Opportunity knocks at Bombers camp for speedy receiver Wilson

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This article was published 15/05/2024 (535 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Ontaria Wilson never lost hope and was never close to worrying about if he’d reached the end of the line.

After attending NFL training camp as an undrafted free agent with the Los Angeles Chargers last summer, Wilson waited for the phone to ring. While his patience was tested, he found himself with an opportunity to try and crack the roster of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this spring.

“Of course not,” said Wilson, asked if the thought of retirement ever crossed his mind. “ It was a grind every day to get myself up and go work out and do different field drills and not be down on myself.”

The 24-year-old wide receiver is known for his speed and he had a penchant for finding the end zone during his five seasons with the Florida State Seminoles program in Tallahassee, Fla., finishing with 12 receiving touchdowns and one more rushing major.

“One of my favourite memories from FSU was my very first touchdown — just the atmosphere. It was a home game against North Carolina State,” said Wilson, who hails from Ashburn, Ga. “There were tons of people, it was a night game and I had this slant and go route, I caught it and (was gone). I didn’t have a celebration. I was just happy I caught the ball and scored.”

Inked to a deal before rookie camp, Wilson hopes there are plenty more scores in his future.

While he values the opportunity to be a playmaker, Wilson recognizes the importance of being a good teammate and making a good block to open up holes for those around him.

Those traits should allow him to fit in seamlessly with the culture the Blue Bombers have worked so hard to instil.

“I want to take advantage of every rep I get,” said Wilson. “Not count my reps, but make my reps count. One of things I always like to tell myself is to be where your feet are at. Wherever I’m at, just bring everything I’ve got.”

Wilson enjoyed the experience with the Chargers, which included taking reps with quarterback Justin Herbert in practice and recording a 12-yard reception while suiting up in two pre-season games.

“I caught a few balls from Herbert, but what I’ll take away from the NFL experience is basically just coming in every day and being a pro because you never know when that opportunity is going to leave, so just take advantage of every day,” said Wilson, who grew up rooting for the Atlanta Falcons. “I learned a lot from (Chargers receiver) Keenan Allen, just watching him running routes and being able to tempo in and out of different routes.”

Wilson played a number of sports growing up in Georgia, including baseball, track and field, basketball, but was always drawn to the gridiron.

“I played football ever since I can remember, to be honest,” said Wilson. “My first position was quarterback. That’s where I started out. I’ve got pretty good speed. I would say my speed is a great weapon to have.”

Shortly after signing with the Blue Bombers, Wilson watched a bunch of highlights and got to work on studying the nuances of the CFL game.

“Using the waggle to my advantage,” said Wilson. “I’m still learning it, but I’ve gotten better with it. You can get up on dudes and run past them pretty fast.”

Like many players getting their first taste of the CFL, there are some important adaptations.

“I’m adjusting to how wide the field is and the different angles that the ball is thrown to you,” said Wilson. “When I study, I like to say less is more. The more simple you can keep the play, the quicker you can learn it.

“I just want to make the plays that come to me.”

Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said it was early in the process to be drawing conclusions about Wilson, but a few things have caught his attention.

“As a whole, the group we have in is a pretty conscientious group,” said O’Shea. “One of the things that each guy has to do — and Ontaria has this — is they have to be flexible and versatile. They’ve got to be able to play multiple positions. They have to be able to move around and understand whole concepts rather than I’m in this spot today and that’s what I know.

“He’s one of those guys who can move around and he’s smart.”

Wilson is smart enough to be getting reps with the first-team offence Wednesday, which is important when you consider there could be a vacancy after the departure of Rasheed Bailey in free agency.

The Blue Bombers play their first of two pre-season games on Monday afternoon at Mosaic Field against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Wilson is hoping to have his number called so he can continue to make an impression.

MORE TO GIVE: O’Shea was asked about why it was important for the offence to continue to change, which seemed interesting when you consider the Blue Bombers had one of the most explosive scoring teams in the CFL last season.

“Because I don’t think we’re hitting our potential,” O’Shea said matter-of-factly. “I don’t think (offensive co-ordinator) Buck (Pierce) thinks that either. Also, every year is different. We have to remind ourselves of that. And the fact it hasn’t been good enough at the end the past couple of years.

“These guys want to be the best they possibly can be and we have a group that you can really push. You can keep giving them more. That’s one of the things I think Buck is so good at. He’s creative and he just keeps on giving them more and seeing where we end up. The players are the same way. They take a new concept or a new idea and their minds go, ‘Whoa, we can do this and we can do that,’ and they start adding stuff to it and talking about it and how good that can be. I don’t know, I don’t think we’d want to stay the same.”

While one might think the offence could fall under the category of, ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it,’ given the number of core pieces returning for the 2024 CFL season, it’s clear O’Shea and company feel there is another level to reach.

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That could be a scary proposition for opponents.

MOVES MADE: The Blue Bombers announced the latest round of cuts Wednesday morning and they included Canadian Linebacker Jared Beeksma, American receiver Ravi Alston, American running back Ronnie Brown, American defensive lineman John Waggoner, American defensive back Raleigh Texada and American defensive back CJ Siegel. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the release of Alston, who had spent some time early in training camp working with the first-team offence.

There were also a couple of notable absences on defence for Wednesday’s on-field workout, including middle linebacker Adam Bighill and defensive backs Jamal Parker and Noah Hallett, all of whom were moved to the six-game injured list on Wednesday afternoon.

ken.wiebe@freepress.mb.ca

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Ken Wiebe
Reporter

Ken Wiebe is a sports reporter for the Free Press, with an emphasis on the Winnipeg Jets. He has covered hockey and provided analysis in this market since 2000 for the Winnipeg Sun, The Athletic, Sportsnet.ca and TSN. Ken was a summer intern at the Free Press in 1999 and returned to the Free Press in a full-time capacity in September of 2023. Read more about Ken.

Every piece of reporting Ken 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.