Tyrique McGhee, who wore #38 last season, will be in the mix for a starting cornerback spot
There’s an expression that two things are irretrievable: time and a first impression.
It’s with that in mind that close to 70 Winnipeg Blue Bombers rookies – plus 54-year-old legend Milt Stegall — will step on the field Wednesday morning knowing they have a tiny window to catch the eyes of the club’s coaching staff and scouting department in advance of the opening of main training camp with all the veterans on Sunday.
There are three practice sessions in rookie camp through Friday, totalling six hours and 45 minutes, and with that many players on the field at once the opportunities are limited to survive the weekend’s first cut-down date before main training camp opens Sunday morning.
That’s the reality of pro sports, of course. And even with the 2024 Blue Bombers undergoing change with the departures of familiar faces like Jackson Jeffcoat, Jermarcus Hardrick, Janarion Grant, Geoff Gray, Ricky Walker and Demerio Houston over the winter, this roster is as set as any in the Canadian Football League.
Simply put, then, it’s step up now or forever hold your peace for all these wannabe Blue Bombers.
Following the three-day rookie camp the team will have medicals and testing on Saturday, with the entire collection of talent at work together on Sunday. Teams will have to reduce their rosters to 85 on Saturday not including draft non-counters — this year’s draft class plus Collin Kornelson, Max Charbonneau, Bret MacDougall, Jonathan Rosery, Dante Mastrogiuseppe, Nico McCarthy and 2024 Global Draft picks Fabian Weitz and Lucky Ogbevoen. That number get shaved further in a hurry, with roster needed to be down to 75 (excluding non-counters) by next Tuesday.
The Blue Bombers will have eight days from the first day of main camp to prep for their first preseason game on Victoria Day in Regina against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Their final preseason tune-up goes May 31st at home vs. the Calgary Stampeders with the season opener coming at Princess Auto Stadium on June 6th in a Grey Cup rematch with the Montreal Alouettes.
Here’s a quick primer to get Blue Bombers fans ready for rookie camp…
FIVE TO WATCH
K.J. Hill from his Ohio State days — courtesy Getty Images
#76 Aron Cruickshank, WR/KR – Lots of candidates to replace Janarion Grant as the primary kick returner and Cruickshank’s resumé pops as the Big Ten’s return specialist of the year in 2020 and a guy who has had NFL looks from Chicago and Pittsburgh.
#62 Larnel Coleman, OL – Former Miami Dolphins seventh-round draft pick in 2021 who is among the group trying to replace Hardrick at right tackle.
#22 Tyrique McGhee, CB – Appeared in one game last year – the regular-season finale in Calgary – after spending most of the year on the practice roster. Former Georgia Bulldog who will be in the fight to start at corner.
#9 KJ Hill, WR – Tons of receivers in camp, as always, but few with his credentials – for what that’s worth when practices begin – as a former L.A. Chargers draft pick and the leading receiver in the history of Ohio State.
52 Ali Fayad, DE – Intriguing defensive end prospect who has four games to his name with Toronto in 2022. Was the MAC Defensive Player of the Year at Western Michigan in 2021.
THE QBS
Lock in Zach Collaros and Chris Streveler to the top two spots on the QB depth chart.
The other two QBs in camp:
#12 Eric Barriere: A star at Eastern Washington – the same school that delivered Bo Levi Mitchell, Matt Nichols and Vernon Adams, Jr. to the CFL – he was the Walter Payton Award winner as the top player in FCS in 2021 and has been in mini-camp with the Denver Broncos and had stints in the USFL.
#3 Terry Wilson: Completed over 63 percent of his passes in a six-year collegiate career that concluded at New Mexico and included stops at Oregon and Kentucky. Was in Dallas Cowboys rookie camp in 2022 and the Houston Gamblers of the USFL for a spell last year.
Canadian QB Internship Program
Jackson Tachinski, University of Manitoba: Passed for 1,757 yards and 10 TDs to one interception last year, while rushing for six TDs and 538 yards. Participating in this weekend’s U Sports East-West Bowl at the University of Waterloo – an event featuring the Top 100 U Sports players eligible for next year’s CFL Draft.
Further Camp Reading
Links to positional previews previously on bluebombers.com. Check them out here:
PRACTICE TIMES
All rookie camp practices are taking place at either Princess Auto Stadium or the field beside Winnipeg Soccer Federation South (times are approximate):
Wednesday, May 8 – 10:30 a.m.- 12:55 p.m.
Thursday, May 9 – 10 a.m.-12:15 p.m.
Friday, May 10 – 10:15 a.m.-12:20 p.m.
Saturday, May 11 – Medical/testing, no practice
Main camp
Sunday, May 12 – 9 a.m.-11:40 a.m.
