Bombers trim roster by 29, including return specialist Chris Smith

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Football can be a brutal sport sometimes. Just ask Chris Smith.

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After seemingly locking up kick-returning duties for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers thanks to a 109-yard punt he took to the house in Friday’s 31-10 loss to the Calgary Stampeders, the rookie running back was listed among the 29 names axed from the roster on Sunday.

The club said the surprise came with a caveat: Smith was hurt in the game. For what it’s worth, he seemed fine afterward after fielding questions from the assembled media.

Winnipeg’s injury list won’t be released until Wednesday morning.

The Bombers finalized their 2024 roster ahead of their opener Thursday in a Grey Cup rematch with the Montreal Alouettes at Princess Auto Stadium.

Other notable names on the list included rookie quarterback and two-time college bowl MVP Darren Grainger, defensive end Chauncey Rivers, rookie receiver Ronnie Blackmon, and a pair of University of Manitoba products, Collin Kornelson and AK Gassama (a 2024 draft pick)

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“The last ones are always really tough,” head coach Mike O’Shea said after Friday’s game.

The Bombers had to quickly shift from coaching a game to making their final evaluations ahead of Saturday’s 9 p.m. roster deadline.

Grainger, who led Georgia State to the 2021 Camellia Bowl and 2023 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl titles, struggled mightily in Friday’s game. He completed just one pass on six attempts for 13 yards and added eight more yards on the ground but showed little awareness after being sacked for a 12-yard loss and a safety in the second quarter.

Grainger’s dismissal means rookie pivot Terry Wilson takes the third-string job behind Zach Collaros and Chris Streveler.

Wilson was solid in Winnipeg’s pre-season opener in Saskatchewan but had plenty of issues trying to move the ball downfield on Friday, going 10-for-17 for 70 yards with two interceptions and an 11-yard sack.

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Rivers, meanwhile, showed flashes of Willie Jefferson coming off the edge in Friday’s game, getting a first-quarter knockdown and nearly a sack.

Rivers’s problem wasn’t his performance, but Celestin Haba ahead of him. The second-year edge rusher will look to fill the Texas-sized shoes of longtime defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat, who retired this past offseason.

The Bombers also established their 12-man practice roster, including American receiver Josh Johnson, defensive back Tyrique McGhee and Canadian offensive lineman Owen Hubert, a 2024 draft pick by the Bombers.

Speaking of draft picks, it appears several from the 2024 draft class made the team, including Montreal native and University of Connecticut receiver Kevens Clercius, who was taken 13th overall, and fullback Michael Chris-Ike out of Delaware State, who was selected 14th.

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Offensive lineman Gabe Wallace (17th) and defensive tackle Kyle Samson (20th) also made the cut, while long-snapper Ian Leroux, taken in the fourth round, was added to the suspended list. He’s likely to return to Laval for his final season of USports eligibility

Meanwhile, both of the team’s global selections — Ogbevoen and Weitz — were added to the practice roster.

Full list of final cuts

• American receiver Sy Barnett
• American receiver Ronnie Blackmon
• American receiver Isaiah Coulter
• American receiver Aron Cruickshank
• National receiver AK Gassama
• American defensive back Russell Dandy
• American defensive back Demetries Ford
• American defensive back Bill Hackett
• American defensive back Isaiah Norman
• American defensive back Travon Fuller
• American defensive back Patrick Rogers
• American defensive back Juan Lua
• American quarterback Darren Grainger
• American offensive lineman Chris Ivy
• National offensive lineman Ethan Kalra
• National defensive back Bret MacDougall
• National defensive lineman Collin Kornelson
• National punter Dante Mastrogriuseppe
• National defensive back Nico McCarthy
• American linebacker Dylan Moses
• American offensive lineman Chidi Okeke
• American linebacker Johnny Petrishen
• American defensive end Chauncey Rivers
• National receiver/running back Jonathan Rosery
• American linebacker Tre Thomas
• American defensive lineman Taylor Upshaw
• American receiver Josh Vann
• American running back Chris Smith
• National offensive lineman Michael Vlahogiannis

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12-man practice roster

• American offensive lineman Larnel Coleman
• American offensive lineman Kendall Randolph
• American offensive lineman Micah Vanterpool
• American linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel
• American defensive back Michael Griffin
• National defensive lineman Owen Hubert
• American receiver Josh Johnson
• American receiver Keric Wheatfall
• American defensive back Tyrique McGhee
• National receiver Jeremy Murphy
• Global linebacker Lucky Ogbevoen
• Global linebacker Fabian Weitz

Jersey number updates

• Receiver Myron Mitchell – 0
• Fullback Michael Chris-Ike – 25
• Defensive back Michael Griffin – 32
• Linebacker Lucky Ogbevoen – 43
• Receiver Ontaria Wilson – 80
• Receiver Kevens Clercius – 86
• Receiver Keric Wheatfall – 88
• Defensive lineman Kyle Samson – 92
• Defensive lineman Owen Hubert – 93

sbilleck@postmedia.com

X: @scottbilleck

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