Bombers’ Lawson champing at the bit

Cam Lawson entered the visitors’ training room inside Mosaic Stadium last spring without an inkling that he was about to receive news that would begin the most difficult year of his life.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ promising defensive tackle had an unsettling feeling in his right knee that arose during the first half of the club’s pre-season opener against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, but was blindsided to hear it was far more serious than it looked or felt.

“It was really random. I didn’t feel it at all. I hyperextended my leg for maybe half a second, continued on in the play — no pop or anything like that — played the rest of the drive, I believe. And then I came off and my leg felt a little unstable, a little weird, so I was like, ‘I’ll get it checked out at (halftime).’ Went inside and the doctor is like… ‘You don’t have an ACL,’” Lawson recalled Tuesday after completing his first full practice session of the season.

Not knowing the severity is exactly what made it so difficult for Lawson to come to grips with the situation.

There was no pain. No swelling. No dramatic stoppage in play while he is carted off the field.

It was as unassuming as an unbuckled chinstrap.

“It kind of hit me out of the blue,” he said.

“Right after I found out, I was in the locker room, and I called my mom, and that was the hard part. That was probably one of the hardest phone calls I ever had to make.”

Making the injury all the more odd, Lawson was back in the gym three days later, running and front-squatting over 400 pounds without an issue. The most pain he experienced was in the week following his surgery, which almost never happened. Because Lawson looked so comfortable on his knee, he and the Bombers’ training staff considered rehabbing it for a couple of months before letting him play the rest of the season with a brace on.

Concerns for his long-term health prevailed, however, and sent him under the knife. He’s only 26 years old, with hopes for a long and fruitful career ahead, so it wasn’t worth the potential risk of further damaging the knee.

“That’s easily the toughest thing I’ve ever had to go through. Just in life, honestly,” Lawson said. “The rehab for sure, especially the whole year it took, so that’s just why it’s so nice to be back out here again and be able to run and just be with the guys.”

The 6-3, 290-pounder out of Caledon, Ont., was projected to be a big piece along Winnipeg’s defensive front last season before his injury. After joining the Bombers in 2022, Lawson broke out in 2023 with eight defensive tackles, five sacks and an interception across 15 games.

“He’s just dying to play,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “I think the guys are excited for him to get out there. Everybody knows how hard these guys work. There’s a whole group of them, and every year there’s a few more. Suffer a setback and have to grind your way out of it, and he’s one of them for sure. He’s been working extremely hard to get back to this spot.”

Lawson’s was the second of three major knee injuries early on for the Bombers last season. He went down a week after defensive back Jamal Parker Jr. tore his ACL during the opening week of camp, and receiver Dalton Schoen followed after suffering the same injury in Week 3 of the regular season.

There were mental hurdles Lawson overcame, including a setback at the nine-month mark that delayed his start to training camp, but he leaned on Parker, Schoen and his family through the regular season and during the darkest days of the off-season.

“I couldn’t imagine what it would be like without those guys. They were there every step of the way with me, and we grew really close together as friends and as teammates. I appreciate them so much more than I ever have, and they put in so much work and effort, and it really pushed me to put in more effort and work. So shoutout to them, they’re great. And I’m happy to see them playing, too,” he said.

Lawson’s full practice session comes after his limited camp appearance on Monday, when he went for close to 90 minutes in individual drills but did not participate in either team period. That cost him a picture with Schoen and Parker, who had planned to commemorate their return to the field with a group photo.

They will take another one together and include quarterback Chris Streveler, who joined the rehab group halfway through the season.

“What you don’t know until you do it is how long of a process it is, and so it’s very overwhelming when you’re looking at the whole thing. So you kind of got to zone in on one day at a time,” Schoen said.

“Me, ’Mal and Cam, we were all in the treatment room together, we’re lifting and all this type of stuff, so you’re seeing these guys do it every single day. So people who were viewing it from an outside perspective, it’s like, ‘Oh, it’s been a year, you’re healed up now,’ but, for us, we saw each other go through the steps and the process every single day. And so that’s probably why it means even more to see him back out here, because you know how hard that guy worked to be here. Super happy for Cam, ’Mal and myself.”

Lawson has put on some muscle since the last time he was on the field. He will play this season around 290 pounds, up from the 275 pounds he weighed in 2023.

He will also wear a knee brace all season, which he said is typical for heavier players who suffer major injuries.

“I’m coming to play ball,” Lawson said. “I’m bigger than I was in 2023 and just as fast, just as strong, so I’m ready to make some plays and get back out there.”

 

Injury update

Running back Brady Oliveira and receiver Keric Wheatfall did not practise on Tuesday. It was the second day in a row for Oliveria, who continues to rest after playing in last weekend’s pre-season contest.

Receiver Dillon Mitchell was not present for the session. O’Shea confirmed it was an excused absence.

The more concerning development came near the end of practice as defensive back Redha Kramdi limped to the bench while grabbing at his left groin on the last play of team period. He sat out the rest of the session and was visibly frustrated while walking into the locker room afterward.

“I didn’t see,” O’Shea said after practice. “I have no update, and with Redha, I’m never concerned with that guy. He’s nails.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jfreysam