Blue Bombers take another big hit with Dalton Schoen injury

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And the hits just keep on coming.

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Less than three weeks after losing star receiver Kenny Lawler to a broken arm, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers say Dalton Schoen is also out of the lineup, long-term, with a knee injury.

Schoen is the latest to join a crowded, six-game injury list.

Head coach Mike O’Shea doesn’t even sound optimistic the two-time CFL all-star will be ready to return in a month and a half.

“We’ll see after that,” O’Shea said, Monday. “But it’s going to be a while.”

Schoen was hurt away from the play in the third quarter of the Blue Bombers’ 26-24 loss to the B.C. Lions on Friday.

He’d caught five passes for 54 yards to that point and had yet to break out in three games this season, all Winnipeg losses.

But over the last two years he was arguably the top receiver in the CFL, amassing 141 catches for 2,663 yards and 26 touchdowns.

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The 27-year-old is a unique combination deep threat – 18.9 yards per catch and 26 touchdowns the last two years – and sure-handed possession receiver.

The league’s rookie of the year in 2022, Schoen has also been a security blanket for Zach Collaros, developing almost instant chemistry with the quarterback.

Taking him and Lawler out of the mix leaves a dramatically different attack for opposing defences to worry about.

“You feel for them because they’re competitive guys,” Collaros said. “On a team level, as Oshe said the other day, everyone’s brought here as a starter. The next-man-up mentality, whatever you want to call it. That’s how a lot of people get their career going. I was one of those people.

“So you’ve got to be ready to go. We have the group that is.”

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The Bombers will be forced to insert two new receivers this week, as rookie Keric Wheatfall, who’d been replacing Lawler, also went down on Friday and will miss extensive time.

O’Shea found a silver lining in the quality of receivers the team had in training camp, calling it probably the best group he’d seen in 10 years.

“And we ended up letting some guys go that were good football players,” he said.

The Bombers brought one of those, Ravi Alston, back on Monday, signing him to the practice roster.

American Josh Johnson and Canadian Jeremy Murphy, both already on the P.R., were among those taking turns in Schoen’s spot on Monday.

O’Shea acknowledges no first-year player can replicate what Schoen and Lawler can do.

“That’s exactly where the challenge is — the experience,” O’Shea said. “How do we get them up to speed? They’re good, they’re capable. Recognizing CFL defences and reacting accordingly is maybe a little more challenging.”

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The only good news to come out of Monday’s practice: Defensive back Deatrick Nichols took part, signalling he could return in time for the Blue Bombers’ game Saturday in Calgary after missing the last one.

But nothing can soften the blow of seeing a teammate suffer a serious injury.

“It’s terrible,” quarterback Chris Streveler said. “Just seeing any guys get hurt, you know the type of work they put in on a daily basis. You always feel for those guys, but at the same time you’ve got to go out and try to win a football game. That’s the best way you can honour your teammates.

“But it’s always tough to see your brothers go down.”

By the end of Friday’s game, Streveler was forced into receiver duty, a stretch even by his impressive standards of versatility.

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“That was a bit unexpected,” Streveler said. “We had a lot of guys out there that hadn’t played a lot. Not that I’ve played a ton of receiver, but I do know the play book well, so (was) able to help organize things a little bit.”

The Bombers have been hit on both sides of the ball, the defensive line the other area decimated, with the loss of three players who’d been starting: Celestin Haba, Miles Fox and Cam Lawson.

Did we mention defensive back Jamal Parker was on the six-game, too?

“You put so much work into this,” receiver Drew Wolitarsky said. “You start in February, training, you train all the way through, you go through camp, which is a grind. And all of a sudden just one play and you’re done. It’s a huge hit to your psyche.”

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Getting back is no walk in the park, either.

“After the recovery, you’ve got to get in the weight room, you’ve got to get your confidence back to play at 100%,” Wolitarsky continued. “You’re seeing your team lose, guys are struggling — it’s hard not to take it personal.”

At the helm of it all, a man convinced what’s left of his team is heading in the right direction and will work its way out of this mess.

“No doubt,” O’Shea said. “You can’t argue with where we’re at. That’s just the facts. But you certainly can’t argue with the mentality. Our guys don’t like it, but they’re not uncomfortable here. They’re going to continue to work, look at the minutiae of it all. How do they improve? Their process is really good.”

Even if their play, and their luck, hasn’t been.

pfriesen@postmedia.com
X: @friesensunmedia

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