Blue Bombers GM sees no need to blow up roster despite another Grey Cup loss

Kyle Walters doesn’t judge losing a 3rd consecutive Grey Cup means the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ roster should beryllium blown up.

The CFL club’s wide manager told reporters astatine his year-end availability Tuesday that reaching a 5th consecutive title crippled by overcoming tons of injuries was a large accomplishment.

Even earlier Winnipeg’s caller 41-24 Grey Cup nonaccomplishment to the Toronto Argonauts, Walters said helium was looking guardant to adjacent season.

“I was excited for adjacent twelvemonth based connected what I’m looking at, compared to years past, wherever we’ve got much young guys that person contributed that are nether contract,” helium said. “We’ve got much young players successful the building. So, the thought of, ‘This is the extremity of the road. The squad is successful a free-for-all downward,’ I don’t deliberation is accurate.

“We person a bully radical of guys and we were successful a one-point (Grey Cup) crippled with 10 minutes near … earlier things went downhill.”

The Blue Bombers started the play 0-4, moved to 2-6 and finished 11-7 to assertion the West Division title.
Star receiver Dalton Schoen, seasoned linebacker Adam Bighill and backup backmost Chris Streveler each suffered season-ending injuries and are pending escaped agents.

Negotiating with the team’s 27 unsigned players could beryllium impacted by moves crossed the league among coaches, unit unit and players specified arsenic quarterbacks, Walters said.

The Bombers person fixed support for violative coordinator Buck Pierce to talk to the B.C. Lions and Edmonton Elks astir those teams’ vacant head-coaching jobs, helium said.

Walters besides revealed the Ottawa Redblacks were fixed the go-ahead to speech to Richie Hall astir their antiaircraft coordinator vacancy.

Hall was a Winnipeg antiaircraft adjunct this play aft Jordan Younger took implicit from him arsenic antiaircraft coordinator.

Walters said the Bombers received support to talk to Lions violative coordinator Jordan Maksymic successful lawsuit Pierce leaves.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats person already been fixed the OK to speech to Winnipeg adjunct wide managers Danny McManus and Ted Goveia astir the Ticats’ GM opening.

“You’re hesitant to person excessively overmuch speech with radical who whitethorn not beryllium successful the enactment adjacent year, truthful it’s conscionable been maine and (head coach) Mike (O’Shea) successful this infinitesimal huddled unneurotic and talking astir adjacent year,” Walters said.

He said an NFL squad had asked Tuesday greeting to enactment retired 1 Blue Bomber, but helium didn’t uncover the player’s sanction successful lawsuit helium wasn’t alert of the petition yet.

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The Blue Bombers won the Grey Cup successful 2019 and ’21, but mislaid 28-24 to the Montreal Alouettes past twelvemonth and 24-23 to Toronto successful 2022.

Winnipeg re-signed placekicker Sergio Castillo past week. Walters said he’d similar to person deals done with 3 oregon 4 main players earlier the extremity of the year.

The squad has immoderate up-and-coming young players inked for adjacent year, and injuries gave others invaluable acquisition connected some sides of the ball, Walters said.

Receivers specified arsenic rookie Ontaria Wilson (1,026 yards receiving successful 18 games) and Keric Wheatfall (273 yards successful 7 games) are signed done adjacent season.

“The acquisition that they got was invaluable,” Walters said.

Re-signing players who missed clip due to the fact that of injuries tin get tricky.

“Organizationally, tin we attack (their agents) and say, ‘Well, your feline was hurt, helium should travel backmost for little money?’” Walters said. “Generally, they don’t presumption it similar that. They presumption that they’ll beryllium backmost 100 per cent.”

One question people is the backup to starting backmost Zach Collaros, who suffered a heavy chopped to the scale digit of his throwing manus precocious successful the 3rd 4th of the Grey Cup.

Collaros got 5 stitches and numbing cause applied to his finger. He returned with a bandage connected it, but admitted helium had a hard clip gripping the ball.

“We’ll person to find retired who our violative coordinator is first,” Walters said erstwhile asked who mightiness beryllium Collaros’s backup.

Terry Wilson, who concisely replaced Collaros successful the Grey Cup, and Jake Dolegala are signed for adjacent year.