Bombers’ injuries running Wild

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This article was published 11/07/2017 (3007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

JUST two games into the season, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are dealing with injuries to several players, and the bad news kept rolling in Tuesday — weak-side linebacker Ian Wild is out for at least six weeks with what appears to be a serious wrist injury.

Wild, 27, rolled awkwardly on his right arm in the third quarter of Friday’s 29-10 loss to the Calgary Stampeders. The play ended on the sideline near the Bombers’ end zone, and Wild needed help walking back to the bench.

Following Tuesday’s practice, head coach Mike O’Shea said Wild would be out for some time.

“I expect him to miss six games and then we’ll evaluate then. Possibly even more,” O’Shea said.

Wild, in his fifth season with the Bombers, is an integral part of the defence and helps middle linebacker Sam Hurl identify opponents’ schemes. In 2016, Wild finished second on the team with 70 tackles.

If the timetable from O’Shea is correct, the earliest Wild will be able to return is Aug. 24 for a Week 10 road game against the Montreal Alouettes. The Bombers are expected to place Wild on the six-game injured list today, a day before they host the Toronto Argonauts.

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Kyle Knox is the likely candidate to replace Wild. Knox, 28, has earned a majority of the reps with the first-team defence this week. Import Jovan Santos-Knox and non-import Jesse Briggs are also considered options.

Wild joins import defensive end Tristan Okpalaugo (upper body), import halfback Bruce Johnson (right hand), import defensive back Kevin Fogg (lower body), non-import defensive back Abu Conteh (lower body), non-import linebacker Shayne Gauthier (lower body) and non-import receiver Addison Richards (lower body).

Okapalugo, who left Friday’s game late in the fourth quarter, is the only player on that list that hasn’t been officially ruled out against the Argonauts. If he isn’t able to play, import Jackson Jeffcoat is expected to earn his first CFL start.

In other news, the Bombers announced they have signed non-import receiver Drew Wolitarsky to the practice roster. The Bombers selected Wolitarsky, 22, in the 2017 supplemental draft late last month, forfeiting a third-round pick in next year’s CFL draft.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

Every piece of reporting Jeff produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.