The 2025 season was one to forget for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and their fans. With Winnipeg hosting the Grey Cup and the Bombers not even close to making it to that game, there was a lot to fix for the 2026 season.
One of those areas was at receiver. In 2025 the Bombers let a lot of their top tier receivers walk, instead of shelling out the big bucks to keep them. (I wrote about that here). And on November 20, 2025 I said, “I expect the Bombers to approach this offseason and this free agency differently. Look for them to sign more offensive linemen and more proven receivers.” (Read more about that here). So it should come as no surprise that the Bombers are trying to improve that area.
Welcome Christian Fredericksen
After you try and find receivers in free agency, your next move is to find guys coming out of college. And the Bombers have found a big one! At six feet three inches and 208 pounds, Christian Fredericksen is not your prototypical CFL receiver.
“In his collegiate career, Fredericksen totalled 148 receptions for 2,071 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 14.0 yards per catch.
In his 2024 season, Fredericksen recorded 66 receptions for 915 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 13.9 yards per catch and was named First Team All Big-Sky Conference. He averaged 6.1 receptions and 85.1 receiving yards per game.” (Source)
One of the assets a CFL receiver can bring with them is a catch radius. Sure, making impressive catches and highlight reel one-hand catches are impressive, but for my money, I want a guy who can go up there and catch a 50/50 ball more times that not. And looking at Christian Fredericksen, he just might have that ability.
But he is going to need to bring more than that if he hopes to crack the Bombers roster. While the Bombers are always interested in talent, they also weigh character and attitude. That might be one of the reasons that it has been years since the Bombers have experienced a bozo eruption.
From the Bombers CFL Combine, “A player can be an all-star in college and throw up great numbers in testing, but if red flags pop up in the interview, scheduled to run a maximum of 15 minutes, it can be crushing…It’s a job interview,” explained Walters. It’s, ‘Are you trying to impress?’ because it’s more than just football. Are you going to try to be part of our team, or are you just going to be a football player? We really like to find the guys who are good football players who are going to be good teammates on top of that…“You’re still looking at everything, but the interview is like a check — it’s, ‘This good football player is a good dude. Check.’ Or it could be, ‘This good football player is probably not, and would not be a good fit.’ Uncheck.” (Source)
So, while the measurables look good, time will tell if Christian Fredericksen is Blue Bomber material. All you have to do is remember way back to 2010…does the name Greg Carr sound familiar? He was also a big receiver. Listed at 6 feet 6 inches and 217 pounds, he had a lot going for him. But he got lazy. Instead of trying to make a catch in his big catch radius, he would give up on the ball and hope for a pass interference call. That type of playing is not something that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will tolerate. and While Christian Fredericksen may never have heard of Greg Carr, he would be best served to make sure that he does not fall into the same trap.
Final Thoughts
For me, the jury is still out on Christian Fredericksen. It is simply too early to tell what his CFL career will be like, and how long it will last. You can have very good college stats, but the CFL is a different animal. It is often said that receiver is the hardest position to transition from 4 down football to 3 down football. And if for no other reason it the the uniquely Canadian waggle.
However, should Christian Fredericksen be able to figure out the waggle, and come in with a working man’s attitude, this may be a great under the radar signing for the Bombers!
What do you think? Let me know in the comments section wherever you are reading this. Catch all my articles here.
