Kickoff: Friday, May 31st, 7:30 p.m. CDT; Princess Auto Stadium
TV/Streaming: CFL+
Radio: 680 CJOB
Notable: Tailgate area opens at 5:30 p.m.
Transportation and parking info: here
Scene Setter
It’s crunch time for every single Winnipeg Blue Bomber wannabe still in camp. One last opportunity to step up or step out with one preseason game remaining and the final roster shaping coming this weekend.
And while the odds seemed to be long for Chris Smith from the very first day he arrived — he’s an American tailback trying to crack a roster that has started a Canadian in the backfield since Andrew Harris in 2016, followed by current CFL rushing champ and hometown product Brady Oliveira — the 24-year-old product of Meridian, KS, has one thought on his mind heading into Friday’s meeting with the Calgary Stampeders:
Bring it. Bring every last bit of it.
“I can do it all from tailback to kick return to punt return. I want to showcase that every opportunity I get the ball,” said Smith, who spent part of last year with the Seattle Seahawks and the San Antonio Brahmas after a solid collegiate career at Louisiana-Lafayette. “It’s another opportunity to showcase myself to these guys and show what I can do to help this team out. In that sense, it’s a great opportunity.
Chris Smith
“That’s what I’m looking forward to the most. I know that guys like Brady and Johnny (Augustine) have been here for a few years and have their roles solidified. But I’m not going to shy away from competing and making sure they’re on their toes and this team is competing at a high level.”
Smith is one of a dozen or so intriguing new prospects still trying to flash one more time for Blue Bomber coaches and management. His skills as a running back have been on display since Day 1 of rookie camp but it’s his potential as a returner which ultimately could earn him a gig. There’s also this: in a camp that has been brutal to some for injuries (see: Adam Bighill, Jamal Parker and Cam Lawson), Smith hasn’t missed a single day.
That toughness, both mental and physical, comes from his days with the Ragin’ Cajuns under then-head coach Billy Napier.
“Training camp was brutal under him,” said Smith. “It was straight, hard-nosed football. He came from Alabama so he took their whole program and made us into a next-level program. We were in pads and we were hitting every day. You just tried to stay healthy through the whole camp so you didn’t miss time. My mindset was just to stay healthy and keep each and every day. It’s still my mindset.
“The dream is play professional football. Almost every kid dreams of playing in the NFL. When that opportunity is taken away and you get another opportunity in another professional league you’ve got to go compete because you might find a home here. Lord’s will, I’ll be here for this team.”
3 THINGS TO WATCH
1. Chance to earn a regular paycheque
Seldom is anything carved in stone on a football depth chart. And often the answers to pressing questions don’t always come immediately. But the last chance to impress in one final audition comes has arrived and the Blue Bombers still have some starting gigs to fill at defensive end and tackle, right tackle and left guard on the O-line, at receiver, at kick returner and all the way through the roster and practice squad.
That means Friday night could make or break some careers.
“The chore for the coaches is to make sure they’re keeping track of all the reps and making sure everybody gets enough reps to evaluate,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “We trimmed down the roster (on Tuesday) a little bit simply because they weren’t going to get the reps, they were going to be standing there.
“There’s a handful of spots that are wide open. As a staff you don’t want to be too early to evaluate and make your judgement. Guys come on at different times and some guys are gamers, so you may see one thing in practice and you see something completely different in a game that’s more pleasing. You’d like it to look the way you want it to look, but it doesn’t always work that way.”
Let’s use the right tackle spot as an example. The Blue Bombers are familiar with Eric Lofton — he was here in 2022 and started games last year for the Saskatchewan Roughriders — but the collection of newcomers at the position is impressive and that’s critical knowing that Stanley Bryant, as solid as he still is en route to a spot in the hall of fame — won’t play forever.
“(Lofton) has started games in this league. That right there is good,” said O’Shea. “Everybody from Marty (Costello, offensive line coach) through everybody else that’s looking at the position likes the fact that there’s some experience there, but he’s not the only one competing for that spot. The guys have done a good job bringing in some very talented and athletic guys in that are the right size and seemed to pick up the playbook well and that will rotate through and we’ll see what everybody can do.
“You’re not just looking for one, you’re looking for a few because at that spot you definitely need guys to be on the team besides the starter.”
Right tackle Eric Lofton (55) alongside Gabe Wallace (61)
2. The QB Depth Chart
The Blue Bombers announced Wednesday that Zach Collaros would not play against the Stampeders and the release of the depth chart Thursday morning lists only Terry Wilson and Darren Grainger as the two pivots, meaning Chris Streveler will also be a spectator.
That presents an excellent opportunity to see if the club might have a true CFL prospect in house. Wilson has the head start, as he has been here since the start of rookie camp and was impressive in the preseason game in Regina by completing 10-of-15 passes for 115 yards and a TD strike to Kevens Clercius. Eric Barriere has come and gone and since been replaced by an impressive contender in Darren Grainger, the former Georgia State star who might have been here for the start of rookie camp, too, if he hadn’t had issues getting his passport in time.
“The transition has been very fast,” Grainger told bluebombers.com this week. “I’ve been meeting with the coach extra and asking a lot of questions of the guys. They’ve been open arms in welcoming me in and get caught up and up to speed.
“I’m getting there. It’s a lot of late nights. You’ve got to study. You’ve got to see it on paper, see it on film and then come out here and do it live. I’m getting more comfortable every day. I’m an example of a dual-threat quarterback. I can make any throw in the playbook and make explosive plays with my legs. You talk about this field being wider — I feel like there’s a lot of plays out there to be made.”
Former Georgia State star Darren Grainger is in the battle for the third-string QB job
3. Replacing a special specialist — Part II
Blue Bomber fans who may have had their fingers crossed Janarion Grant might still resurface in Winnipeg had those hopes quashed earlier this week when the franchise’s all-time leader in kick-return touchdowns signed with the Toronto Argonauts. Caught in a salary-cap squeeze over the winter, Grant has already proven to be a tough man to replace after missing 10 games last year due to injury and the production from his understudies being so-so at best.
That leaves the door wide open for someone new to step in and grab a job ASAP. Three different players returned punts in the first preseason game — Demetries Ford (1-12 yards), Chris Smith (1-10) and Aron Cruickshank (1-7) — while three players had a kickoff return in Smith (2-48), Cruickshank (2-35) and Kody Case (1-24). All but Case will be in the lineup against Calgary.
THE LAST WORD
“There’s plays to be made. Go out and make plays. Go our and show us the brand of football we want to play. There’s spots available and lots of competition and it’s pretty exciting.” — head coach Mike O’Shea.