Blue In BC

Yeah, I thought he might have to fight to win his spot. I found it unusual how many import OL we brought in this TC, so that must have been another indicator. Lofton not practising won't help him either.

Interesting. Parker and Griffith could both make the AR by not having Bridges as a DI. Gowan is getting a lot of good press so far so he might be this year's " find " in the secondary. Having Parker as a back up wouldn't the worst situation. I had expected Griffith to be the safety but now there may be more of a competition with Parker.

I didn't think T. Jones was at risk of losing his spot but I'll take your word for it. Re-signing Wilson surprised me due to his injury history. Since I expected J. Jones to win the starting spot at WIL, who would then be the starter at MLB? I'd like to keep Ayers but don't know much about Persons although I thought he'd more likely end up on the PR to start the season. Are you suggesting T.Jones at MLB and Ayers at WIL with Person possibly as the DI? The improved depth with our Canadian LB's may influence some or all of this. Getting Shay signed would be another good step. Regarding my comments about Parker: In theory he's fully ready to go and a very good player. OTOH, we have about 10 rookie DB's fighting for a spot. While I expect him to win, having missed 2024 does put him in some jeopardy IMO. That and the fact we always find great new DB's. D. Lawson can't be discounted either.

I think Parker and Bridges are just being given opportunity to determine their versatility in other positions. I'm not saying either are at specific risk but we have 10 rookie DB's fighting to make the roster. COMPETITION at both of those positions is somewhat open. It's only day 1 so in the grand scheme of things doesn't mean much yet. It's whether specific players get extended looks at specific spots for several days. I'm not quite sure what to think about Lawson and Schoen moved to " injured veteran " list. Does this mean they may not be available to start the season? That changes several things.

Yes that was a great hit and probably a momentum statement.

I was adding to my earlier post. I was making the point that it would have been more difficult to make the roster as an import. I'd also say adding players to a neg list is also taking a flyer. IIRC E. Barriere was a neg list player in 2024. It's always hard to determine which players come to camp that were neg list players. Sometimes we hear about those that succeed but don't hear about those that don't succeed. IMO having been on a neg list doesn't give me any more confidence than any other signings the team makes. There aren't really any stats to prove or disprove where we have the most success. Tryout camps, neg lists etc. There are probably 30 - 40 players on every teams roster that will be out of the CFL when final rosters are declared. In theory, he'll make the PR at the least since we only have 4 global players. Sheehan should make the AR although we signed a new global punter. One or the other will be released probably. There is a ratio benefit for a global if he shows some level of talent. You can't add another import instead of a Canadian but you can add that 2nd global player as a choice. Note that I have no particular bias for or against. Just looking at the history of global players being successful even if he was previously classed as an import.

If a player on any neg list was a guarantee of success then sure. We see lots of players on neg lists that become total busts. Don't we think highly of every player we bring to TC? Why didn't we sign him when he was still considered as an import rather than waiting for him to qualify as a global? We had players in TC 2024 that were on our neg list and failed to make the roster. Just saying that the PR and highlight reels about every player is always positive. All the power to him to show he belongs. The issue is that as an import he has a more difficult time making a roster as either a starter or a DI because of the ratio. As a global player ( we have 4 ) 2 are punters so he only has to beat out 1 player if we choose to roster a 2nd global on the AR.

Well I suppose some global player besides kickers /punters might be the one that is actually a good player. It's a little like finding quality QB's. More failures than successes. This is the 5th or 6 year of the global program and I can't identify any global player that made a real impact and actually earned an AR spot. Global players make rosters by mandate not by prowess. Maybe Bailey is the 1st but that's a TBD. He might beat out a Canadian but does he actually beat out an import if it wasn't a ratio issue. IE: If he had to qualify as an import does he beat out the others? Sure he's got a good attitude etc etc but he's not the only one.

