Five Winnipeg Blue Bombers players to watch as pre-season kicks off

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers play their first tune-up on Saturday when they meet the Saskatchewan Roughriders at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon.

Jackson Tachinski back in Bomberville as pass catcher

Jackson Tachinski knows a thing or two about tossing touchdowns at Princess Auto Stadium.

The former Manitoba Bisons quarterback is now hoping he can be on the receiving end of a few as a professional.

On Tuesday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers signed the local product with the intention of using him as a wide receiver.

He was in training camp with the Edmonton Elks last year as a freshly converted pass catcher, then signed by them in December after his final U Sports season. The Elks cut him last week, making the Winnipegger available for hire.

Bombers’ receiver puts health-care career on hold to chase football dream

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are fortunate that Christian Fredericksen wasn’t discouraged by his first CFL free agent camp.

A year ago, the wide receiver from Rigby, Idaho, made the long drive to Seattle with his cleats and a $100 registration fee to attend an audition hosted by the B.C. Lions — an experience that proved less than ideal.

“It just felt like a cash grab,” Fredericksen admitted after Tuesday’s training camp session.

“About 80 per cent of the players there hadn’t played past high school. I was bummed because it didn’t matter how well I did.”

Bombers’ Hallett back with a chip on his shoulder

Nick Hallett was the last returning Blue Bomber to be offered a contract this off-season.

It looked like the club was moving on from the 32-year-old special teams ace when finally, a deal got done on Feb. 11.

Even though he had to wait the longest for it to be his turn, the defensive back from London, Ont., has no complaints. If anything, he understands why it might have gone down to the wire.

“I’m really happy to just be back on the team this year,” Hallett told the Free Press after Wednesday’s training camp session.

Bombers’ Broxton ready for business as O-lineman enters sixth CFL season

Being sacked 37 times during the 2025 season was far from ideal for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ offence.

The Blue and Gold finished last in the CFL in passing yards per game with 235, while quarterback Zach Collaros was brought down 19 times alone.

For comparison, the BC Lions allowed a league-low 20 sacks all season.

Now, one of the key pieces from that Lions offensive line believes he can help change things.

Blue Bombers rebuild passing attack around receiver White, co-ordinator Condell

WINNIPEG - Tim White can already see the pieces falling into place for a Winnipeg Blue Bombers offence that enters the 2026 CFL season with something to prove.

The star free-agent receiver arrives at training camp expected to play a big role in reshaping a Winnipeg passing game that took a notable step back last season. White said he has been impressed by what he's seen through a week of workouts, adding that he plans to push a perennial Grey Cup contender over the top.

"I want to redefine the offence and get us to that top level in the passing game," White said earlier this week. "With all the guys they have here, I'll be able to step into a situation where I can be myself, and I can put my ability on display to help this team win games."

White is one of two high-profile receivers brought in over the winter to give the group a fresh look. He is joined by Tommy Nield, a big-bodied receiver at six-foot-three, while veterans Nic Demski and Ontaria Wilson, along with star running back Brady Oliveira, round out the aerial threats.

Bombers’ vets reminisce on their own pre-season debuts

Zach Collaros was thrown to the wolves in his first career pre-season game.

It was back in 2012 when the University of Cincinnati product was trying to break into the three-down league with the Toronto Argonauts.

He had only been around for one practice and received just one measly rep, and yet, then head coach Scott Milanovich tapped him on the shoulder and told him he was going into the game — a matchup against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at the old Ivor Wynne Stadium — in the fourth quarter.

“It’s amazing these kids get all these reps now,” said the Blue Bombers quarterback with a grin earlier this week.

Stampeders top Roughriders 20-15 in CFL pre-season action

CALGARY - Vernon Adams connected with Jalen Philpot for a 70-yard touchdown, Josh Love added another TD on the ground and the Calgary Stampeders defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 20-15 in CFL pre-season action on Monday.

Adams went 3-of-5 passing for 87 yards along with an interception as the starter at quarterback, with his touchdown to Philpot coming in the first quarter. 

Love, who went 5-of-10 passing for 68 yards through the air, scored on a one-yard run in the second as the Stampeders took a 14-6 lead into halftime.

After a field goal in the third quarter put Calgary ahead 17-6 entering the fourth, the Roughriders made a push.

