Photo courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Veteran receiver Dillon Mitchell will make his debut with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers when the team visits the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night.

The 28-year-old signed with the team in January following his release from the Edmonton Elks. He was healthy scratch for the first six games of the regular season and was demoted to the practice roster last week against the Toronto Argonauts.

The six-foot-one, 190-pound target caught 130 passes for 1,896 yards and 12 touchdowns over 45 regular-season games with the Elks and was also productive on special teams, recording almost 1,000 return yards on punts and kickoffs.

The native of Memphis, Tenn. started his professional career as a seventh-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2019 NFL Draft. He was a collegiate standout at the University of Oregon where he recorded 1,184 receiving yards in 2018, which remains the second-best single-season total in program history.

As anticipated, Zach Collaros has also returned to the starting lineup after missing last week’s game due to a neck injury. The veteran passer has thrown for 1,031 yards, seven touchdowns, and eight interceptions over five regular-season games this season, posting a 2-3 record.

The Blue Bombers made several other changes to their lineup this week as Dexter Lawson Jr. will start at field-side cornerback in place of Jamal Parker, who has been placed on the one-game injured list due to a leg injury. Stanley Bryant will start at left tackle after missing three games due to an ankle injury with Eric Lofton, who started last week’s game, being moved to the six-game injured list.

Defensive tackle Cameron Lawson has been placed on the one-game injured list with a hip issue, making room for Tanner Schmekel to make his season debut. Rookie quarterback Chase Artopoeus, rookie running back Quinton Cooley, and Canadian receiver Gavin Cobb have all been moved to the practice roster, while Canadian ball-carrier Matthew Peterson has been promoted back to the active roster.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-3) will visit the Calgary Stampeders (5-3) on Saturday, August 9 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a close win over Toronto, while Calgary got crushed by the Redblacks 31-11.

The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 21 degrees and a 60 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and 770 CHQR in Calgary.