The curtains are going to go up Tuesday morning on the first official day of Canadian Football League free agency with most who follow this grand ol’ loop already knowing how the plot is about to all unfold and where all the main characters are going to land.

The league’s ‘legal tampering period’ — that week-long window which opened last Sunday and allowed pending free agents and their representatives to speak with all interested suitors — has already taken 99.9 percent of the drama out of the event courtesy all the reported signings across the league, including here in Winnipeg.

Defensive lineman Jake Ceresna’s addition to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was made official on Friday, five days after it was first reported, with the announcements of the additions of offensive tackle Jarell Broxton, cornerback Jonathan Moxey and receiver Tommy Nield soon to follow early next week. And it’s certainly not unique to our market, with that kind of player movement has already having happened all across the league.

Now, go ahead and debate the merits/flaws in how the legal tampering window works — that’s potentially another column for another time — but with the Blue Bombers having already done much of their heavy lifting in advance Tuesday’s official market opening, we keep getting the same questions from fans over the last few days.

And so, as we open another edition of 1st & 10, here is one man’s opinion on the three most-common queries…

1 What’s left for the Blue Bombers to do?

Not much, frankly, although they may still kick the tires on some of the CFL free agents still available on the market.

Adding Ceresna and Broxton considerably beefed up the Blue Bombers at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the ball. Moxey fills a hole at cornerback with a proven veteran starter and Nield adds a young up-and-coming Canadian to the receiving corps that already landed former Hamilton Tiger-Cat star Tim White at the end of last month.

Tim White

Remember, too, all the work the club did before the legal tampering window opened by re-signing several key players since the end of the 2025 season.

That list includes running back Brady Oliveira, receivers Nic Demski and Gavin Cobb, offensive linemen Stanley Bryant, Pat Neufeld and Tui Eli, defensive linemen Willie Jefferson, Cam Lawson and Tanner Schmekel, defensive backs Deatrick Nichols, Evan Holm, Redha Kramdi and Michael Griffin II, linebackers Kyrie Wilson and Tanner Cadwallader, kicker Sergio Castillo and punter Jamieson Sheahan.

Of the remaining players on the Blue Bombers list of pending free agents defensive end James Vaughters has reportedly signed with Saskatchewan, receiver Jerreth Sterns with Montreal and cornerback Demerio Houston with Ottawa; centre Chris Kolankowski was already released and has landed in Hamilton, as has offensive tackle Eric Lofton, defensive back Jamal Parker was released in December and is a pending free agent, as are defensive tackle Jamal Woods, receivers Dalton Schoen, Keric Wheatfall, Dillon Mitchell and Cody Kase, defensive backs Nick Hallett, Dexter Lawson, Terrell Bonds, Enock Makonzo, quarterback Chris Streveler and linebacker Shayne Gauthier.

Also on that list is Jake Thomas, who retired to become the team’s new defensive line coach.

Seeing that 17 players were re-signed and Ceresna, Broxton, Moxey, Nield and White would have all commanded considerable dollars on the market, the Blue Bombers may very well now be tapped out with respect to the cap, even with its expected bump to $6.28 million, up $220,000 from last year.

2 WHAT ABOUT A VETERAN QB TO BACK UP ZACH COLLAROS?

Fair question, given Collaros missed five starts last year and didn’t finish three other games due to injury and with Streveler coming off a knee injury suffered in the regular-season finale and soon to hit the market.

The sense is the club won’t be pursuing Montreal’s Caleb Evans, McLeod Bethel-Thompson or Shea Patterson (who was here last year before being released), Tyrie Adams of Ottawa or any other QB with even a smidge of CFL experience on the market.

A couple of reasons for that — first, they used their available cap space to lock up the 17 players mentioned above who are returning and then spent significantly on the new faces.

Bryce Perkins

And second, there’s the thought the Blue Bombers may have their future No. 2 among the QBs under contract — returnees Terry Wilson and Chase Artopoeus, former UFL MVP and Los Angeles Ram Bryce Perkins and former Michigan State/Auburn starter Payton Thorne, who was in camp with the Cincinnati Bengals last year.

3 DOES BROXTON MOVE FROM LEFT TO RIGHT TACKLE AND WHAT DOES NIELD’S ADDITION MEAN TO THE RECEIVING CORPS?

We’re going to address a couple questions here in one chunk…

Broxton has played left tackle for the B.C. Lions the last few years and the Blue Bombers have future hall of famer Stanley Bryant locked in at the left flank. Broxton is apparently good with moving to right tackle and will likely be the heir apparent to Bryant at left tackle if the big man every does hang ’em up. So, file this under ‘nice problem to have’ for the moment.

Jarell Broxton

Kendall Randolph, who played right tackle all of last year, may also get some looks at guard along with Micah Vanterpool, who impressed in spot duty last year. This fuels the narrative the club is tinkering with using three Americans along the O-line.

Nield indirectly has a role in that, too, as he gives the team the option of starting three Canadians in the receiving corps with Demski and with Kevens Clercius, Cobb and Joey Corcoran — and perhaps a draft pick — in the discussion for a third spot alongside White and Pokey Wilson. There are also seven other new Americans already signed, with more possibly to follow.

More Blue Bombers-themed notes and quotes…

GO GET ‘EM, SETH

Cool to see Carolina Hurricanes star Seth Jarvis, a proud Winnipegger, sporting a Blue Bombers shirt in interview this week after it was announced he was being added to Canada’s men’s Olympic hockey team bound for Italy.

Thought you could use a Manitoba care package before Italy, @jarvy44.

Go get ’em. 🇨🇦#ForTheW | @HockeyCanada https://t.co/TmDpmi5UD4 pic.twitter.com/hluKw7lpzS

— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) February 6, 2026

CONGRATS, SERGIO

It’s been a big winter for kicker Sergio Castillo, who became a father again, signed a contract extension and has been added to the Lone Star Conference Hall of Fame.

Honored & blessed to be part of the @LoneStarConf Hall of Honor🙏
Thanks to all my teammates & coaches for helping this little boy from South Texas live the dream!@WTAMUBuffs pic.twitter.com/nr0IUFwZ0O

— Sergio Castillo (@elcastidelsur) January 30, 2026

AND FINALLY…

A salute to long-time Blue Bombers receiver Rasheed Bailey, who formally announced is retirement from the game this week on his podcast. Bailey left for Toronto in 2024 and played his final game in July of that year but has officially hung up his cleats for good. If you want to watch that moment in particular, go to the 20-minute market in Rasheed’s podcast, here: