Lawson impressive in season debut

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This article was published 04/07/2023 (881 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A player having a career game against his former team is a story that writes itself.

Blue Bombers defensive tackle Cameron Lawson — who had two sacks and a fumble recovery in Winnipeg’s 17-3 road victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday — needed a reminder.

The Alouettes selected Lawson in the second round (16th overall) of the 2021 CFL Draft before trading him to the Blue and Gold the following year for the Bombers’ first two picks (ninth and 18th overall).

“It’s pretty funny, I didn’t even realize that until my buddy posted it on Instagram and I was like ‘Oh yeah, I forgot I used to play for them for a second,’” Lawson said after Tuesday’s practice at IG Field with a laugh.

“That’s not usually what I’m thinking about in the moment. Whenever I get a sack, it doesn’t matter who I’m playing against. You enjoy the moment of getting a sack and celebrating it with your teammates and whatnot. It wasn’t about a revenge game or anything like that.”

Revenge game or not, it was a big one for the 24-year-old from Caledon, Ont., who missed the first three weeks of the season with a knee injury.

Lawson, who only dressed for a handful of games with Montreal as a rookie, recorded one sack and 12 tackles in 2022 as a rotational piece behind fellow Canadian Jake Thomas and Casey Sayles (now with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats).

Both of Lawson’s quarterback takedowns came in the second half. He’ll have a chance to build on his performance on Friday at home when the Bombers host the Calgary Stampeders (1-2).

“You set expectations for yourself and obviously, getting hurt wasn’t in the plan. But you do the best you can to come back from it and converge back onto the path you set for yourself,” said Lawson.

“It definitely helped (my confidence) a lot. Getting that first sack of the season is always a big relief, it’s always the hardest one to get. Getting that off the shoulders is really nice and kind of makes you relax a little bit and think a little more clearly.”

“It definitely helped (my confidence) a lot. Getting that first sack of the season is always a big relief, it’s always the hardest one to get.”

The Bombers made the deal to acquire Lawson, a Queen’s University product, as they view him as someone who could take over for Thomas once the 32-year-old decides to call it a career. The two sit beside each other in the locker room.

“I think it was a long time coming. Cam got here last year and he’s a really good player,” said Thomas.“I think he just needed a breakout game to gain some confidence, but all the guys, we’ve been kinda waiting. Cam is going to be a very good player in this league for a very long time. He’s a really good balance of good size, strength, and speed and all the guys were just very happy for him to have that big game, especially against Montreal being the team that drafted and traded him.”

Lawson’s fumble recovery took place with 90 seconds left on the clock when defensive end Willie Jefferson strip-sacked Cody Fajardo.

“I think he’s got room to grow in a bunch of aspects. He’s always learning, he’s a smart guy and I think he’s always trying to be better,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“You like that. He doesn’t think he’s arrived and two sacks won’t change that. He’s gonna keep trying to get better. I think he’s easy to work with and coachable, and those are all good things.”

Unlike Lawson, Jefferson is no stranger to putting up big numbers. He finished with three tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, and a pass knockdown.

Jefferson is now second in the league with four sacks on the year.

“I have a front row seat to quite a show. (Jefferson’s) been excellent so far this year and I don’t expect that to change, either,” said O’Shea.“He’s dialed in and he’s going nonstop which is always fun.”

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The eight-year CFL vet believes playing in Montreal brings out the best in him. It’s one of his favourite markets in the nine-team league.

“I love the atmosphere, I love hearing the fans cheer in french, I love hearing the french announcements on the jumbotrons. The food is nice out there, it’s like an old vintage look, things like that, its cultural. It’s just different,” said Jefferson.

“I’ve been blessed to have great games in Montreal.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @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.

Every piece of reporting Taylor 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.