Cole finally finds a football home with Blue and Gold

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This article was published 04/10/2023 (770 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Brian Cole II had just been cut by a fifth professional football team.

He landed in Detroit, hopped in the car to drive home, and debated throwing in the towel on his gridiron aspirations.

Then his phone rang.

It was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

“I can’t remember if it was (general manager) Kyle (Walters) or who it was. They asked me ‘How would you like to be a Winnipeg Blue Bomber?’ And I told them I’d call them back. I couldn’t even give them an answer at first,” Cole, now in his second season with the Bombers, said after Wednesday’s closed practice at IG Field.

“I just got cut from two (CFL teams), am I going to come out there and waste my time? Or is it gonna stick? I just didn’t know.”

Cole was selected in the seventh round of the 2020 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings as a safety. After failing to crack the Vikings, he garnered looks from the Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers before taking his talents up north in 2022. He was a final training camp cut with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, and then lasted two weeks on the Edmonton Elks’ practice roster before the opportunity in Winnipeg came up.

Cole, who has since been converted to linebacker, needed a minute to go through the emotions before calling the Bombers back to accept their offer.

He went on to play five games, plus the Western Final and Grey Cup in blue and gold in 2022, and recorded 12 total tackles (six on defence, six on special teams).

The Mississippi State product is the only player on the Bombers’ active roster who played college football in the top NCAA conference — the SEC — and is one of two players on the team who have heard their names called in an NFL Draft (receiver Kenny Lawler was picked in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks in 2016).

Not everyone with those credentials would be happy with being a special teams player.

“To be honest with you, I did struggle a little bit. Because when you feel you could be used in different ways to help the team, it takes a toll on you because you feel you’re not reaching your full potential,” said Cole.

“But you got to embrace your role. I want to win and I truly just love the game where it’s fun… I have fun playing special teams, even though I wish my role could be different sometimes. But I have fun doing it all and just being a team player.”

The Bombers are certainly happy Cole found peace with his unheralded job. He’s tied for third on the team in special teams tackles with 12 and has a pair of forced fumbles this year. He also gets the odd snap on defence and has 12 tackles. Cole will look to add to those totals on Friday in Vancouver when the 11-4 Bombers taken on the 11-4 B.C. Lions in a pivotal West Division showdown.

“He’s an interesting matchup. He’s blessed with tremendous amount of size and speed,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“Like a lot of these guys, he loves it. He’s just pumped to be here every day and whatever that role is, whatever we ask him to do, he’s fired up to do it which is real easy on the coaches.”

His athleticism goes back to his high school days when he was the No. 1 player in the state of Michigan as a receiver. He moved over to the defensive side of the ball at East Mississippi Community College and stayed there when he transferred to Mississippi State for his final two seasons.

Until the 6-2, 210-pounder improves his run-stopping skills, special teams is likely where he’ll remain. He’s come up clutch in recent weeks, though. Three weeks ago in Hamilton, Tyreik McAllister took a missed field goal 67 yards across midfield before Cole laid him out to prevent the touchdown. In last Friday’s 31-21 win at home over the Toronto Argonauts, Javon Leake returned a punt 48 yards before Cole saved the day with another big tackle.

His father Brian Sr. knows a thing or two about tracking people down as he was a 25-year veteran of the Michigan State Police Department.

“You got to take advantage of the opportunity and what’s in front of you. That’s one thing I feel my pops always instilled in me, was to be the hardest worker on the team,” said Cole.

“And when you feel like you’re fast, that’s a good feeling to chase somebody down and catch them.”

If it’s up to Cole, he’ll be catching returners for Winnipeg for the foreseeable future.

“This is home. I’ve never been on a team two years in a row. Other than college, this is my first pro team where I’ve stuck around and stayed. I can’t ask for nothing more. It’s a blessing.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

X: @TaylorAllen31

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

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