My expectation is that we have 3 imp LB's. Jones, Jones and one of Wilson or Ayers. My only question is who starts at WIL and who ends up as a DI. I don't think we see a Canadian LB starting anytime soon. Progressing with more reps as the season progresses and possibly in 2026. In 2025, It's clear in my assessment that we have 3 import LB's on the AR. I'd be happy if one of the rookie Canadians proves me wrong but we're paying those imports $115K-$130K each ( except Ayers ). While that isn't the only measurement of who makes the roster it certainly seems like the teams expectation of what we'll see.

I understand the concept but have no doubt that Logan will be a DI. It's essentially what we did when we had Grant in 2023 and then Whitehead as as the returner spot. An import receiver came out.

He doesn't have to be a DI but if we only start 7 Canadians then he almost definitely will be a DI. That's the advantage we had starting 10 Canadians in 2024 allowed us to do something like that. So yes we added some very good depth Canadian talent but we lost at least one Canadian starter and two is we a 3rd import OL starts. The depth chart above is interesting but we all know it's fluid. Interestingly is that 3 players released still show on the chart. No matter. It will all settle out shortly

I'm expecting we have an import DB as a DI. We're bringing a boatload of rookie DB's to TC. I get your comment about pass pro but it depends on the quality of the Canadians not the quantity of OL. It's the quality of the Canadian OL that is the question over the quality of a change to an import. It's a 50/50 question at the moment. I don't think we can say anything more than Randolph has an edge over the other imports, but that could change quickly with many rookies in camp.

You lost me with the comment about Logan. He'll be a DI so he can only come in replacing an import on any down. That means a receiver coming off. That will be true whether we have 5 Canadians on offence or 6. I like Makonzo and the new Canadian LB's. Shay will be a little late to TC but yes these guys will be taking reps away from DI's etc. Overall just hoping we don't lose some guys to injury in TC like last year. Lawson back should be a great improvement too. A marginal concern about how recovery from injury Parker, Lawson, Makonzo and Schoen returning after significant injury in 2024. I wonder if any posters will be at the rookie camp over the next couple of days.

It sounds good on paper and you may be right. I don't much about him. I don't get the Nationalized player designation at all. If Bryant gets injured we'll still be replacing him with an import the following week. I'm not directly concerned with BO getting injured, he's pretty reliable. However, in game if something happens, Logan going in means an import receiver comes out. That's just the nature of the ratio. Peterson might be a better alternative depending on how well he shows. All bets are off until the main TC begins. There going to be many players thinned out very quickly.

Sure but college stats and highlight videos are a dime a dozen. Many of our import rookies sound great too and most will disappear quickly at the pro level. I get that it may be necessary to change to a 3 import OL,. It would have less of an issue if we didn't lose Ford as a starting Canadian. We were playing 9 starting Canadians and we may be down to 7 this year. That loss of flexibility is always a concern. In addition it's not clear whether our Canadian depth overall has taken a step backwards. I've yet to be impressed by any global player. Let him prove me wrong. Regardless, a 2nd global even a good one comes at the cost of another Canadian on the roster. I'm not a pro ratio guy but still going to lean towards wanting an extra Canadian rather than that global player. With the 6 2025 draft choices ( currently signed ) and 25 other Canadians on the roster means we can't keep them all. Bailey might be better than our Canadian choices to rotate at DE but is he better than our import choices? I always have the feeling that a given global wins a roster spot by default. Aside from Sheehan who makes the AR we only have 3 other global players in any sort of competition to make the AR. and PR rosters. The 3rd global is the punter we signed in the 2nd round and at best he's just a PR guy barring injury. I doubt he even makes the PR.

I don't agree or disagree. It's just a problem with the ratio and eliminates a Canadian we might want to keep on the AR. I don't have much faith in any global past or present so I can't assume Bailey is going to be worth keeping. Perhaps he turns out to be a good player. I can't believe any of our Canadian DE's is better either, so all the competition will be interesting during TC. It's start with whether we have to start 3 import OL which I also think makes the overall roster weaker. If we find a solution for that, then we many have that extra import DL choice instead of a global. Overall I'm not a fan of a 2nd global on the AR. I guess we'll see if he is approached by the team. I'm surprised the Elks released him and the reasoning behind that decision.

It's always a question of how we deploy our ratio. The global player comes at a cost of an extra Canadian so that's going to be a tough choice. We added some Canadian DE's so it may become an either or choice. We have Gowanlock and Laing looking to win a spot. All of this folds into whether we move towards a 3 import OL. That eliminates an import or even the global elsewhere on the roster in order to retain a Canadian back up.

Griffin is a very good player and IMO we see him in different defensive formations though out a given game. We saw in 2024 that Kelly also saw the field quite a bit. So we have lots of talent from last year and there will be rookies looking to land on the AR. The early depth chart showed Griffin at safety but obviously things are TBD. I don't think we move Nichols or Holm but Kramdi might be given a different role. For the moment I'll stick with expecting Griffin to be the starting safety but a current alternative is less clear. Some rookies have be fighting for that spot which in theory would make Griffin a DI. That's not the worst outcome as long as he's on the roster. I don't know I'd like to see 2 changes in the secondary if someone beats out Parker at CB. I'm also assuming he starts the season at CB. I guess that's what makes TC interesting.

I didn't expect the Bombers to bring Gauthier back in 2025. Age and a slightly higher SMS than an ELC player. That said, we may be drafting another LB type but he may still sit on the PR this season to develop. Roster room and need still suggests to me that we changing where depth is maintained on the roster. Depth at LB is significant already. Where adjustments are made for ST work is a TBD but I think we added some new faces already. The draft choices are always interesting.

I think you covered it in your 1st statement. We're deep at LB with the addition of Jones, Jones, Wilson and Ayers filling the import spots. The Canadian group along with Weitz means Charboneau would only be a ST player at best. IMO Makonzo filled a depth need at SAM now that Griffin moves to safety. In effect we needed Charbonneau's roster spot to add Makonzo. I wouldn't be surprised if Makonzo sees some work on ST's as well as rotation work on defence. We also added Hagerty who takes a roster spot left by Noah Hallett leaving the team. There are only so many roster spots and we've shifted where we needed Canadian depth somewhat from WIL to SAM. The other Canadian LB's like Gauthier and Cadwallander will probably only see ST work this season IMO. One of the import LB's will likely be on the AR as a DI. I'm just not sure if J. Jones starts at WIL over Wilson or he is the DI. Ayers might be hard pressed to make the AR since we have 4 import LB's and only 3 spots. None of this suggests Charbonneau may not turn out to be a good player somewhere but there is no room on the roster. The big question is at WIL and figuring out which of Wilson, J. Jones and Ayers ends up starting and who is the DI. I think the fight is between Wilson and J. Jones but Ayers could be a good one.

I think I saw one earlier so I'll see if I can find it. In the past I haven't seen too many global players signed that weren't drafted. It's a very small instances where that happened. We've seen players drafted and not even show up. There are only 2 rounds for 18 players in total so losing a couple of no shows is not a good sign for any team. You'd think there would be a few more that didn't get drafted still be signed for TC. I'm not sure what to make of that really. The competition is almost none for what might be 2 AR and 2 PR spots. At the moment we have 3 global on our roster and will draft 2 more. Potentially all of them might be kept or 2 might be released. As I suggested I might think about looking for choices that might be candidates in 2026. That said the situation is different that Canadians going back to last year of college. I don't know whether we retain rights of each year's draft choices if released. We also will draft 2 more in 2026 so are the ones form this year potentially better than in 2026? Don't know, but both our kickers will be potential free agents. Both may be back, one or both might be gone. Having a development plan on or off the PR would be beneficial. A global kicker is like a free DI and in the case of the Als, they appear set to use 2 spots for 2 global specialists. EDIT: There is a global player combine to be held on April 29 th. That might give us some idea of what kind of players might be available. I found the one from 2024 and there were only 12 players listed. Of that only 3 or 4 were actually drafted including the 2 we drafted. Small pool looked at and negligible post draft interest from that group.

Can't disagree with that. OTOH, it would have been so easy to just retain him after the season to bring him back for TC 2025. Note that I modified my 1st response about our global choice at DE being added for a bit.

Without knowing what a given assignment was or how well he followed that, or took direction it's a subjective view for posters. The only thing we know is that when we had import options healthy, he was taken off the AR for other choices. I don't remember if he also had injuries issues and happened from a timing point of view. We did add Ogbevoen for a game or 2. So those were our two choices for depth at DE. So our global choice couldn't get more playing time than the Canadian we cut? The team choose to not bring him back in 2025 and now he's in Hamilton. That must be worth noting.

Hubert was MEH. IMO he only saw the AR due to the injuries that Haba, Garbutt and Fox had in 2024. All were on 6 game IR by game 3. Depth on the DL was not good all year. Interesting that all the 2024 DE's are no longer with the team. The PR roster is only 12 players. Of that 2 are created for global players. For the 10 remaining spots, the majority are held by imports. I'd be surprised if we see 4 Canadians on the PR to start the season. That means when you need to add a player to the AR from the PR that fills a Canadian spot, it's a choice between possibly 6 players. As we know a 2nd global player comes at the cost of Canadian choice, not an import. At that point a consideration might be made from a positional point of view among those players. Essentially which player adds the most value on ST's. We disagree on whether the global players are a forced decision due to limited roster sizes due to injury constraints as I've suggested. In 2024, 7 of the 18 global players drafted were either P or K. 7 of 18 also in 2023. 6 of 18 in 2022. So in 3 drafts that's 20 of 54 were kicking positions. In the last 3 years of the Canadian draft we saw only 2 K's drafted in 220 choices. That should tell you something. I see the Als now have both licking positions held by 1 of each. What I don't see anywhere in the CFL is a 2nd global player on an AR that is getting more significant reps on either offence or defence, ahead of any other import or Canadian. What I don't see is one full time primary starter aside from kickers. If an import is injured a team will activate another import from the PR or coming off of IR. That is a different situation for a Canadian player that falls more into who is left on the PR in a smaller pool as I've outlined. I don't see the value of the global program aside from kicking positions. I expect to see a large number ( 6 - 8 ) of 18 drafted again in 2025. Their roster spots are an arbitrary ratio designation by Ambrosie. This conversation will come up post TC to see how our rosters shake out. Sheehan probably makes the AR by default. OTOH, we may draft another P with one of our choices that might beat him out. What I expect is that we may draft potential replacements at both kicking positions for development for 2026. Who ends up on the PR between the 4 total choices of current and 2025 draft choices is a TBD. Even though I'm anti ratio, I would be disappointed if a 2nd global makes the AR in front of a Canadian.

I listed the 2 Canadians on the PR and they had no value on ST's and were not specifically needed as depth at their position. Murphy and Hubert for the 1st 2 games and then Samson added to the PR for the 3rd game. Once again a 2nd global is added at the cost of a Canadian choice. Clearly the Canadian choices were of no value on either defence or ST's That's my point. Karamoko was the least worst choice that could be made under those circumstances. A global player can be added at the expense of an import but that rarely happens. We had a complete compliment of imports on the AR and PR depth behind them. Cole saw the field in multiple spots in the early going. He was listed and used in all 3 LB spots in rotation. That tapered down when we added Griffin to the AR and Ayers seemed to surpass him on the depth charts and playing time. Obviously we know our depth charts are close to meaningless compared to how and where players play. I also know tackles are not the only stat worthwhile, however, he only played 3 games in his 1st 2 seasons and maxed out out 5 in 2024. That''s not impressive in the least and the fact he was released should tell you he was nothing more than a warm body available. I'd hardly rate him as fine. There is a reason why he was replaced after the early going by a Canadian ST player.