EDMONTON — He was as consistent as a metronome and a fixture on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive line for eons, pulling on his helmet and shoulder pads for 223 regular season games and 16 more times in the playoffs — including five Grey Cups.

And over the course of a 13-year Canadian Football career Jake Thomas found a certain comfort level on the field while transforming into a valuable and important voice in the locker room.

‘GM Jake’ his teammates called him because of his intrinsic knowledge of how the league works, from seemingly having his own scouting reports on damn near every player in the league to all the clauses and addendums in the collective bargaining agreement.

But this offseason Thomas is making one of the biggest transitions in an already long career in the CFL, having retired in December to become the team’s new defensive line coach — a role he’s already attacking and which will be on full display this weekend at the CFL Combine as the tutor for the defensive line prospects gathered here.

“It’s been easy so far,” said Thomas with a grin in a chat with bluebombers.com on Friday. “The real challenge will be May 1st and the first day of rookie camp. I’m not sure what it’s going to be like, to be honest.

“I think it’s one of those jobs where you have an idea of what it is, but you don’t really know what it is until you’re doing it. That’s how I’ve been approaching it.”

Thomas has long had a quiet confidence that, mixed with his self-effacing sense of humour, makes him a good fit in any situation in the game. Head coach Mike O’Shea recognized that long ago and, coupled with Thomas’ work ethic it made him a natural to make the transition from the locker room to the the D-line meeting room.

Asked Friday what made him convinced Thomas would crush it in his new role, O’Shea offered this:

“Jake is going to be good at anything he does. I mean, you don’t have that kind of longevity in pro sport just because you’ve been blessed with some physical attributes that allow you to play. It’s all sorts of things. He’s wickedly smart and he’s been wired to think about building teams for a long time. He’s extremely well respected. He’s thoughtful in how he goes about his business and h’s fiercely competitive.

“It was the routines he followed — they were always professional — and just liked watching him prepare all those years. You know what? I would have personally liked to have seen him play forever but it’s just not possible in our line of work. The way he approached the game, in my mind, he deserved to play forever.

“Some guys short change things. But not him.”

Added Mike Miller, the Blue Bombers special teams coordinator who is also here at the CFL Combine and a long-time teammate and buddy of Thomas:

“He’s such a personable dude. He wants well for other people, he was always the ideal teammate. He’s a detail-oriented guy. He’ll take this very seriously. He knows the game. He knows how to talk to people and connect with people.

“He reached out to tell me he was going to do it and the first thing I said was, ‘You’ll be perfect for this.’

Thomas (left) alongside Blue Bombers Director of Football Operations Matt Gulakow

This is actually the second CFL Combine Thomas has worked as a coach, having helped at the 2024 regional combine as part of the CFL/CFLPA Mentorship Program in 2024. He also regularly returned to his alma mater, Acadia University, to help with their spring camps.

Since taking on his new role he’s spoken regularly with Blue Bombers defensive assistants Richie Hall, Jordan Younger and James Stanley. He’s taken on-line coaching clinics and spoke at a Football New Brunswick clinic as well.

Not too long ago he reached out to former teammate Jamaal Westerman, who is on staff at Rutgers University as an assistant strength and conditioning coach to pick his brain about the drills they run and their coaching points.

In short, it’s already been a no-stone-unturned approach for Thomas in his new gig.

“I view it as a teacher going into their first year of teaching,” he said. “You’ve got to create a lesson plan. Right now I’m making my bank of lessons. It’s, ‘here are the drills I’m going to do’ and, ‘these are my coaching points.’”

What he’s also heard repeatedly is a coaching truism: be authentic. And if you know Thomas, that will hardly be a problem.

“I’m not going to be something that I’m not,” he added. “The first thing guys can smell out is bullshit. If guys ask me questions and I don’t know the answers it will be, ‘I don’t know but I’ll get back to you.’ I’ve been in those meeting rooms when people ask those questions and people try to dance around the answer and not sure.

“It’s one of those things where you just find your way. If I’m fortunate to have a long coaching career I’m sure how I view things the first time won’t be the same 10 years down the line.”

More from the CFL Combine in the latest edition of 1st & 10…

–Friday was testing day at the CFL Combine… with players running the 40, doing the vertical and broad jump, 3-cone and shuttle drill and the bench press, which is always a big one.

Full combine results can be found here:

CFL Combine presented by Anytime Fitness

And here is Western University OL cranking out a Combine best 30 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press.

https://t.co/NSvoF4rkIs pic.twitter.com/wSYaQHlNdI

— CFL (@CFL) March 27, 2026

The Blue Bombers have a number of football operations staff here at the CFL Combine. Also here, in addition to O’Shea, Thomas and Miller, are GM Kyle Walters, Director of Football Operations Matt Gulakow, Senior Director of Player Personnel Eric Deslauriers along with Darren Cameron, the Senior Vice President, Team Strategy/Public Relations.

The staff was spread out to watch all the drills with O’Shea, for example, camped out to watch the vertical all morning. Afterward we asked him how the team balances what the game film has already told them with resisting the urge not to get too fixated on the testing numbers.

“I don’t get obsessed with the numbers, not at all,” O’Shea said. “But it’s nice when you see a guy who plays the game the right way — the way we like to see it played — and then the numbers bolster that opinion.

“You come in having watched their film and when (the numbers) matches up with their style and effort it’s pleasing.”

Miller, meanwhile, was stationed at the short shuttle station.

“You’re looking for that athleticism — the guys that move fluidly — for special teams,” he said. “And a lot of it is going to come down to the interview. We’ve watched the film already. So, it’s the mentality of these kids and what makes them tick.

“In the interview we often ask, ‘How do you see your career going if you get drafted?’ A lot of them say they want to be on special teams and then eventually make it as a starter on defence or offence. So, I like to ask, ‘What if you’re just a special teams player or a depth player for your whole career? How would that make you feel?’ I like to hear their responses to that.

“It’s also about finding whether they are wired to run into a wall for their teammates.”

-The latest on the Taylor Elgersma watch…

A towering QB with a howitzer arm from Wilfrid Laurier, Elgersma was selected in the second round of last year’s CFL Draft before he attended training camp and played in the preseason with the Green Bay Packers. He had a handful of NFL looks after his release by the Packers and most recently was signed by the Birmingham Stallions, where he was one of three QBs and expected to push starter Matt Corral.

But Elgersma was one of the inactives listed for Friday’s season-opening game and the scuttlebutt at the CFL Combine is that it is a work-visa related issue that is keeping him out of the lineup. Elgersma’s camp is hoping his work in the UFL could lead to another NFL look.

week 1 inactives vs kings

📺 7 pm ct on FOX pic.twitter.com/Id7hvqjUgo

— Birmingham Stallions (@UFLStallions) March 27, 2026