Kick returner Grant ‘ready to eat a gazelle’

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This article was published 03/10/2023 (770 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To say Janarion Grant is hungry to return to the lineup is an understatement.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ star kick returner has missed the last 10 games with an ankle injury.

“I’m scratching the turf right now, like a lion, ready to eat a gazelle,” Grant said after Tuesday’s practice at IG Field. “I’m just ready to get at it.”

The good news for Grant, and especially the Bombers, is the 29-year-old from Florida was a full participant on Tuesday and should be good to suit up in Friday’s pivotal West Division showdown on the road against the B.C. Lions.

“It should give us some juice,” said special teams co-ordinator Paul Boudreau.

“The guys just trust that if they give him a seam that he’ll hit it and nine times out of 10, he hits the seam with speed and strength and he’s able to break arm tackles. I don’t think people give him credit for how strong he is when he’s running. He just does a good job of running strong and once he gets in the open space, obviously he’s got the speed to take one home.”

Grant, who had five return touchdowns last season, is arguably the best in the three-down circuit at his position and the Bombers are getting him back right before the most important time of year.

Grant was injured while checking in for a play on offence in Week 5’s 24-11 home win over the Calgary Stampeders. Despite the long layoff, he remains second in the league in punt (13.7) and kick return (24.8) average.

BC Place also seems to bring out the best in Grant as he scored a return touchdown in both of Winnipeg’s trips to Vancouver last season.

“Great timing. I wouldn’t want it any other way,” said Grant.

“Of course, you’d want (to have stayed healthy all season), but I’m here now, 100 per cent, so, I’m ready to roll.”

Greg McCrae and Jamal Parker attempted to fill Grant’s shoes in his absence but didn’t have anywhere close to the same impact as the Rutgers University product.

“He obviously has all the physical attributes that you’d want in a returner in terms of spot quickness, top speed. And then you factor in that element of fearlessness where he gets into a tight spot and it doesn’t ever faze him,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“He just puts his foot on the gas and tries to drive right through it which is pretty good for a man of his stature.”

Grant is the franchise leader in return touchdowns with 10.

“I just love being in that atmosphere, being able to score a touchdown to put my team in a great position to win.” Grant said.

TRADE DEADLINE LOOMING

The CFL trade deadline is Wednesday at 4 p.m.

The Bombers acquired veteran defensive back Alden Darby, Jr. before the buzzer sounded last year. In 2021, the Blue and Gold made a deal for all-star kicker Sergio Castillo. And then there was the 2019 deadline, when the Bombers sent draft picks to the Toronto Argonauts in a last-minute trade for quarterback Zach Collaros.

Safe to say that one worked out pretty well.

“I didn’t even know it was tomorrow,” said O’Shea.

Will the Bombers make a move for a fourth straight year?

“I don’t know. I’m supposed to be in a meeting right now,” said O’Shea.

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Corner back Demerio Houston left Friday’s 31-21 win over Toronto with a knee injury and did not participate Tuesday.

If he isn’t ready to go this Friday, Jamal Parker will likely draw into the starting lineup. Winston Rose shifted over to Houston’s spot at boundary corner on Tuesday, while Parker got work with the starters at field-side corner.

Desmond Lawrence was a starting corner for the first three games before going down with an injury. He provides another option as he’s fully healthy again.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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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.