Take it as a sign or take it as a tease — Dillon Mitchell is getting his most valuable practice reps of the year.
The fourth-year receiver, whose exclusion from the starting lineup has been one of the great mysteries of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ season thus far, has worked with the first team offence out of multiple looks in practice this week.
It’s the most extensive look he’s received with the top unit since the first day of training camp. Since then, the 28-year-old spent the first eight weeks of the regular season on the one-game injured list (healthy scratch) before being moved to the Bombers’ practice roster ahead of last week’s contest.
MIKAELA MACKENZIE / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Dillon Mitchell (13) has run multiple snaps out of the slot this week at practice, indicating the wide receiver might see his first start in Blue and Gold in Saturday’s contest.
Mitchell, who had 1,896 yards and 12 touchdowns on 130 receptions during the first three seasons of his career with the Edmonton Elks, was paid handsomely ($148,000 in hard money and a $63,300 signing bonus) to join the Bombers in the off-season and looked like a shoo-in to be one of the starting receivers.
When he arrived at training camp, admittedly not as mentally sharp as he should’ve been, Mitchell was bumped down the depth chart and hasn’t climbed back up.
Now, after multiple injuries to the receiving corps, he’s getting a good look with the starting unit again, which at least puts him in the mix to suit up for Saturday’s road game against the Calgary Stampeders at McMahon Stadium (6 p.m. CT).
“I think he’s a really good teammate, a good guy,” quarterback Zach Collaros said Tuesday. “I’m happy that he’s here, and I was happy when we signed him in the off-season. So I’m happy for the opportunity that he might have this week as a receiver, I think he does some really good things to the field and the boundary.”
“He’s played at a high level for a long time in our league, right? So I think experience is something that definitely matters, being out there and not having that deer-in-the-headlights look, I think, is an important thing.”
After Dalton Schoen went down with a knee injury in Week 5, Mitchell didn’t get a sniff at joining the starting offence. Instead, the Bombers went with second-year receiver Cody Kase. Two games later, Kase suffered a significant ankle injury.
Once again, Mitchell was passed on, this time in favour of rookie fifth-round pick Joey Corcoran.
Offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan said he didn’t view Mitchell as a slot receiver at the time, and suggested the receiver wasn’t versed enough with the waggle to make the impact that the team needed, despite Mitchell having 14 games of experience playing in the slot.
However, this week, Mitchell has run multiple snaps out of the slot, which could point to a change of heart from the Bombers’ coaching staff.
“I think everybody on our offence gets moved around and has turns waggling and not waggling, motioning in and out, so I don’t see it as they changed their mind,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.
“He’s been good. He’s been accurate. He’s been attentive in meetings, and learning, and asking good questions, and working hard at it. He’s been putting in the work.”
If it is Mitchell’s time, Collaros believes he has enough rapport with the receiver to produce in a game, despite them playing on different units for much of camp and Mitchell being on the scout team since the regular season started.
“Looking back at training camp, there was a lot of moving… parts, for sure,” Collaros said. “I mean, I don’t feel like I got enough reps with anybody, but you never feel you get enough reps. So that was a long time ago, but Dillon has done a great job of learning what we’re doing here. He, obviously, has a great rapport with Jarious (Jackson, quarterbacks coach), too, from being in Edmonton with him for all those years.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers released Marquise Bridges (9) on Wednesday, a week after the defensive back was placed on the practice roster.
“Some of the things — and I’m speaking for him — some of the concepts and routes that we run, we can just say, ‘Hey, it’s like you did it this way in Edmonton,’ so I think that helps. I think just getting used to a new setting for him and being around our locker room for this extended amount of time has been good.”
“He’s a great player, and if he gets this opportunity, I think he’s gonna do a great job,” Collaros added.
Bombers release Bridges
The Bombers released defensive back Marquise Bridges on Wednesday.
Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter
The second-year pro started six games at field side cornerback this season, recording 16 tackles and two interceptions.
Bridges was expected to make a jump in his second year with the Blue and Gold after CFL all-star Tyrell Ford was signed by Edmonton in free agency, but a stretch of miscues led him to being benched in the club’s Week 8 game in Toronto and then moved to the practice roster last week.
Rookie Trey Vaval and recently signed third-year veteran Dexter Lawson Jr. have worked with the first team defence in practice this week.
joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca
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Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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