The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive line corps underwent some surgery this offseason. And not just a nip and tuck, either, but a significant facelift.

Yes, it’s true that popular veteran and leader Willie Jefferson is returning, as is a Canadian contingent led by Cam Lawson and also featuring Tanner Schmekel and Collin Kornelson.

There are also some promising newcomers who flashed in the regular-season finale win over the Montreal Alouettes last year in Kydran Jenkins, Matt Jaworski and Global end Kemari Munier-Bailey.

Kydran Jenkins

Still, as we open the next instalment of our Positional Preview series with a look at the defensive line, two size-large changes must be highlighted: the departure of long-serving tackle Jake Thomas — who has retired and has transitioned to now become the D-line positional coach —  and the addition of Jake Ceresna, who arrives with a significant track record in the Canadian Football League of crushing quarterbacks and demolishing running backs.

Ceresna: “Go where you’re wanted.”

Ceresna’s addition offers so much for the Blue Bombers defensive front as his skillset has allowed him to line up at both tackle and end, giving defensive coordinator Jordan Younger another presence up front to offset Jefferson, who still sees extra attention from offensive play-callers.

A two-time CFL All-Star (2022, 2024 in Edmonton, then Toronto), Ceresna was scooped up by the Blue Bombers in free agency. He was expected to be a highly coveted target on the market, even with his 2025 season severely impacted by a knee injury he attempted to play through before shutting down after Labour Day.

Now healthy again, he should provide the veteran presence opposite Jefferson — similar to what James Vaughters did a year ago before he left in free agency this winter for the Saskatchewan Roughriders after the signing of Ceresna. Jefferson is coming off a 2025 season in which he had just three sacks, ranking second on the team to the six Vaughters posted and his snap total dropped as the team often rushed just three linemen and dropped more bodies into pass coverage.

Ceresna could also play a critical role to what happens on the interior, too, depending on whether the Blue Bombers are operating in a three or four-man defensive front. On the inside, the Blue Bombers are expecting Lawson to continue to emerge as a force — he had five sacks in 2023, missed all of 2024 with an injury and had one sack a year ago while sharing time with Thomas.

On top of Ceresna’s potential impact, Jenkins, Jaworski and Munier-Bailey certainly had enough eyebrow-raising plays in the final week of the regular season to have everyone in Bomberland intrigued at what could come from that trio in 2026.

Jake Thomas at the CFL Combine in Edmonton in March; photo courtesy CFL.ca

There’s also this to consider in a preview of the Blue Bombers defensive line: it could be said one of the most significant moves is the shift of Thomas from playing to the coaching ranks. Already immensely respected in the building for his work ethic and knowledge, he will bring a fresh perspective to the D-line room following the retirement of long-time assistant Darrell Patterson.

And Thomas will have the dawgs to work with here, too, making what happens along the defensive line of scrimmage appointment viewing in 2026.

The Defensive Line

Cam Lawson

Defensive line coach: Jake Thomas
The Returnees:
Starters: Willie Jefferson, Cam Lawson*
Returning vets: Tanner Schmekel*, Collin Kornelson*, Kemari Munier-Bailey (Global), Kydran Jenkins, Matthew Jaworski, DeShaan Dixon (practice roster in the fall)
CFL vets: Jake Ceresna (Edmonton)
Newcomers: Khris Bogle, Michael Fletcher, Warren Peeples, Arnold Young
Departed: Jake Thomas* (retired), James Vaughters (Saskatchewan), Devin Adams (Saskatchewan), Jamal Woods (free agent)
*Indicates Canadian

Keep an eye on:

#90 De’Shaan Dixon

We lauded a ton of D-linemen above, from vets like Jefferson, Ceresna and Lawson wo the promising newcomers who flashed at the end of the year.

Let it be said there is also a quiet buzz about Dixon as training camp approaches. He was added to the practice roster in mid-October last year and will very much be in the mix right from the get-go in a couple of weeks.

Dixon appeared in 42 games during his collegiate career at Norfolk State and then spent time (2022-24) with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Did you know?

Winnipeg finished 2025 with a league-low 23 sacks — 1.28 per game — but did rank first in the fewest offensive points allowed (21.4), second in passing yards allowed per game (261.4) and first in lowest opposition quarterback percentage against (62.2).

The last time the Blue Bombers led the league in sacks was 2018, when they tied with four other teams with 48. And the last time the defence led the league in sacks outright was 2011, with 55. The team record for sacks in a season is 75, set in 1984 (with the stat first tracked by the league in 1980). Tyrone Jones led the team that year with 20.5 sacks (back when the CFL credited half sacks), a record that stood until Elfrid Payton had 22 in 1993.

Notable Number(s): 47/94

Jefferson has 47 career quarterback sacks as a Blue Bomber, sixth-most in franchise history (Tyrone Jones is first all-time with 98) and one back of both Gavin Walls and Elfrid Payton in fifth spot.

He also has 94 pass knockdowns in his CFL career after swatting down a league-high 16 last year, tying his own franchise record and his total is now second in league history to Eddie Davis, who finished his career with Birmingham, Calgary and Saskatchewan with 111.