As free agency looms – opening February 14th noon ET– The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been pretty quiet this week when it comes to re-signing their potential free agents. The only signing so far this week came in the form of Shayne Gauthier which will be his seventh season with the Bombers. This Canadian linebacker comes in at 5-10 and weighs 223 pounds.
From the CFL Player stats you will notice that the 2022 season was arguably his best season in the CFL. While he has a season high 28 defensive tackles he had the least amount of special teams tackles in his career – but did register 2 quarterback sacks.
The Winnipeg Blue Bomber still have a lot of work to do!
Either they are working out deals for their other pending free agents or they are looking at contingency plans. However, listen to past interviews with Bombers’ General Manager Kyle Walters, the reality is that they are probably doing both. The previously mentioned Shayne Gauthier was a fourth round pick for the Bombers in 2016 and has only gotten better with time!
While the Bombers’ pending free agent list is starting to whittle down I kept being asked by fans about Demski and Grant – neither of whom have yet been re-signed.
Demski is an all-purpose player who can block, get yards after the catch, catch the ball in the back-field and make a positive gain, as well as open up the field for other players. Recoding a season high 10 touchdowns in 2022 he will be a hard player to replace should he not re-sign with Winnipeg!
If you are wondering why all the fuss over Janarion Grant it is because he is an absolute game changer! In 2022 he averaged 9 yards receiving and 9.3 yards rushing. Yes, he only caught the ball 16 times, and only rushed 16 times, in 2022, but every time he touched the ball he made it count. He also had 2 punt return touchdowns, 1 kickoff return touchdown, and averaged 30 yards on 3 missed field goal returns. Every time Grant touches the ball the Bomber fans hold their breathe because they know he has the ability to take it to the house!
Outside of Demski and Grant who do you believe the Bombers should prioritize re-signing? Let me know in the comments!
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Written by a Bomber fan, for the Bomber fans.
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Michael
January 27, 2023 at 10:31 am
Surprised you made no mention of the legal tampering window. Players want to see what they are worth. They can talk to other teams, bring offers back to their current team and work something out before Feb. 14th. Why would they want to sign sooner? Also why a load of players sign between the 1st and 14th every year.