Watson deal gives Blue flexibility

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This article was published 29/01/2015 (4176 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PHOENIX — Thursday may go down as the day Blue Bombers GM Kyle Walters gave himself a chance land the non-import free agent offensive lineman Winnipeg so desperately needs.

Walters off-loaded injury-prone veteran receiver Cory Watson and his salary to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a major cash swing that puts the Bombers in an even better position to chase the likes of Riders tackle Ben Heenan or Toronto Argonauts offensive lineman Tyler Holmes when free agency officially begins on Feb. 10.

There will be lots of competition for Heenan and Holmes but Walters has positioned himself to be in the fight.

The Bombers sent Watson and the 26th pick in this year’s CFL Draft to the Roughriders in exchange for the 15th pick, Canadian wide receiver Kris Bastien and the rights to an undisclosed player on Saskatchewan’s negotiation list.

The difference between Watson’s and Bastien’s salaries is $60,000. Walters may have given up the best player in the trade but opened up his options and turned something into nothing.

The reality is Watson was not interested in coming back to Winnipeg and had threatened retirement if he wasn’t traded. So, Walters got a prospect, improved his draft position and freed up cap space for the price of a player he wasn’t going to retain.

Cap space may be the key to the transaction since the Riders now find themselves with Watson’s heavier salary and the pressure to sign a number of pending free agents that will be targeting major paydays.

Heenan and receiver Weston Dressler are at the top of the list and both will be commanding well over $200,000 per year, making it difficult to imagine Riders GM Brendan Taman fitting both under the salary cap.

Dressler is top priority for the Riders and with Montreal Alouettes GM Jim Popp handing his prized receiver S.J. Green a reported $250,000-per- season contract with a three-year term, the market for Dressler has now been set.

Taman will spend the next two weeks with his hair on fire trying to ink both these players, but the task is beginning to look insurmountable.

Holmes has shown little interest in re-signing with Toronto and appears set to chase a payday. Heenan has had some NFL workouts with the San Diego Chargers and New Orleans Saints but has yet to sign an NFL deal.

Walters finds himself with a need on the offensive line and lots of money to spend. If Heenan and Holmes are available when the market opens, look for Walters to pursue at least one of the two and possibly both.

The quick take on the trade is Walters has moved a talented but oft-injured asset for development pieces.

Watson is the most polished and accomplished player in the deal but he couldn’t stay on the field during his time in Winnipeg. For the Bombers, it was quite evident it was time to move on even before Watson indicated he would rather retire than play another season in Winnipeg.

“Rory (Kohlert) and Julian (Feoli-Gudino) demonstrated to us they could play last year when they were given the chance,” said Walters. “We’re comfortable going with them as our Canadian receivers. We liked Kris (Bastien) at the draft. He’s a development project but he’s got all the physical assets. He’s big and he can move.”

The 30-year-old Watson is both tough and talented. When healthy, he’s capable of being a ratio-breaker. A Canadian receiver who can lead his team. But staying healthy and getting on the field has increasingly been an issue and he missed 13 starts as well as parts of many more games during his five-year stretch with the Bombers.

Bastien, at 6-3 and 205 pounds, spent last season on Saskatchewan’s practice roster. He recorded 37 receptions for 592 yards and six touchdowns in eight games with Concordia during the 2013 season.

The book on Bastien is he’s a big, young receiver who needs to learn the game and sharpen his routes and understanding of a pro offence.

Watson joined the Bombers in 2010 and played in 67 games, totalling 178 receptions for 2,217 yards and six touchdowns.

The 2011 season saw Watson catch 69 balls for 793 yards and he appeared headed for stardom. But injury limited him and he never caught more than 40 passes in a season again and last year he had just 21 receptions for 287 yards.

Maybe Watson stays healthy and puts up big numbers in Regina. But for Walters it was time to move. Winnipeg improves it’s draft position and gets a young receiver who will immediately help on special teams while potentially developing into a Canadian starter.

Watson had become a permanent question mark in Winnipeg and now Walters has traded one gamble for another.

Winnipeg got younger and healthier while moving up in the draft. The Riders got a player who, when right, is capable of great things.

If Watson can play and stay on the field, the Riders will immediately have the best player in the deal.

Give the Riders the edge today. But if this move puts Walters into a position where he can win the Heenan and/or Holmes sweepstakes, this deal most decidedly swings in Winnipeg’s favour.

gary.lawless@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @garylawless