Harris’s injury not as bad as feared

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This article was published 13/09/2016 (3306 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Breathe, Winnipeg Blue Bombers fans. It appears tailback Andrew Harris’s lower-body injury isn’t serious.

Harris, who pulled up lame in the second quarter of the Bombers’ 17-10 Banjo Bowl win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders Saturday, was considered day-to-day Tuesday afternoon. Head coach Mike O’Shea downplayed any long-term fears following the team’s practice ahead of Saturday’s game against the visiting Toronto Argonauts.

“We’re at that time of the year where they’ve had piles of reps and they need rest,” O’Shea said. “Just wait and see until the end of Day 3 (of practice) to see what it looks like.”

Harris, along with linebackers Khalil Bass and Ian Wild, missed Tuesday’s proceedings due to injuries. Their status will be evaluated later this week, but they don’t have to practise to be named to the 46-man roster for Saturday’s game.

Harris appeared to injure his right ankle after a nasty collision. The Winnipeg native had his ankle taped and appeared in two more drives before sitting out the second half.

Wild left the game in the second quarter with an upper-body injury, while Bass played all four quarters, recording six tackles.

Meanwhile, receiver Ryan Smith, who has missed six games this season due to injury, might miss more after suffering a new injury.

Smith, who left Saturday’s game in the third quarter with an upper-body ailment, was spotted at Tuesday’s practice with his right hand wrapped.

O’Shea said he thinks Smith is a couple of weeks away from returning to the lineup.

Veteran defensive back Chris Randle has finished his stint on the six-game injured list with a lower-body injury and could return to game action Saturday.

“We’ll see, I feel good health-wise,” Randle said after Tuesday’s practice, in which he was taking first-team reps. “We’ll see how the week goes. It’s been a while, so I got to get my feet under me and see how things go. Hopefully I have a good week.”

scott.billeck@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @scottbilleck

Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

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