Thomas Skrlj/CFL.ca
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers representing the West Division at the Grey Cup has become tradition over the last half decade. But there was a time earlier this season where a fifth straight trip was anything but guaranteed.
The Bombers started 0-4 and were 2-6 eight games into the season. Superstar receivers Kenny Lawler (Week 1) and Dalton Schoen (Week 3) both went down with long-term injuries. Then centrepiece linebacker Adam Bighill sustained a season-ending injury in early September.
You could easily have chalked this up in the “not their year” column. But Winnipeg wasn’t interested in going down that road. Instead, the Blue Bombers closed the regular season on a 9-1 run and wrapped up first place in the West once again.
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Veterans like Zach Collaros and Brady Oliveira brought their game to a different level. Lawler returned in Week 11 and went into full beast mode down the stretch. Third-year defensive back Evan Holm exploded onto the scene. And, perhaps most importantly, a whole cast of new faces stepped in and stepped up.
As the Blue Bombers prepare to take on the Toronto Argonauts in the 111th Grey Cup, here are five of those new faces who could have a huge impact in Sunday’s showdown.
TYRELL FORD | DEFENSIVE BACK
While this was technically Ford’s second CFL season, I think he still qualifies here. After all, Ford was a bit player in 2022 and spent all of last year south of the border. In his return to Winnipeg this season, though, Ford truly arrived.
Spending all season at boundary corner, Ford finished second overall with seven interceptions to go along with 51 defensive tackles. And per Bryson Vesnaver at Pro Football Focus, Ford was the league’s top-ranked defensive back while also scoring the league’s best coverage rating.
ONTARIA WILSON, KERIC WHEATFALL, KEVENS CLERCIUS | RECEIVERS
With Schoen’s season ending before it really got started and Lawler missing eight games with injury, Winnipeg needed the most help at receiver. Led by Wilson, they got it.
The team’s nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie, Wilson went for 1,026 receiving yards and three touchdowns in his first CFL season and helped stem the tide during Lawler’s absence with three mid-season games over 100 yards. A big play threat on every snap, Wilson finished fourth overall with 31 explosive receptions per PFF.
Starting on the practice roster, Wheatfall got his shot following Lawler’s injury and made an immediate impression with 111 yards in a Week 2 CFL debut. After being sidelined with a hamstring injury, Wheatfall finished strong down the stretch and caught his first CFL touchdown in Week 17 vs. Edmonton.
Then there’s Clercius, who came on as a rookie despite being drafted 13th overall less than six months ago. Working his way more and more into the rotation, Clercius racked up 15 targets and 10 receptions in his final four appearances. There’s always a sneaky Canadian who emerges at a Grey Cup and the Montreal-born Clercius is a candidate to keep an eye on.
TONY JONES | LINEBACKER
The news of losing Bighill for the season in September must have felt like a sledgehammer to the gut for the Bombers. Not only is Bighill one of Winnipeg’s defensive generals, he’s also an emotional and locker room leader. Had it not been for the emergence of Jones, the loss of Bighill may have been too much for the Blue Bombers to overcome.
Edmonton making Jones a late training camp cut and Winnipeg signing him a week later look like two rather important decisions, hey? Starting at WILL linebacker in Week 8, Jones moved to the middle in Week 16. Jones quickly established himself as one of the CFL’s surest tacklers and finished with a 9.0 per cent miss rate, which was PFF’s fourth-lowest number amongst linebackers.
