Bisons defensive stalwart Adamson shifts to O-line with Bombers

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This article was published 11/05/2023 (895 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are few things Cole Adamson loves more than football. He has spent most of his life playing the game, a passion that led to a stellar five-year career with the University of Manitoba Bisons and becoming a 2022 fourth-round draft selection for his hometown Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

You often hear players say they’ll do anything to continue their careers and Adamson is proof of that. While with Manitoba, the now 24-year-old impressed immediately, playing in all eight regular-season games at defensive tackle as a true freshman, and by his fifth year had become among the most recognizable faces on the Bisons and across U Sports.

As punishing as Adamson has been playing on the interior of the defensive line — he racked up 58 solo tackles and 33 assisted takedowns, plus 7.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks in 36 games for the Bisons — the Bombers have convinced him to take an entirely new approach to his craft. Rather than lining up with the defence, Adamson has been asked to try out as an offensive lineman.

It’s not only a position he’s never played before, or at least not at any significant level, he now has to develop on the fly, beginning this week at Bombers rookie camp. It’s the definition of baptism by fire, with Adamson soon to face the likes of Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat, who are among the CFL’s most prolific pass-rushers, come official training camp on Sunday.

As you can imagine, the move has been a work in progress.

“My challenges were very apparent today in one-on-ones,” a smiling Adamson said following Day 2 of rookie camp. “To be switching to a totally new position, and especially at this level, that’s a big thing to take on. You are kind of taking a few steps back in football, which can be frustrating, having to learn something and knowing you might not be winning reps at first and understanding you have to slowly get better and better.”

It’s Adamson’s second camp with the Bombers. He attended last season after being drafted and saw some pre-season action as a D-lineman, even registering a quarterback sack against Edmonton’s Tre Ford.

In recent weeks, with the 2023 season right around the corner, Adamson was approached by Bombers general manager Kyle Walters about switching positions. There were a few factors at play, among them this year being a weak draft class of O-linemen and the fact he has the build — he’s 6-5, 292 pounds — and athleticism required to play the guard position.

Perhaps the greatest selling point was Adamson was told the move would be the best possibility for continuing his football career.

“We like that if he’s training as an O-lineman, he’s also versatile and can play D-line, we know he can do that,” said Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “Just one of those things, we believe he’s going to have a long career if he can master O-line.”

The Bombers like what they have on the D-line, with Canadians Jake Thomas and Cameron Lawson ahead of Adamson on the depth chart, making it near impossible, barring an injury, for him to see game action. Winnipeg’s O-line, while still among the best in the CFL, has lost some bodies over the last few years, including centre Michael Couture this past off-season, and there’s currently a need to bolster its depth.

Interestingly, it’s not the first time Adamson has heard his career would be best served by moving to offence. In fact, it’s been something of a regular occurrence over his career.

“I’ve been told that all my life, that I move like an O-lineman, that I have the same frame as an O-lineman,” Adamson said. “When I was in high school, I remember people telling me that to play at the pro level I’d probably switch to an O-lineman. At the CFL combine last year, analysts said I’d probably be a convert and even my coach with the Bisons, coach (Brian) Dobie, he mentioned to me in my exit meeting that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Bombers look to switch you over.”

It should be noted here that during his senior season with the Oak Park Raiders, Adamson was named the Winnipeg High School Football League’s Division I defensive player of the year and lineman of the year — an accomplishment no one else has achieved in WHSFL history.

As mentioned, Adamson has struggled in the early stages of the adjustment. Among the biggest challenges is trying to get his footwork on point, which is arguably the most important element of being an O-lineman.

You have to shift both your feet at the same time, moving laterally back and forth, in rhythm with the rest of the line, while also using your hands and upper-body strength to stop incoming pass rushers. It helps that there’s no better O-line coaches or players to learn from than in Winnipeg, and over the last month, while the players have done informal workouts, Adamson has leaned on the likes of veterans Patrick Neufeld and Geoff Gray for guidance and instruction.

“It is not an easy transition,” said O’Shea. “He’s got stuff to work on. I imagine it’s pretty frustrating at the start. He’s got the right demeanor, though, to weather that storm.”

Adamson still has a way to go in his development and there’s always a chance, despite confidence from both his GM and coach, that the experiment doesn’t work out. If he does succeed, he could join the likes of CFL all-stars Chris Van Zeyl, currently with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and long-time, now-retired Toronto Argonaut Jeff Keeping, among others, to successfully make the shift.

“Nobody put those guys that in group,” O’Shea said. “They developed to be those types of players.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton