The game was meaningless in the standings but meant the world to defensive end Kydran Jenkins.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers rested the majority of their starters in last year’s regular-season finale at home against the Montreal Alouettes. That led to Jenkins — a promising prospect out of Purdue who had signed with the Blue and Gold two and a half weeks earlier —being thrust into a starting role.
“I kind of got thrown in the fire, but I ended up playing good that game,” said Jenkins, who was out of football for several months prior to that after attending Carolina Panthers rookie minicamp.
John Woods . THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive lineman Kydran Jenkins sacks Montreal Alouettes quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson during CFL action in Winnipeg last October.
He certainly did. He had several pressures and managed to record his first career sack.
“I was just ready to play football, honestly,” said Jenkins after Day 2 of rookie camp on Wednesday. “I just wanted the opportunity and once I got that opportunity, I ran with it.”
The experience left him wanting more. The following week when the Bombers fell to the Als in the East semifinal, he was back on the practice roster.
“It definitely kind of teased me. I was ready to play more games after that,” he said. “I wanted to play the next game, but it definitely helped motivate me to train hard for the next season.”
Next season has arrived and Jenkins has a chance to be an import rotational piece behind star pass rushers Willie Jefferson and Jake Ceresna.
While he doesn’t have the same pedigree as those vets, the 6-1, 275-pounder brings a unique level of athleticism to the position.
It goes back to his days at Jefferson County High School in Louisville, Ga., when playing defence wasn’t the only thing he excelled at.
“I was like 240 back then and I was kick returning. I actually returned two of them (for touchdowns),” he said. “I was a little faster than I am now. I was pretty big back then compared to a lot of my competition. I just outran them and was bigger.”
He broke out his last two years at Purdue registering 140 tackles, 28 tackles for loss and 14.5 sacks. But if he wanted to, he likely could’ve been an NCAA athlete in a different sport.
“Yeah, I was an all-state goalie (in soccer). It was fun. One game I actually had 24 saves in a playoff game.”
YEAR 3 WILSON
Quarterback Terry Wilson knows a promotion is at his fingertips.
Entering Year 3 with the Bombers, the Oklahoma City native has a leg up on the trio of CFL newcomers — Taylor Elgersma, Bryce Perkins and Payton Thorne — who are all fighting for the No. 2 gig behind starter Zach Collaros.
Wilson has spent the majority of his time as the third option behind Collaros and recently retired Chris Streveler.
“I feel a lot better, definitely being in Year 3,” said Wilson, 28. “Studying the playbook feels a lot easier than it did years before.”
Wilson made his first career start last season — the same game Jenkins made his debut in — and went 11-for-21 for 79 yards and an interception.
It was a sloppy game all around with both sides having nothing at stake. The Bombers managed to prevail 19-10.
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“I learned a lot. The most important thing is just being out there and getting live reps and seeing live bullets come at you,” said Wilson. “And you know, I saw how I reacted to things and the things I can get better on overall, like being more confident sometimes and just trusting what I see. But it was definitely fun to get out there.”
Despite his limited action, he’s still the most experienced option out of the group. With that said, Wilson could find himself on the bubble if he doesn’t show some growth during the pre-season — starting with May 23 at Saskatchewan.
“I’ve been battling since high school, man. I don’t see it as a battle. Everybody is, of course, trying to compete, but you gotta make sure you’re out there doing what you got to do to get the offence going,” he said.
“Shoot, I give credit when someone throws a good ball. It is what it is, man. I try to uplift guys and be confident and be a good teammate.”
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Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.
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