Thought I'd start this thread just to see what some us think.  Reading on RF lot of posters think he may come back to the CFL sooner then later, and should be a FA.  While it might be easy to think he's returning to the esks, I have to wonder if he still has that same allegiance to the Esks, now that Hervey is no longer there.  Could there be an opportunity to out bid them for his services? Should we?  I like our receiving corps, however with Dressler getting hurt seemingly annually, and denmark going for long stretches of invisibility, is it time to start thinking of the future and what Walker could do for us? He's only 26, so the possibility of inking him long term is there, but it might come at the expense of one of our vets.  Thoughts?

Edited August 22, 20178 yr by Taynted_Fayth

 

Seems like more of a fluff piece than anything to be honest, but hey, if Walker isn't a Bomber then I hope he's a Buc.

Id agree he'd go to a playoff team so Calgary Winnipeg Edmonton (sms issues maybe there) Toronto. .

My bet.. Argos. 

6 hours ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

I can't see Walters having spare change for any F.A. at this time of they year, he will need every penny to retain the good players he already owns.

I would love this signing  just so the other teams can't have him. 

If Walker signed here the Bombers would definitely be the favourites to win the Grey Cup hands down.  There would be no other offence as lethal. I just can't see the club going in that direction.

I dont think having the cash is an issue for the bombers at all... They have the SMS space for Walker for sure. 

1 minute ago, Dirty30 said:

If Walker signed here the Bombers would definitely be the favourites to win the Grey Cup hands down.  There would be no other offence as lethal. I just can't see the club going in that direction.

why not? If they're serious about winning a cup they will spend as much as they can. I'm not privy to the salary cap but I doubt spending a little money to win a cup will be out of the question. They did so last season signing Gurley.

1 hour ago, Goalie said:

I dont think having the cash is an issue for the bombers at all... They have the SMS space for Walker for sure. 

 

1 hour ago, Gotmilt said:

why not? If they're serious about winning a cup they will spend as much as they can. I'm not privy to the salary cap but I doubt spending a little money to win a cup will be out of the question. They did so last season signing Gurley.

How much cap space do the Bombers have? Bombers spend to the cap, so I'm not sure how you can question whether they're "serious about winning a cup"? 

Who are you willing to cut to make room for Walker? I can't imagine cutting Denmark would generate enough room on the cap. 

1 minute ago, JCon said:

 

How much cap space do the Bombers have? Bombers spend to the cap, so I'm not sure how you can question whether they're "serious about winning a cup"? 

Who are you willing to cut to make room for Walker? I can't imagine cutting Denmark would generate enough room on the cap. 

if there's an opportunity to snag Walker I'm sure we could do some creative accounting as the year rolls on.  Hell I don't even care if we're a little over the cap, as long as it's not ridiculously over ($100k+) then the fine is a slap on the wrist I'd take all day every day for a talent like Walker to be wearing blue and gold 

I doubt the Bombers have to cut anyone to find $100k.  They don't spend their entire cap budget on the opening day roster.  No team does.

All teams budget some slush into the roster for injuries and mid-season signings.  If it were me, it would be at $250 - 300,000, at minimum.  The idea that the Bombers have already fully committed over $5.05 of the $5.15 million in cap space they have for this season with more than half the season remaining is preposterous.  Walters is not that dumb.

9 hours ago, JCon said:

Who are you willing to cut to make room for Walker? I can't imagine cutting Denmark would generate enough room on the cap. 

I'd probably cut Bruce Johnson... 

Seriously though, no one here knows if the Bombers have the cap space to sign a guy like him... but we do know that Kyle Walters is a diligent cap manager and if there's a way to get it done, he'll find it...

People here sure are willing to give up Dressler quickly. That's a complete non starter for me.

i would give up Denny though if we have the ability to get a guy like Walker or Matthews.

53 minutes ago, Blueandgold said:

People here sure are willing to give up Dressler quickly. That's a complete non starter for me.

i would give up Denny though if we have the ability to get a guy like Walker or Matthews.

If it was a matter of Dressler or Walker,  looking long term, it makes sense to go with Walker. Not sure how much time Dressler has left as injuries are seeming to pile up,  so it's not just about the here and now as we push for the postseason, but the future as well.   If it came down to one or the other, I would seriously try hard to trade Dress to Montreal for a pick. If there's a place where Dressler would be seen in high regard would likely be with Reed, Chapdelaine and Durant

16 hours ago, M.O.A.B. said:

How is Chris Matthews doing in Baltimore?

He was hurt for a bit but has returned to practice.  He blocked a punt and recovered the ball in their second pre-season game.  He's battling for a spot on the bottom of the roster so special teams plays like that will be key.  He's got a shot at making the 53 but is by no means a lock.

1 hour ago, Blueandgold said:

People here sure are willing to give up Dressler quickly. That's a complete non starter for me.

i would give up Denny though if we have the ability to get a guy like Walker or Matthews.

I don't think it's a matter of wanting to move on from Dressler (at least myself personally), but when you have an opportunity to add high end skill you need to make it work and unfortunately that would likely spell the end of Dressler as a Bomber in order to make the money work. In this case, age plays a big factor. If we are talking Dressler in his prime then I probably don't do it but how many years does he have left in him? The injuries keep piling up and eventually take their toll.  That having been said, I would take a healthy Walker over a healthy Dressler right now hands down anyways.

We are going for the cup this year, not building fpr the future .... so age this year means nothing

32 minutes ago, BigBlue said:

We are going for the cup this year, not building fpr the future .... so age this year means nothing

If we can get better and get younger, isn't that an improvement?

 

And, I think we can do both - build for the Cup and the future year -  without making many sacrifices.

Id only move Dressler if it meant Walker was signed for next year also but i see him more as a sign for this year and then explore NFL options in the off season so IMO.. Denmark would be the odd man out. Plus Dressler is our best reveiver when healthy. 

44 minutes ago, BigBlue said:

We are going for the cup this year, not building fpr the future .... so age this year means nothing

It's not a stretch to say that right now Walker is better than Dressler. Hence, acquiring him now would be improving the team this year. If he signs a 1+1, even better.

As others have alluded to, without knowing what room the Bombers have to play with it might not be a one or the other scenario if Walker signed a pro-rated 1 year deal and then tried the NFL again next year but if I had to choose I'm taking Walker this year, next year and beyond over Dressler. (I'd take Eric Rogers too but he has his own injury concerns)

Why not keep our best most consistent receiver and move on from Denmark 

Dressler Adams Walker Thorpe JFG is much better than Denmark Adams Walker Thorpe JFG 

3 hours ago, Taynted_Fayth said:

If it was a matter of Dressler or Walker,  looking long term, it makes sense to go with Walker. Not sure how much time Dressler has left as injuries are seeming to pile up,  so it's not just about the here and now as we push for the postseason, but the future as well.   If it came down to one or the other, I would seriously try hard to trade Dress to Montreal for a pick. If there's a place where Dressler would be seen in high regard would likely be with Reed, Chapdelaine and Durant

No way O'Shea gets rid of any of his team leaders to upgrade talent unless they're failing, it's just not in his DNA.   Nichols, Harris and Dressler are a few of the untouchables, but I suspect many others that are playing well are protected by his loyalty and commitment.   He's going to the dance with the girls that got him there, not some flashy new tart chasing greenbacks.

14 minutes ago, Throw Long Bannatyne said:

No way O'Shea gets rid of any of his team leaders to upgrade talent unless they're failing, it's just not in his DNA.   Nichols, Harris and Dressler are a few of the untouchables, but I suspect many others that are playing well are protected by his loyalty and commitment.   He's going to the dance with the girls that got him there, not some flashy new tart chasing greenbacks.

that's kind of what I was thinking... more than just money and talent, locker room presence, character and leadership play a major role for O'Shea... not to say that Walker doesn't have those qualities but Dressler is a fixture on this team now and the only thing keeping him off the roster when he returns would be his own decisions (if for some odd reason he decided to retire or something)....

Dressler  has been playing the best football of his career this year. He can play a long time At a high level for long with his smarts and route running being that short to intermediate receiver.

Walker, Dressler, Adams, Thorpe, Feoli-Gudino

Harris, Flanders

^^ truly outstanding 

If we dont have money for a guy like bear woods, at our biggest position of needs Im not holding my breath on us opening the vault short of starting calibre NI.