Bombers off and running with trades and signings

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 16/02/2009 (6314 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

If nothing else, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have done a lot in the first day of Canadian Football League free agency to boost program sales during the regular season.

In the last 24 hours the club has made two trades, signed four players and been stung — but not surprised — by the loss of three Canadian offensive linemen.

Gone are left tackle Alexandre Gauthier to  the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, centre Dominic Picard to  the Toronto Argonauts and guard Kyle Koch to the Edmonton Eskimos. The loss of Gauthier and Picard didn’t shock the Bombers, who insist they met both players’ asking price but were rebuffed. Koch, the Kenora native who started games at right guard last year before being injured, simply got a better offer from the Esks.

To offset those losses the team signed two tackles ex of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Canadian Steve Morley (6-7, 322, St. Mary’s) and import Glen January (6-5, 303). Morley, a former first overall draft pick, is just 27 but hasn’t been the same player since leaving the CFL to try out in the NFL. January is 25 and has played two years in the CFL, his first year in Toronto before being traded to the Riders last year as part of the Kerry Joseph deal.

The team also addressed its punting concerns by signing four-year veteran Burke Dales (6-3, 225, Concordia), ex of the Calgary Stampeders. Dales finished last year with a 46.1-yard average and the best net (38.1 yards) in the Canadian Football League. Also signed was former Bomber linebacker Shawn Gallant (6-1, 206, Eastern Kentucky), a Canadian who will help shore up their special teams.

As for the two trades, early this morning the Bombers sent defensive end Kai Ellis to the Eskimos for outside linebacker Siddeeq Shabazz (6-0, 205, New Mexico State), who spent the last two years in Edmonton after being drafted by the Oakland Raiders in 2003. Shabazz finished second in tackles for the Eskimos last year with 63 while adding three sacks, one fumble recovery and one interception.

As well, the Bombers sent a late-round draft pick in 2011 to the Roughriders for three-year veteran cornerback James Johnson. Bomber fans will undoubtedly remember Johnson as the MVP of the Riders’ 2007 Grey Cup win as he picked off three Ryan Dinwiddie passes — returning one for a touchdown.

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Johnson (5-8, 185, Arkansas State) apparently wasn’t viewed as a starter in the Rider secondary any more even though he finished second on the team a year ago with three interceptions. A big part of their decision to move him may have been the $10,000 bonus Johnson was due today and the fact the deal clears about $80,000 (his rumoured salary) off the Riders’ cap total.