The Winnipeg Blue Bombers will open training camp on Sunday morning, marking the start of the team’s quest to qualify for a home Grey Cup for the first time in franchise history.
Reaching the Grey Cup hasn’t been a problem for the Blue Bombers in recent years as they’ve made five in a row, though winning has proven to be a challenge. Winnipeg lost the Grey Cup for a third straight year in 2024, this time in one-sided fashion as the Toronto Argonauts ran up the score following some late-game takeaways.
The Blue Bombers retained many key players this past offseason, though there were also some big losses. After boasting arguably the league’s best Canadian talent last year, general manager Kyle Walters had admitted that the team’s ratio flexibility will be diminished in 2025.
Without further ado, here are seven position battles to watch in training camp with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers this year.
Backup QB
Chris Streveler is Winnipeg’s incumbent second-stringer and won his lone start in 2024, though he failed to prove that his time spent in the NFL did anything to improve his game as a passer. The gregarious gunslinger threw for 343 yards, one touchdown, and one interception in roughly six quarters of work before suffering a torn ACL, MCL, and partially torn PCL, an injury from which he has since recovered. Streveler remained effective as a rusher, however, carrying the ball 87 times for 272 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Shea Patterson is probably the passer best positioned to unseat Streveler as he started seven games for Saskatchewan in 2024, going 2-4-1. His numbers weren’t brilliant – he threw for 1,655 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions – but Patterson has been a member of seven professional teams across four different leagues. The 28-year-old knows how to get acclimated to a new system and be a solid, if unspectacular backup.
Winnipeg’s depth chart is filled out with Terry Wilson, who completed one pass as a rookie last year, and Chase Artopoeus, who started 15 games over two seasons at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga. If either passer can prove they have long-term upside, they’ll probably stick around. If not, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Winnipeg opted for a veteran quarterback room in 2025, particularly with U Sports standout Taylor Elgersma in the pipeline after being taken in the second round of the 2025 CFL Draft.
The battle for the backup job has taken on more significant meaning since Zach Collaros was suspended for the first game of the regular season. Whoever wins it will not only be the second-stringer after Collaros returns but also the starter for Winnipeg’s home-opener.
Receiver
Four of the starting spots in Winnipeg’s receiving corps appear to be locked down with Dalton Schoen, Nic Demski, Dillon Mitchell, and Kevens Clercius pencilled into those roles. This leaves one spot open – likely the boundary slotback position vacated by Kenny Lawler – with a few intriguing options available.
The two players who should have the inside track are Reggie White Jr. and Jerreth Sterns, who signed in Winnipeg following stints with the Alouettes and Roughriders, respectively. White was considered a rising star in Montreal in 2022 when he suffered a devastating knee injury, which caused him to miss the entire 2023 season and the first few weeks of 2024. Sterns, meanwhile, simply couldn’t find a long-term spot in Saskatchewan’s lineup due to the loaded nature of their receiving corps.
Keric Wheatfall, who started seven games as a rookie last season, should also be in the mix, though his production faltered after recording a 100-yard game in his first career start. Myron Mitchell and Kody Case, both of whom were on the roster last season, have also been retained alongside eight newcomers at the receiver position. Clearly, the Blue Bombers have cast a wide net as they look to upgrade the pass-catching talent around Zach Collaros.
Guard
Incumbent left guard Liam Dobson, who was named All-West Division in his first season as a starter last year, left for a big-money deal in Hamilton, creating a gaping hole along the interior of the offensive line. Kyle Walters told the media last week that the spot could be filled by an American player, specifying that’s why Kendall Randolph and Micah Vanterpool have been kept around since the start of last year.
Randolph probably has the inside track as he started five games last season — three at right guard and two at left tackle. The University of Alabama product would provide the club with less ratio flexibility given his American passport but has shown he can get the job done at least on an interim basis. Vanterpool, who finished his collegiate career as a starter at guard at the University of Hawaii, spent almost all of last year on the practice roster, dressing for two games in a depth role.
Tui Eli should also get consideration as the Canadian has previously started at guard, including one game in 2024. Gabe Wallace, last year’s second-round pick from Nelson, B.C., has a “big, big future” according to Walters, though it remains to be seen if that means he’ll start this year. Ethan Vibert, who was just drafted in the third round out of South Dakota State, has experience at guard and centre and should at least make the practice roster after training camp.
Defensive tackle
The Blue Bombers are only bringing six defensive tackles to training camp, all of whom have previously been members of the team. Therefore, this training camp battle is probably less about seeing who makes the roster and instead determining who cracks the starting lineup.
The ageless Jake Thomas is back for season No. 13 with the Blue Bombers and started all 18 regular-season games in 2024. That may not have been the case, however, if Cameron Lawson hadn’t suffered a torn ACL during the preseason. The native of Caledon, Ont. should duke it out with Thomas for one starting job, though both will likely see plenty of action regardless of who starts. Canada West alumni Tanner Schmekel and Collin Kornelson should compete for the depth role behind them.
The only two American defensive tackles coming to training camp are Jamal Woods and Devin Adams. Woods made 14 starts last season, recording 20 tackles and two sacks, while Adams made 16 tackles and four sacks. It’s possible that both make the team again in 2025, though one of the two might get squeezed out if the Blue Bombers opt to play more Canadians along the interior due their limited roster flexibility at other positions.
Weak-side linebacker
This job has belonged to Kyrie Wilson on and off since 2017, though there’s a bright new challenger in the mix. With Tony Jones likely locked in at middle linebacker as the heir apparent to Adam Bighill, Jonathon Jones signed a relatively big-money deal to join the Blue Bombers following three seasons in Toronto. Based on his contract alone, the former Argonaut appears to be the front-runner to start at weak-side linebacker.
Wilson, who made 28 tackles and one sack in 2024, should still get a chance to compete for the job, as should Michael Ayers, who made 17 special teams tackles as a rookie.
Based on the relatively high draft selections of Connor Shay and Jaylen Smith, the former of whom remains unsigned due to an NFL rookie mini-camp invitation, it appears this could also become a Canadian spot in the future. For now, however, it’ll be up to a handful of Americans to duke it out for the starting role on defence.
Cornerback
Tyrell Ford’s free-agent departure to Edmonton has left a gaping hole at field-side cornerback, where the Niagara Falls, Ont. native earned an All-CFL selection this past season. Jamal Parker will likely get the first chance to win the job as he started for stints in 2022 and 2023 and may have done so again in 2024 had he not suffered a torn ACL during training camp.
Dexter Lawson Jr., who played 13 games over two years in Hamilton, should also receive consideration for the role, as should Marquise Bridges and Russell Dandy, both of whom were with the Blue Bombers last season. Bridges made one start at boundary halfback in place of an injured Deatrick Nichols and also filled a depth role at strong-side linebacker, recording seven defensive tackles and one forced fumble over eight games. Dandy, meanwhile, spent a part of the year on the practice roster.
Winnipeg is bringing a dozen other defensive backs to training camp, which is typical for CFL teams, so there be plenty of other competition. One player to watch Quandre Mosley, who has tantilizing measurables and has previously been a member of five different NFL teams.
Safety
Brandon Alexander wasn’t retained following his seventh season with the Blue Bombers, leaving his incumbent spot at safety open for the taking. Michael Griffin II was sensational in a rotational and special teams role last year, recording 24 defensive tackles, 16 special teams tackles, and one sack, so the job is probably his to lose.
For a team looking to improve its ratio flexibility, however, this could be a position where Winnipeg considers going Canadian. Jaylen Smith, the team’s second-round pick out of the University of North Texas, has some safety traits, while five-year veteran Nick Hallett has made spot starts in the past. Jake Kelly was taken in the second-round of the 2023 CFL Draft as a potential future starter, though it’s unclear if he’s healthy after suffering a serious injury late last year.
Josh Hagerty was added in free agency as a special teams contributor, though he made a few spot starts as a rookie with the Argonauts in 2021. Ethan Ball, Winnipeg’s sixth-round pick in the 2025 CFL Draft, is also worth mentioning — though he was a relatively late-round pick, Ball would have been taken higher most years as this was a particularly strong group of defensive backs.
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