2024/2025 Blue Bombers Off-Season Thread

[Goalie]

Not convinced garbutt fox or Cole did enough to earn a new contract. 

[wbbfan]

11 minutes ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

Haba should be gonzo.  Garbutt is at least a stable contain guy, maybe work him into being a guy who can play 3 technique a bit too on passing downs.  Vaughters can pass rush off edge and inside too.

Haba hasn’t developed a lick since he arrived. Came in with one rush move and that’s all he has still. Definitely should be gone. 
 Garbutt showed some nice progress and yeah he’s easily our best contain and run Stopping end. Which is a little bit sad but he should certainly be back in camp. 
 

If vaughters has any thing left he’s a good get. Super strong guy who can play end in the 30, 40, and rush from a 3tech in the 40. Not great in space, and doesn’t have the ability to get in on the back side of plays. Or scrape to the side line. 
 Still a big upgrade from much of what we ran out since jj was moved on from. 
 I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t be in on other fa des. Unless we add a top tier imp dt. 
Vaughters as a di 3rd imp de would be excellent. 

[BBlink]

10 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Haba hasn’t developed a lick since he arrived. Came in with one rush move and that’s all he has still. Definitely should be gone. 
 Garbutt showed some nice progress and yeah he’s easily our best contain and run Stopping end. Which is a little bit sad but he should certainly be back in camp. 
 

If vaughters has any thing left he’s a good get. Super strong guy who can play end in the 30, 40, and rush from a 3tech in the 40. Not great in space, and doesn’t have the ability to get in on the back side of plays. Or scrape to the side line. 
 Still a big upgrade from much of what we ran out since jj was moved on from. 
 I hope this doesn’t mean we won’t be in on other fa des. Unless we add a top tier imp dt. 
Vaughters as a di 3rd imp de would be excellent. 

Given our defensive schemes last year this sounds like he would fit in quite well. A guy that will steadily collapse the pocket. And like you said, if we can get a Cersena to play at the DT position, that pocket will collapse quickly.

[Noeller]

Some thoughts from DT...

 

 

[17to85]

26 minutes ago, Goalie said:

Not convinced garbutt fox or Cole did enough to earn a new contract. 

Well what did you expect from garbutt and fox when they spent most of the year on the IR? Both are at worst solid contributors...

Now Cole as well was injured a bunch bt dude makes plays on teams and where ever they line him up on defense. 

At worst all are well worth a chance to compete in camp and if they play it's not a bad thing.

[Goalie]

5 minutes ago, 17to85 said:

Well what did you expect from garbutt and fox when they spent most of the year on the IR? Both are at worst solid contributors...

Now Cole as well was injured a bunch bt dude makes plays on teams and where ever they line him up on defense. 

At worst all are well worth a chance to compete in camp and if they play it's not a bad thing.

I just feel you should be able to find a de DT and LB making the minimum. 

[M.O.A.B.]

With Wilson, Jones & Jones and possibly Ayers (if he has not signed in NFL yet), plus newcomers like Pierre and Person, I think there's no more room for Cole. 

[17to85]

I feel you're under rating all 3 guys because of a lacking stat sheet. World beaters? No, but you can do a lot worse (and we have)

[bearpants]

Jones and Vaughters are nice additions to the front seven... If we're talking about who comes back from our holdovers... I think Garbutt over Haba at the DE spot and I'd have Adams and Woods ahead of Fox at the DT spot  

[M.O.A.B.]

Fox is a pending FA.

I hope Walters get Brickman. Our DL specially our interior is not dominant last year. 

A DL of WJ, Lawson, Brinkman (wishful), Vaughters might put it back where it were. 

Edited 2 hours ago by M.O.A.B.

[sweep the leg]

I’m not sure we should expect a big name DT in free agency. We could use one, but has this regime ever spent much there before?

[wbbfan]

14 minutes ago, M.O.A.B. said:

With Wilson, Jones & Jones and possibly Ayers (if he has not signed in NFL yet), plus newcomers like Pierre and Person, I think there's no more room for Cole. 

Wilson is a camp flyer imo. Hes never put together a good healthy year.  1 jones is really limited and both play the same position. Neither is a wil in the cfl. Person is a pass rusher. 
Pierre, is also a light max to wil not a wil to db type. The only guy in that list who could over lap with Cole is ayers. 

4 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

I’m not sure we should expect a big name DT in free agency. We could use one, but has this regime ever spent much there before?

Drake Nevis got a big pay day to come here. Since then, no. We haven’t even paid to keep our own guys at that position since then. 

[Mike]

31 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

I’m not sure we should expect a big name DT in free agency. We could use one, but has this regime ever spent much there before?

I think you’re probably right, I’m just hopeful … especially with a new scouting staff, they may feel like they want to spend more/less in different areas than before 

[blue85gold]

6 minutes ago, Mike said:

I think you’re probably right, I’m just hopeful … especially with a new scouting staff, they may feel like they want to spend more/less in different areas than before 

Early activity is already a bit different this year.  Can't remember them being this active on guys available prior to FA in past years. 

[Fatty Liver]

1 hour ago, Goalie said:

I just feel you should be able to find a de DT and LB making the minimum. 

Not likely to find a decent one with any CFL experience, if they were making min. they probably were not playing much.

I think Vaughters is the closest they'll get to signing a big name D-lineman, at least he's well known.   Being short and stocky his game is more like Micah Johnson than Willy or Jeffcoat.

[Stickem]

Like the Vaughters signing.....AND the Jones and Jones show is going to be a gooder......Looks like we are making a few good moves before Feb. 11 and it appears like we aren't going to be big players in fa...but hopefully have something left for a nice addition....Sure is a lot of nice receiver talent that's going to be available.... just in case we have a major departure

Edited 5 hours ago by Stickem

[bluto]

23 hours ago, Fatty Liver said:

Grant is a FA once again, Walters has a chance to make up for fumbling his file last season.  There will likely be stiff competition to pay him what he's worth, as every GM knows he is the best.

22 hours ago, bluto said:

Not for about 12 days, he isn't.

MOSTP Stays an Argo.

https://www.argonauts.ca/2025/01/31/reigning-most-outstanding-special-teams-player-janarion-grant-re-ups-with-toronto/

[Pete]

1 hour ago, Stickem said:

Like the Vaughters signing.....AND the Jones and Jones show is going to be a gooder......Looks like we are making a few good moves before Feb. 11 and it appears like we aren't going to be big players in fa...but hopefully have something left for a nice addition....Sure is a lot of nice receiver talent that's going to be available.... just in case we have a major departure

Isiah Cage  at ot would be a good add, or a cdn guard if we cant sign Dobson. WR will depend on Lawler/Shoen

[wbbfan]

18 minutes ago, bluto said:

MOSTP Stays an Argo.

https://www.argonauts.ca/2025/01/31/reigning-most-outstanding-special-teams-player-janarion-grant-re-ups-with-toronto/

Best modern kr in the cfl. Tremendous move for you guys, sad he isn’t coming home but not surprised. Wonder what his pay day was like. 

[Fatty Liver]

21 minutes ago, bluto said:

MOSTP Stays an Argo.

https://www.argonauts.ca/2025/01/31/reigning-most-outstanding-special-teams-player-janarion-grant-re-ups-with-toronto/

[Booch]

4 hours ago, Mike said:

Honestly think this is a pretty good mix on defense, hope this is instead of Garbutt/Haba so we give a young rookie a chance in rotation with WJ/JV

pERSONS....dude is legit a talent as we have brought up in a while on the dline

[Booch]

Not sure why people wondering what Vaughters has left in tank...he'ss only 31 and has limited wear and tear from a few yrs testing the NFL....he gives us off the edge what we have lacked since JJ left and thats power to collpase and good inside technique...can see this really complimenting WJ

Garbutt has a well rounded skill set but has to elevate now too...can he...will he get the chance....but he was essentially a rookie last yr learning as he went ans playing a lot that SchmeckThomas combo did none our other dline guys any favours

Persons tho is the guy I really keen on....He was a legit NFL prospect for a pass rush specialist, but they wanted him bigger and he balked at that....he's perfect for the CFL tho

Linebacker is what I curious about...The recent Jones signing is a biggie....and preferably our jones is the 4th guy...rotates in at various ways and isnt anointed the defactoMLB...as we know we like to do that around here regardless if they are worthy of it...He has some holes in his game and gets exposed for it a lot if he is 90% snap guy. If Kyrie is actually healthy,,,and stays healthy I have no issues with him as a transitional guy this yr while we groom his replacement...Healthy Wilson is top of league in his position

Same with Kramdi...I know a lot of you here think he's the bee's knees but he is gawd awful in coverage and open fiield tackling...he's a good situational guy and in and around the box when we slide him up...but at 140k per he should be a divison and league all-star..and he's not...and he wont

Griffin or Parker there would be ideal and use Kramdi as super sub like we did with Griffin....Make it a oint to have Kelly take over safety....and find another via draft or free agency to also play there....thats your National spot and allow yur front 7 to be your best and most athletic...You can spell off with a Lawson on the line withh a solid rotation...and With Kramdi ala Griffin...

[Doublezero]

52 minutes ago, wbbfan said:

Best modern kr in the cfl. Tremendous move for you guys, sad he isn’t coming home but not surprised. Wonder what his pay day was like. 

He is the best. Disappointed but not surprised he re-signed with Argos. I remember Janarion single-handedly won a couple of close games for Winnipeg while he was here. A sacrilege that the Bombers let a game-changer like him get away.  

[Arnold_Palmer]

8 minutes ago, Doublezero said:

He is the best. Disappointed but not surprised he re-signed with Argos. I remember Janarion single-handedly won a couple of close games for Winnipeg while he was here. A sacrilege that the Bombers let a game-changer like him get away.  

Yeah our lack of an explosive returner and poor punting actually cost us close games early in the season. No doubt we would have had at minimum two or three extra wins if we had Grant on our roster. 

[17to85]

30 minutes ago, Booch said:

Same with Kramdi...I know a lot of you here think he's the bee's knees but he is gawd awful in coverage and open fiield tackling...he's a good situational guy and in and around the box when we slide him up...but at 140k per he should be a divison and league all-star..and he's not...and he wont

No one thinks he's the bees knees... just that he's better than you give him credit for.