Wilson ready to return to action against Elks

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This article was published 18/09/2024 (354 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Kyrie Wilson felt ready to return to game action as of Wednesday, but Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea wasn’t prepared to declare his versatile linebacker a full go for this week’s contest in Edmonton.

Wilson missed the last six games with a shoulder injury but has been a full participant in consecutive practices to begin the week.

“Feeling good. Feeling like everything is back in order, just ready to go whenever my name is called,” Wilson said. “It’s all up to coach O’Shea and I respect whatever decision he makes.”

He would certainly be a welcomed return to a defence that is likely to be without linebacker Adam Bighill for the remainder of the season.

Wilson has been a chess piece on the Bombers’ defence this season, used to rush the passer, plug holes in the running game and drop into coverage. He’s recorded one sack and 28 defensive tackles in seven games this season.

On Tuesday, O’Shea said Wilson was “a possibility” to play against the Elks at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday (6 p.m.). He upgraded his positioning slightly on Wednesday.

“Watching the film after, I thought he looked pretty good. We’ll see, but he still remains an option,” O’Shea said.

Wilson, 31, missed most of the 2022 season with an Achilles tendon injury, so the recovery from his latest ailment is nothing new.

Still, six games away felt longer than it actually was.

“When you ain’t playing, it just feels like time is going by. At the same time, just did my best to stay with the process, just doing everything that the trainers are telling me to do and just try to stay in it the best I can,” he said.

“It’s not new so you just gotta remember what you did last time and just stick to the script.”

Wilson maintained it won’t take long for him to find his way once he returns to game action.

“The biggest thing for me is just getting the feel back. Maybe the first couple of plays, just getting the feel back, getting back into that action. Even if I’m not hurt, to get me really locked in, either I gotta get hit or make a hit,” Wilson said.

“After that, I should be ready to ride.”

***

On another full participant in practice, O’Shea remains optimistic that left tackle Stanley Bryant (illness) will play this week.

“I talked to him this morning and he said he’s doing good,” O’Shea said Wednesday.

Bryant, 38, was stretchered off the field on the Bombers’ first offensive possession against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 27 with what was declared a combination of the heat and him being sick at the time.

The 14-year pro attempted to walk off the field twice, once with the support of staff, before taking a knee and vomiting. He was taken to hospital and released the next morning.

Nearly a month later, after consulting with medical professionals, Bryant still isn’t sure what caused the issue, though, he said it wasn’t due to the heat.

“Not really. I’m from the south, so, no, heat won’t be a problem,” Bryant said Tuesday. “I don’t really know too much further than just a viral illness.”

Bryant, who could only describe the sensation as “not feeling like himself,” said he panicked after he couldn’t leave the field on his own.

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“In the moment, I knew I hit someone but I was like, ‘I didn’t hit no one that hard to have a concussion.’ But I can’t say it’s not that because I’ve never had a concussion before a day in my life,” he said.

While refraining from declaring himself a full-go, Bryant liked his chances to play this weekend as long as he suffers no setbacks in practice.

“I’m just glad it’s over and I feel like myself.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

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Joshua Frey-Sam
Reporter

Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.

Every piece of reporting Josh 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.