Ability to protect quarterback primary element Ticats looking for in running back

HAMILTON - Greg Bell has left some pretty big shoes to fill with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The 27-year-old American amassed 1,464 yards from scrimmage last season. He was fifth in league rushing with 1,038 yards (five touchdowns) while adding 62 catches for 426 yards (one touchdown) in helping Hamilton (11-7) finish atop the East Division.

But if the six-foot, 200-pound Bell records a second straight 1,000-yard campaign, it will be in Ottawa. Bell joined the Redblacks in February as a free agent.

Hamilton currently has five running backs in training camp, including Americans Larry Roundtree III, Avery Morrow and Shane Watts. The others are veteran Canadians Johnny Augustine and Ante Milanovic-Litre.

Arbitrator awards former CFL player Arland Bruce III $25,000 in damages over concussion

Former CFL player Arland Bruce III was awarded $25,000 in damages by an arbitrator earlier this month after suffering a concussion in a 2012 game.

The amount is significantly lower than the $310,000 Bruce had been seeking.

In a May 6 decision, arbitrator Allen Ponak ruled both the B.C. Lions and Montreal Alouettes committed three breaches of the collective agreement related to concussion management.

However, Ponak said that no previous arbitration cases under a collective bargaining agreement were cited "in which damage awards for safety violations have been anywhere close to the amounts being sought."

Defensive co-ordinator Greg Quick in third stint with Toronto Argonauts

GUELPH - Greg Quick is the definition of a football lifer.

He played centre at Ohio's Baldwin-Wallace College before entering the coaching ranks in 1979 at Emporia State University in Kansas. 

In a career that's spanned four-plus decades at the high school, NCAA and Canadian professional levels, Quick has held numerous coaching positions -- on both sides of the ball -- and administrative roles, including the CFL's first-ever director of global scouting in 2019.

Quick is in his third stint with the Toronto Argonauts, currently as their defensive co-ordinator and linebackers coach. He previously coached linebackers in 2010-11 and again in 2018.

Shiltz signs one-day contract to retire as member of Hamilton Tiger-Cats

HAMILTON - Quarterback Matthew Shiltz signed a one-day contract with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday to retire as a member of the CFL club.

Shiltz, 33, spent eight seasons in the CFL, including two with Hamilton (2022-23). 

He began his CFL career with the Montreal Alouettes (2017-19, 2021) and also spent time with the Calgary Stampeders (2024) and Ottawa Redblacks (2025).

Shiltz appeared in 28 regular-season games with Hamilton. He completed 193 of 280 passes (68.9 per cent) for 2,491 yards with 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions. 

Ticats itching to hit someone else in pre-season opener against Argos

HAMILTON - The Hamilton Tiger-Cats' first exhibition game comes at a good time for head coach Scott Milanovich.

The Ticats host the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon at Hamilton Stadium in the first pre-season contest for both clubs. It comes almost two weeks after CFL teams opened their training camps.

Milanovich said the opportunity for players to hit someone in a different coloured jersey is welcomed.

"Yeah, I think so," Milanovich said Thursday at Ron Joyce Stadium. "I mean, I know I'm getting irritable.

Dakoda Shepley says NFL taught him business but keeps focus on football

GUELPH - The harsh business of pro football has often reared its ugly head to Dakoda Shepley, but it hasn't dampened the Canadian offensive lineman's enthusiasm for the game.

Since signing with the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent in 2018, the six-foot-five, 290-pound Shepley has spent time with six NFL teams -- including two stints with the Dallas Cowboys -- playing 16 regular-season games. 

The 31-year-old Windsor, Ont., native is currently preparing for his first season with the Toronto Argonauts after signing with the CFL team in January.

"It has taught me certainly it's a business," Shepley said of bouncing around the NFL. "But at the same time it's a game and if you can balance those two in your mind and control what you can control, then it doesn't really matter where you play.

Bombers’ Munier-Bailey looking to prove pro dreams possible to siblings back home

A year ago, Kemari Munier-Bailey arrived at Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp trying to adjust to a new league, new coaches and a new country.

After spending most of last season on the practice roster learning the CFL game, the Global defensive lineman from Birmingham, England, enters camp this year in a much different position — competing to earn a roster spot.

Munier-Bailey smiled as he recalled watching games last season with teammates, saying the loud crowds and atmosphere at Princess Auto Stadium kept motivating him to push through another week.

“You’re still doing something great, you still started something great,” Munier-Bailey said of the mindset he tried to maintain while on the practice roster. “That’s how I was trying to look at it.”