But when I was in Cleveland, we talked about the Bombers. I think the first thing he said about Winnipeg was ‘529 Wellington.’ He was a big fan of steakhouses. But yeah, I learned a lot from him as a coach. He’s been around forever and a great coach for sure.”

mike.sawatzky@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @sawa14