Change is in the air

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This article was published 21/11/2023 (712 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Just days removed from another heartbreaking Grey Cup loss, many on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were still coming to grips with what unfolded over the weekend that they hadn’t put much thought into what might be coming next.

As players cleaned out their lockers and spoke to media one final time Tuesday — with the pain of Sunday’s 28-24 defeat by the Montreal Alouettes still fresh in their minds — they were forced to confront the reality that change is coming.

With at least 35 players — or more than 75 per cent of a 45-man game-day roster — still in need of a contract for next season, a list that includes several marquee names, there’s potential for this team to look a whole lot different in 2024.

“My hope is that everybody comes back, obviously,” said Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, who still has two more years left on his current deal. “I don’t know what management has planned but I’m sure they’re already starting their due diligence with the evaluation process. Whether its guys moving on to a better contract or the team moving on from a player or guys just choosing not to play anymore, it all makes it difficult.”

There are several areas of the roster that will need to be addressed, but the Bombers first must decide who’s calling the shots. General manager Kyle Walters is still without a contract for next season, although club president and CEO Wade Miller said during Grey Cup week in Hamilton that those conversations will start immediately.

Assuming Walters gets an extension, he’ll have plenty to ponder over the coming days and months. The entire lineup will need to be closely analyzed and money will have to be spent wisely, as players look to get full value under a strict salary cap.

There’s no greater priority than re-signing running back Brady Oliveira, who is coming off a breakout season, with the 26-year-old Winnipeg native leading the CFL in rushing yards – en route to winning the league’s top Canadian award and being a finalist for the most outstanding player. Oliveira is still considering his future, including plans of testing out the NFL, but if he does return to the Bombers, which is what he wants, it’s not going to be cheap.

“I would hope that we could run it back, do it again next year with the same group of guys, but the reality is that probably won’t happen,” Oliveira said. “It’s a little bit of a concern when you look at it top-down. Kyle has done an amazing job with bringing the right pieces in, so having him back would be huge, so he can get things going and bring in the right pieces again.”

Dalton Schoen is another intriguing piece. He’s been an all-star in both his years in the CFL, including leading the league in receiving his rookie season, and, like Oliveira, will demand a hefty raise. Rasheed Bailey and Drew Wolitarsky, both of whom are asked to do the dirty work as receivers, often leaned on to block at the line of scrimmage, are also pending free agents.

The Bombers offensive line has been the envy of the league for years and their toughness the identity of Winnipeg’s attack. All five starters in 2023 — including tackles Stanley Bryant and Jermarcus Hardrick; guards Patrick Neufeld and Geoff Gray; and centre Chris Kolankowski — need new deals.

Could Bryant, arguably the best offensive lineman in CFL history, be contemplating retirement? He opted not to attend Tuesday’s media availability, so we don’t know for sure, but he’ll be 38 next year and has been contemplating returning to football every winter since the lost 2020 season owing to COVID-19.

“It’s the most important thing, in my opinion,” Collaros said of re-signing the O-line. “It’s everything to the offence, the offensive line, especially the style that we play. Just the amount of detail that has to happen from play to play, I haven’t been in another system that gives them that much freedom, as well as relies on them to make the right call.”

Switching to the other side of the ball, bringing back a majority of the league’s No. 1 defence in 2023 will also prove an uphill battle.

Linebacker Adam Bighill is still under contract, and he insists that despite the torn calf he suffered in the first half of the Western Final, that he’s never felt physically better. But the defensive line, including dominant defensive ends Willie Jefferson and Jackson Jeffcoat, along with starting defensive tackles Jake Thomas and Ricky Walker, are not.

Jefferson and Jeffcoat said they wanted to be back next season, with Jefferson, who lives in Winnipeg with his family year-round, feeling confident that a deal will get done.

“I don’t plan on going anywhere,” Jefferson said. “It’s business and guys understand that and expect change, but this is a good place to be. Guys have made financial sacrifices to be here, but people do deserve what they deserve, and I hope everybody gets what they want and hopefully we can move forward.”

On special teams, dynamic returner Janarion Grant still needs a contract. His health is a concern after missing 10 games this season with an ankle injury, but the Bombers struggled to get strong field position without him.

Kicker Sergio Castillo — another key piece on special teams — is a priority for next season, though it’s likely he re-signs, assuming he wants to play another year at 34 years old. Mike Miller, the CFL’s all-time leader in special-teams tackles, likely won’t be back in Winnipeg after missing the entire season with a serious shoulder injury.

“There’s going to be maybe more change than we’ve had in the last three years,” Bighill said. “Kyle still doesn’t have a contract, so we got to see where that goes before anything else. Hopefully, things get sorted out quick. They’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton