Blue Bombers -- 2025/26 Offseason -- Discussion Thread

[Brandon]

I thought this club hired and retained high character guys?   

[Mark H.]

4 hours ago, Brandon said:

I thought this club hired and retained high character guys?   

Seems intangibles come in various forms.

[Booch]

14 hours ago, wbbfan said:

Right? We used basically none of what hogan was running in camp. If jackson was here, maybe we make changes much earlier and have a better play book. 

It was pretty clear he took over play calling late, not that things got to where they needed to be. But it is really hard to entirely remake the offence mid season. Which makes sense, as we seemingly kept trying to do full installs. 

My hope is we either keep jackson and bring in a really good oc candidate, or bring in one a good oc, and a great under coach. Like bourgoin and Costanza. Both guys familiar working with the mafia zach etc. 
If we could keep Jackson as qb coach and some how get bourgoin and costanza that’d be great. 

especially when he really didnt have much to work with...or a coach who wouldn't flip ratio to facilitate better players

Hopefully he is back if for anything to work with QB's and RB's and have input if we go another route for OC  with a guy not named OC Guy

14 hours ago, wbbfan said:

 

https://3downnation.com/2025/11/26/3downnations-top-50-pending-2026-cfl-free-agents

Bunch of guys won’t see free agency here but here is a short list of guys i’d target. 

wr philpot, and hardy would be preferable. But id take any of the no1 wrs here. 

ol broxton woodmansey allen are the top tier for me. I’d rather not go pay elite money on a G. Woodmansey for kola would be the biggest upgrade ever. Allen or broxton would allow big stan to kick inside. 

dl hutchins is nfl bound but id break the bank on him. Tavai, hicks, and ceresna are all big gets. Couple other guys off the edge with good production, but I’d bank on those 4 producing with any team. 

lb allen, mcmanis every team should call both guys. as impactful as a lber gets in the cfl. Allen offers a tremendous flip of the ratio and mcmanis is biggie 2.0 who could win modp any year. 

db pickett. The same version of mcmanis. Best db at the hardest position. Couple canadians I’d kick the tires on. Hard to do much with out losing guys here though. 

Id also love one of powell or crum to round out our qbs. 

If we got 2 of those guys an a qb, we’d be in great shape. Could really use 3, but that’d be extremely hard to pull off. 

Hutchins is the best Dline guy who as arrived in the league in a long while...If he doesn't get NFL camp invite, i'd pay WJ money for him...WJ money isnt even that much for a giy with his potential....he hasnt even full arrived yet and is elite...does so many things right

Under radar guy, who really shouldnt be is Hicks as well in CGY....Land him and Hutchins....keep the best of Adams/Woods to rotate...Hick's....WJ....Yes WJ with support and not excessive reps...Bailey...Lawson...and the best of the 2 young ends who played in the MTL game....totally transforms our defensive front and would really accentuate what Younger wants to do...and wouldn't break the bank either 

And depending on what BO wants in money....of he wants north of 240k....I'd totally consider getting Mill's or Butler with the Peterson/MCI duo actually getting reps and seriously persue Philpot....better bang for the buck...and would help us navigate the sms for some the above mentioned guys

Broxton too.....be my target ...even if Stan is Back....Broxton..Stan...and anyone but Kolo anchoring the blind side...gimme some of that...Randolph on the right side is gonna be a legit all-star this yr  

10 hours ago, Bomber_fanaddict said:

https://neareport.com/2025/11/26/cfl-receiver-former-oregon-duck-and-nfl-draft-pick-identified-as-suspect-in-nov-17-multi-county-chase/

 

guessing Mitchell won’t be back….

too bad he didnt exhibit that evasiveness and speed on the field

[sweep the leg]

8 minutes ago, Booch said:

 

And depending on what BO wants in money....of he wants north of 240k....I'd totally consider getting Mill's or Butler with the Peterson/MCI duo actually getting reps and seriously persue Philpot....better bang for the buck...and would help us navigate the sms for some the above mentioned guys

 

Philpot will likely get close to Demski money and misses a significant chunk of every season. How is that better bang for the buck?

[Booch]

1 minute ago, sweep the leg said:

Philpot will likely get close to Demski money and misses a significant chunk of every season. How is that better bang for the buck?

well...Demski misses too....and plays hurt often....and is at top of his game now...and is likely only downhill from here,...was hurt or playing hurt in what..3 of last 4 playoffs?...Philpot is also younger...still has upside....and injuries are basically random....they happen so shouldnt be a factor in signing a guy really

BO as well...has missed games several seasons now...and if he goes down...the drop off with a Canadian back is significant as hus replacement...plus he no spring chicken either, and his style isnt a style conducive to a long career...we already seen last 2 seasons he has been hurt...and played hir...so if that argument can be made for Philpot...can be made for BO and Demski too....no?

Philpot is gonna turn 26 next season, Demski will already be 32...BO turns 29....Thats how you turn roster over on the fly without wholesale changes....you have an opportunity to bring in a younger guys for succesion who can contribute now, and in a big way to augment an already here vet....you do it....not ignore it and just ride guys into the dirt and then when injuries occur/guys age out and decline....eyc....you have no answer/replacement for it...thats what got us in the mess we in the last 2..3 yrs

[Bigblue204]

6 hours ago, Brandon said:

I thought this club hired and retained high character guys?   

I'm honestly blown away they didn't use their time machine before they signed him. They obviously would have known what would happen almost a full year after signing him. Like how unprofessional....

[sweep the leg]

26 minutes ago, Booch said:

 

BO as well...has missed games several seasons now...and if he goes down...the drop off with a Canadian back is significant as hus replacement...plus he no spring chicken either, and his style isnt a style conducive to a long career...we already seen last 2 seasons he has been hurt...and played hir...so if that argument can be made for Philpot...can be made for BO and Demski too....no?

 

I disagree that the drop off from Oliveira to Petterson is worse than Demski/Philpot to Corcoran.

Philpot has averaged 11 games over the last three years, much worse than our guys. If he came here, stayed healthy, maintained his pace, and became a career long Bomber it would be amazing. IMO the odds of that happening are low.

[HardCoreBlue]

34 minutes ago, Bigblue204 said:

I'm honestly blown away they didn't use their time machine before they signed him. They obviously would have known what would happen almost a full year after signing him. Like how unprofessional....

Such a waste of talent. Hope that young man gets the support he needs to turn his life around.

[JuranBoldenRules]

25 minutes ago, sweep the leg said:

I disagree that the drop off from Oliveira to Petterson is worse than Demski/Philpot to Corcoran.

Philpot has averaged 11 games over the last three years, much worse than our guys. If he came here, stayed healthy, maintained his pace, and became a career long Bomber it would be amazing. IMO the odds of that happening are low.

Peterson can hit a gap but haven't seen him survive and manage contact.  Also near zero involvement in pass game.  Would need a tremendous OL for him to be a serviceable regular option and he'd need to get a lot better too.

[GCn20]

I think we could and would need to blow the proverbial wad in FA if that is the route we are looking at to fix our team. Might be the year for us to quit sitting on the sidelines for premier players for sure. However, recruitment has to be a whole lot better than it has been the past 2-3 years for us to truly get back to where we were. It is not just our high end talent on the decline, the strength of our depth has also taken huge steps back in the past few years. I hope Danny and the boys have their new binos packed with their peanut butter sandwiches for energy. They have a huge task at hand this year.

[3rdand1.5]

A few thoughts....

 

Something seems "off" with Jackson to me, The Edm situation, then missing all of TC and even with him here our QB and offence was the worst it has been in a long time, not real discussions about him.....I don't know just something seems off to me

Philpot would not be a player I would target...while he has flashes he is in the tub just too much and it will take Demski money or greater to get him....

Mitchel...oh boy, hopefully he get's his life figured out, his future is more than just football...He really did not work out for us....

That FA list is so premature...but it does have some great O-line and D-line on it I would love to see us be in on a top prospect if one does make it to actual FA...Hutchins would be a dream...and I would pay almost whatever for the guy, but I don't see him in the CFL for a few years at best...but one can dream,,,

A couple tough decisions IMO on a couple of our own CDN's in BO and Kramdhi, while they are both "ratio" busters, they are also really expensive....

Better CDN receiver talent is a spot we need, Demski is great, but older and somewhat injury prone, Clercius seems to have taken a step back in his development, Corcoran is a fine depth piece.....I hope one of the higher end Cdn's make it to FA, just not Philopt as described above why..... 

[Booch]

1 hour ago, sweep the leg said:

I disagree that the drop off from Oliveira to Petterson is worse than Demski/Philpot to Corcoran.

Philpot has averaged 11 games over the last three years, much worse than our guys. If he came here, stayed healthy, maintained his pace, and became a career long Bomber it would be amazing. IMO the odds of that happening are low.

Corcorran if we do our job right with who we have...who we can get...who we may draft shouldn't even see the roster....he shouldn't have last yr

Peterson is not ready for prime time ...yet...and not sure he can be a back to slug it out for 15 to 20 carries a game...I'd prefer to see MCI get carries and groomed/developed to be a substantial piece...You cant teach speed/power and athleticism...but you can vision...blocking...scheme....and he just needs reps to do it

 

 

[Tracker]

3 hours ago, Booch said:

especially when he really didnt have much to work with...or a coach who wouldn't flip ratio to facilitate better players

Hopefully he is back if for anything to work with QB's and RB's and have input if we go another route for OC  with a guy not named OC Guy

Hutchins is the best Dline guy who as arrived in the league in a long while...If he doesn't get NFL camp invite, i'd pay WJ money for him...WJ money isnt even that much for a giy with his potential....he hasnt even full arrived yet and is elite...does so many things right

Under radar guy, who really shouldnt be is Hicks as well in CGY....Land him and Hutchins....keep the best of Adams/Woods to rotate...Hick's....WJ....Yes WJ with support and not excessive reps...Bailey...Lawson...and the best of the 2 young ends who played in the MTL game....totally transforms our defensive front and would really accentuate what Younger wants to do...and wouldn't break the bank either 

And depending on what BO wants in money....of he wants north of 240k....I'd totally consider getting Mill's or Butler with the Peterson/MCI duo actually getting reps and seriously persue Philpot....better bang for the buck...and would help us navigate the sms for some the above mentioned guys

Broxton too.....be my target ...even if Stan is Back....Broxton..Stan...and anyone but Kolo anchoring the blind side...gimme some of that...Randolph on the right side is gonna be a legit all-star this yr  

too bad he didnt exhibit that evasiveness and speed on the field

He was a disaster waiting to unfold and ought to have been weeded out before he arrived here. 

 

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, 3rdand1.5 said:

A few thoughts....

 

Something seems "off" with Jackson to me, The Edm situation, then missing all of TC and even with him here our QB and offence was the worst it has been in a long time, not real discussions about him.....I don't know just something seems off to me

Philpot would not be a player I would target...while he has flashes he is in the tub just too much and it will take Demski money or greater to get him....

Mitchel...oh boy, hopefully he get's his life figured out, his future is more than just football...He really did not work out for us....

That FA list is so premature...but it does have some great O-line and D-line on it I would love to see us be in on a top prospect if one does make it to actual FA...Hutchins would be a dream...and I would pay almost whatever for the guy, but I don't see him in the CFL for a few years at best...but one can dream,,,

A couple tough decisions IMO on a couple of our own CDN's in BO and Kramdhi, while they are both "ratio" busters, they are also really expensive....

Better CDN receiver talent is a spot we need, Demski is great, but older and somewhat injury prone, Clercius seems to have taken a step back in his development, Corcoran is a fine depth piece.....I hope one of the higher end Cdn's make it to FA, just not Philopt as described above why..... 

Jackson should not be blamed for the flaccid offence this year. Collaros did not have the time he needed and looked tobe  a lot worse than last year, our receivers were a shambles and our OC would not do well in a high school league. And our head coach shrugged all concern off and did nothing, or rather he did the same old same old which did not work in the past two years.

Edited 4 hours ago by Tracker

[Mark H.]

3 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

I'm honestly blown away they didn't use their time machine before they signed him. They obviously would have known what would happen almost a full year after signing him. Like how unprofessional....

It's soooo hard to find a good trinity these days.

[GCn20]

1 hour ago, Tracker said:

Jackson should not be blamed for the flaccid offence this year. Collaros did not have the time he needed and looked tobe  a lot worse than last year, our receivers were a shambles and our OC would not do well in a high school league. And our head coach shrugged all concern off and did nothing, or rather he did the same old same old which did not work in the past two years.

One can say Collaros looked off, but it is hard to say by how much. Did he look panicked and irresponsible with a lot of throws, definitely, was that him declining in skill or trying to do too much? Probably a little of both. If we can at least surround him with adequate talent and play calling he can be a whole lot better than he was this year imo. We do need to have our eyes on the prize after this season me thinks. Our offence couldn't possibly field less talent and poorer coordination than last year tho so the only way is up.

2 hours ago, 3rdand1.5 said:

A few thoughts....

