Free agent signing Bryant hopes to reward Bombers

CFL.ca Staff

WINNIPEG — As new and unproven players enter training camp looking to impress their coaches and fit in with their team, nothing is more coveted at this time of year than a CFL roster spot.

It’s a memory Bombers new left tackle Stanley Bryant won’t soon forget considering about five years ago, the now-29-year-old was one of those players – cutting his teeth in camp with the Calgary Stampeders after signing almost a year after being released by the NFL’s Denver Broncos.

For most football players in general, that will always describe the reality – players constantly having to prove their worth to stay on a roster. But while that aspect never really changes, on rare occasions a select few players get to flip the script and themselves become the ones in demand.

Rather than facing the pressure of forcing his way onto a CFL roster this off-season, Bryant had the pleasure of multiple teams vying for his services. Free agency is a reward for some of the game’s top performers, one Bryant didn’t always envision coming to fruition in his career.

“It’s a great feeling,” said Bryant. “I never thought it would come to this point where I’m one of those guys, but the hard work paid off and I’m here.”

“It shows that you’re proven and the hard work and things you’ve done in the past are finally paying off,” he added. “Teams are finally willing to bring you in and make you their primary guy.”

The Bombers made Bryant, one of the off-season’s most coveted free agents, their guy. Now the Goldsboro, N.C. native will look to reward their faith in him after they rewarded his first five seasons in the CFL as a left tackle.

Bryant knows he has the chance to make an instant impact for Winnipeg, anchoring a line that’s undergone some serious reconstruction this off-season after allowing a franchise record 70 sacks a year ago. The Bombers also added hard-nosed centre Dominic Picard and veteran international Marc Dile, along with the mean streak of second overall pick Sukh Chungh out of Calgary.

“The guys that have been there are used to how things have been done, but I think this year things will change and they’ll change for the better,” said Bryant. “I think we’ll be a more explosive aggressive group.”

Three teams other than Calgary were in on the pursuit of Bryant on the opening day of free agency, but the six-foot-five, 313-pound tackle said he knew early in the process that Winnipeg looked like his team.

A young quarterback in Drew Willy to lead the team, the stadium and the fans were among his reasoning, but the biggest reason may have been the challenge. Bryant won a Grey Cup as the anchor of the Stampeders’ offensive line last season, and it seems he felt the time was right for a new challenge.

“Just winning and turning this thing around,” started Bryant. “I just want to be a part of that and make history. I want to do something no team has ever done.”

“I feel like a lot of guys are all playing like we’re not going to be as good just because they added me and some other key guys, but I feel like we’re going to do this thing,” he said. “We’re going to get the job done and we’re going to get to the Grey Cup.”

If nothing else, Bryant’s signing signifies a culture change in Winnipeg. In a couple of short years since Kyle Walters took over as general manager and Mike O’Shea was named head coach, the franchise has become a desirable destination for free agents – one where players seem to believe they may not only enjoy state of the art facilities and a ravenous fan base, but also a top-notch front office and ultimately the opportunity to win football games.

All nine CFL teams courted recently-signed defensive lineman Jamaal Westerman, a New York native but a CFL national who played high school football in Brampton, Ont. Westerman chose the Bombers over every other CFL team.

If you ask Bryant, that would come as no surprise.

“The stadium is nice, the fans are great – they’re amazing,” said Bryant, typically calm in demeanor but visibly passionate when it topic involves the Bombers. “I compare Winnipeg fans to Saskatchewan fans, but Winnipeg fans are classier. In Saskatchewan they’re ruder.”

Watch: Bryant meets the Winnipeg media