Bombers receiving corps black and blue Schoen joins Lawler on team’s injury list By: Taylor Allen Posted: 8:10 PM CDT Monday, Jun. 24, 2024

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In less than a month, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers went from having the best receiving corps in the league to arguably the worst.

Dalton Schoen was placed on the six-game injured list on Monday, joining fellow star pass catcher Kenny Lawler who broke his arm in Week 1.

Schoen left Friday’s 26-24 loss to the B.C. Lions in the second half with a non-contact injury and was spotted on crutches after the game.

“It’s going to be a while (before he’s healthy again),” admitted head coach Mike O’Shea after Monday’s practice. “He’ll be on the six-game and we’ll see after that.”

Lawler’s replacement Keric Wheatfall — who impressed in his CFL debut with 111 receiving yards on five grabs in Week 2 — also went down with an injury against the Lions and has been added to the six-game list.

“Yeah, (Wheatfall will) probably be a little while, too,” O’Shea said. “I don’t know how long that’s going to be… It’s not short.”

The offence has struggled through the first three games and now they will have to somehow find their rhythm with two of their biggest weapons on the sideline.

The Blue and Gold hit the road this week to take on the Calgary Stampeders (1-1) on Saturday.

“It’s been hard this year, bro. We’ve got a lot of guys going down and I hate seeing my friends in pain,” said veteran receiver Drew Wolitarsky.

“I’ve been there. It’s a daunting feeling getting that news, whatever it is. The hardest part is not being able to contribute. I know those guys are really hurting, especially when you’re seeing the team lose. They want to be out here helping us win.

“We’re going to be there for them. I know it’s a tough time, man. I know it’s hard, so we’re going to do everything we can to keep them involved. Dalton’s going to have to put his coaching hat on and Kenny’s got his coaching hat on.

“We’ve got to get these young guys up to speed.”

There’s help available on the market — Lucky Whitehead and Duke Williams, to name a few — but the Bombers appear to be sticking with what they have. The lone move they made was signing receiver Ravi Alston, who they cut during training camp, to the practice squad. Alston joined the club midway through 2023 and started the regular season finale but didn’t make a catch.

With half the group in sick bay, American rookie Josh Johnson and second-year Canadian Jeremy Murphy worked with the starters — Wolitarsky, Nic Demski, and Ontaria Wilson — Monday.

Murphy, a third-round pick out of Concordia in the 2023 CFL Draft, dressed in two games last year and Johnson, a 24-year-old out of Tulsa, was most recently with the USFL’s Birmingham Stallions where he had two catches for 13 yards in four games.

“That’s exactly where the challenge is — the experience. How do we get them up to speed? How does Kenny and Dalton impart all the knowledge, all the experience they’ve gained, how do they give it to them? How do Woli and Nic make sure the guys are getting all the experience they need?” said O’Shea.

“They’re good. They’re capable. They can run, they can jump, they can catch, they can run routes, they can get out of the breaks, they can do all those things and they can learn the playbook. The experience — recognizing CFL defences and reacting accordingly is maybe a little more challenging. They’re all capable of playing receiver and helping us win football games.”

The Bombers are averaging a league-worst 18.3 points per game thus far and quarterback Zach Collaros has yet to throw a touchdown pass.

Unless they have a diamond in the rough on the roster, things aren’t likely to improve for Collaros and Co.

“Osh said the other day everyone is brought here as a starter. So, the next-man-up mentality — whatever you want to call it — that’s how a lot of people get their career going. I was one of those people,” said Collaros.

“We’ve got to be ready to go and I think that we have the group that is so I’m excited for those guys to get their opportunity.”

Demski and Wolitarsky can expect to be very busy moving forward.

Schoen’s production will be nearly impossible to replace as he has 2,822 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns in 37 games.

“Me and Nic just had a conversation today, a heart to heart, and we’re gonna have to take a lot more responsibility,” said Wolitarsky. “We got to be ready for that, be leaders, and be examples.”

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

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