 

Something seems "off" with Jackson to me, The Edm situation, then missing all of TC and even with him here our QB and offence was the worst it has been in a long time, not real discussions about him.....I don't know just something seems off to me

Philpot would not be a player I would target...while he has flashes he is in the tub just too much and it will take Demski money or greater to get him....

Mitchel...oh boy, hopefully he get's his life figured out, his future is more than just football...He really did not work out for us....

That FA list is so premature...but it does have some great O-line and D-line on it I would love to see us be in on a top prospect if one does make it to actual FA...Hutchins would be a dream...and I would pay almost whatever for the guy, but I don't see him in the CFL for a few years at best...but one can dream,,,

A couple tough decisions IMO on a couple of our own CDN's in BO and Kramdhi, while they are both "ratio" busters, they are also really expensive....

Better CDN receiver talent is a spot we need, Demski is great, but older and somewhat injury prone, Clercius seems to have taken a step back in his development, Corcoran is a fine depth piece.....I hope one of the higher end Cdn's make it to FA, just not Philopt as described above why..... 

I agree. Jackson's body language all season was concerning. I am not sure he wanted to be here, or was unhappy with his role. 

[Booch]

2 hours ago, Tracker said:

He was a disaster waiting to unfold and ought to have been weeded out before he arrived here. 

 

i was talking about Jackson...not OC Guy...and I willing to pro-bona JT him like mentioned earlier this summer hahahaha.....

[Booch]

1 hour ago, GCn20 said:

One can say Collaros looked off, but it is hard to say by how much. Did he look panicked and irresponsible with a lot of throws, definitely, was that him declining in skill or trying to do too much? Probably a little of both. If we can at least surround him with adequate talent and play calling he can be a whole lot better than he was this year imo. We do need to have our eyes on the prize after this season me thinks. Our offence couldn't possibly field less talent and poorer coordination than last year tho so the only way is up.

I agree. Jackson's body language all season was concerning. I am not sure he wanted to be here, or was unhappy with his role. 

Yeah....I agree...I said befoe that I figured both ZC and Strev deserved a chance if anything in camp to show what they have in TC with a legit coordinator, legit weapons and a lil better line...Tho Strev is now out of the equation still the same sentiment...That clown really hamstrung us

Jackson also I agree...seemed a bit odd...Was he originally gonna be the actual OC but due to his personal matters and being late tocamp they bunped dimbbum up to the position, and didnt really convey to Jackson that it was just while he was away?....another communication blunder?...possible, and if so, rightfully understandable Jackson was a bit put off by it...especially as we watched what transpired as the yr rolled on...

I hope he back in some capacity and new yr...fresh start...hopefully fresh vision here....we don't see regression but actual back to 1st dominance...as we not that far off from it....but we also not that far off from a sliiiiiide into the bowels of the West...if not the whole league...

[Brandon]

6 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

I'm honestly blown away they didn't use their time machine before they signed him. They obviously would have known what would happen almost a full year after signing him. Like how unprofessional....

He had character issues prior to the signing and then couldn't make the field more then likely because of his attitude and then gets arrested afterwards.   The club "was" known for keeping and signing guys with good character (Lawler being the exception in the last few years).   

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, Booch said:

i was talking about Jackson...not OC Guy...and I willing to pro-bona JT him like mentioned earlier this summer hahahaha.....

Sorry- was referring to Mitchell who played like wanted to be anywhere else.

[Goalie]

7 hours ago, Bigblue204 said:

I'm honestly blown away they didn't use their time machine before they signed him. They obviously would have known what would happen almost a full year after signing him. Like how unprofessional....

Rockstar answer bro. Bang on. 

1 hour ago, Brandon said:

He had character issues prior to the signing and then couldn't make the field more then likely because of his attitude and then gets arrested afterwards.   The club "was" known for keeping and signing guys with good character (Lawler being the exception in the last few years).   

Prior to this incident was Mitchell involved in anything else? More than likely is pretty unlikely. It’s obvious to me he’s a dumbass tho. Sounds like his brain had a hard time with our terminology and now this confirms it. Bombers didn’t run from the law, he did. People go through all sorts of things they hide. They suck it up, put a fake smile on and bend over and take it but sometimes things trigger people where they say no more. It’s obvious Mitchell is going through stuff. He needs help. 
 

oh and weed is legal so who cares about that stuff cuz pretty sure he was busted before but it’s legal here. 

Edited 19 minutes ago by Goalie