We open with some hard truths today in an examination of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers with last week’s playoff loss still stinging like an open wound, with them playing spectators with the 112th Grey Cup in their own backyard next weekend and with a whole offseason ahead.

First, as much as there is parity in the Canadian Football League, four teams finished with a better record than the men in blue and gold, and a fifth — the Montreal Alouettes — finished with the same 10-8 mark and just eliminated the Blue Bombers from the Grey Cup derby.

Let’s also remember this Blue Bombers squad finished fourth in the West Division and after starting the season 3-0, then went 7-9 in its last 16 — including the Eastern Semi-Final playoff loss.

So, that’s some tough math.

Yes, this is an organization that appeared in six straight West Division Finals from 2018-24 and made five consecutive trips to the Grey Cup from 2019-24, winning two championships. And over a span from 2021-24, the club was a remarkable 40-10 in the regular season in a run had come to be known as the ‘Glory Years 2.0’ — rivalled only by the four championships in five years from 1958-62.

But over the last two years the club has finished 21-15 in the regular season — 22-17 including playoffs — and the regular dominance flashed from ’21-24 appears now only in occasional flashes.

So, while there will be frenetic activity all around over the next week through Grey Cup, it’s not melodramatic to say this football team is at a crossroads with more pressing questions and concerns than we’ve seen in these parts in eons.

With all that serving as a backdrop, here are some key questions/issues which much be addressed — from this perch, at least — as we trot out our inaugural 1st & 10 column of the offseason…

WHAT HAPPENS WITH THE CANADIAN MAFIA?

Kyle Walters, Mike O’Shea and Wade Miller at the 2017 Canadian Football Hall of Fame induction announcement

The fingerprints of Wade Miller, Kyle Walters and Mike O’Shea have been all over the Blue Bombers turnaround from CFL laughingstock in 2013 to a franchise which has regularly been in the Grey Cup contender discussion and just finished playing an entire season in front of capacity crowds. Those two things — success on and off the field — go hand in hand.

Yet, here’s where things get fuzzy: both Walters and O’Shea are on expiring contracts and the aftershock of the blockbuster news by the Ottawa RedBlacks this week — hiring Ryan Dinwiddie away from the Toronto Argonauts to become their new GM and head coach — is already being felt all the way out here on the Prairies. O’Shea is Argos royalty, after all, as a hall of fame player who was on the coaching staff in 2012 when Toronto captured a title at home and there is already commentary in The Big Smoke he should be the leading candidate to replace Dinwiddie.

The Blue Bombers have posted nine straight double-digit win seasons — the longest stretch in franchise history — and yet until there is clarity with the Canadian Mafia, a term hung on them by Calgary Stampeders boss Dave Dickenson, addressing all the other questions and issues to follow here could be seen as moot. That includes who might be back on O’Shea’s staff should he return.

The only certainty right now with the three of them is with the big boss man himself — Miller.

A LONG LIST OF PENDING FREE AGENTS

Brady Oliveira

Don’t be alarmed by the long list of pending free agents — 33 in total — because every team has a big chunk of contracts to deal with at this time of year. But, again, the uncertainty above does impact how quickly that list can be attacked, especially with teams already chipping away at it.

Winnipeg’s list is substantial, led by running back Brady Oliveira, receivers Nic Demski, Jerreth Sterns and Keric Wheatfall, three starting offensive linemen in Stanley Bryant, Pat Neufeld and Chris Kolankowski, along with sixth man Tui Eli, six players who started games on the D-line in Willie Jefferson, James Vaughters, Jake Thomas, Cam Lawson, Jamal Woods and Tanner Schmekel, veteran linebackers Kyrie Wilson, Shayne Gauthier and Tanner Cadwallader, five players who started in the secondary in Evan Holm, Deatrick Nichols, Redha Kramdi, Jamal Parker, Jr. and Demerio Houston as well as placekicker Sergio Castillo and punter Jamieson Sheahan.

Two snippets which speak to the team’s continuity and the importance of so many in the locker room, the first coming from Brady Oliveira — full story here — who said his decision to re-sign will be partly based on who returns and then this from Kramdi on exit day last Sunday:

“Somebody asked me what it would take for me to remain a Winnipeg Blue Bomber. I don’t feel the Winnipeg Blue Bombers would be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers without Michael O’Shea. I’ve said it many times, he could call me at 3 a.m. asking for help and there would be no questions, I would be there.”

THE QB PICTURE

Zach Collaros

The Blue Bombers QB1, Zach Collaros, is under contract for 2026 and so the club has a sense of stability at the most important position on the field. All that said, he’s 37 and coming off a season in which he missed four starts, sat for a fifth and did finish three other contests. Countering that concern is his ability to still be a difference maker when given the opportunity, his knowledge of the game and his leadership.

What shouldn’t be forgotten here, too, is this: two of the three CFL’s leading passers outside of B.C.’s Nathan Rourke — Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris and Bo Levi Mitchell of Hamilton — have enjoyed career renaissances while working in a system where the ball comes out of their hands instantly. Harris, FYI, is 39 and Mitchell is 35.

It’s what is behind Collaros on the Blue Bombers depth chart which makes the picture so blurry. Veteran Chris Streveler suffered a knee injury in the regular-season finale and is a pending free agent. Terry Wilson came off the bench to help lead the team to a victory in that regular season finale, but hasn’t really had the opportunity to prove whether he is a keeper long term or not. Ditto for rookie Chase Artopoeus, who dressed for five games but didn’t throw a pass.

The key to all this could be Taylor Elgersma, selected 18th overall by the Blue Bombers this past spring in the CFL Draft. He’s big at 6-5 and has the skillset to have intrigued a number of NFL teams last year before he signed with the Green Bay Packers. Despite an impressive preseason, he was released, had a look from the New York Giants and is still waiting for an NFL opportunity. The Blue Bombers have reached out to him and his decision for 2026 could be critical for him and for the club.

If he keeps chasing the NFL dream, as is obviously his right, he risks losing another year of playing time. And if that door closes and he signs in Winnipeg, he could benefit from learning from one of the smartest pivots in the CFL in Collaros and then set himself up as a possible heir apparent.

CONTINUITY/LOYALTY VS. YOUNGER/CHEAPER

Stanley Bryant

Virtually every organization wrestles with this every offseason, and it’s been especially the case over the last few years with the Blue Bombers appearance in five straight finals and wanting to ride or die with the group that got them at or near the pinnacle.

Still, birth certificates don’t lie, and the club finished 2025 with 11 starters 30 years or older in Bryant (39), Collaros (37), Neufeld (36), Jefferson (34), Thomas (34), Kolankowski (33), Vaughters (32), Kyrie Wilson (32), Demski (31), Nichols (31) and Tony Jones (30). All but Collaros and Jones are moving to the free-agent market, which opens in February.

There’s no question many of those players still have tread on their tires — Bryant, for example, was once again named the club’s top lineman and looks like he could play until he is 90 — but bringing back all of them, or even a majority, has significant salary camp implications while blocking the path of ready-for-primetime players like Micah Vanterpool and Cam Lawson, draft picks/prospects like guard Ethan Vibert and defensive ends Matthew Jaworski and Kydran Jenkins, both of whom stood out in the final regular-season game.

AN AERIAL ATTACK IN DECLINE

Pokey Wilson

Some numbers to munch on here: in 2023 — just a couple of seasons ago — the Blue Bombers averaged 292.4 yards passing per game, which ranked second in the CFL. In 2024 that number fell to 260.2 (8th) and this year it tumbled even further to 235.0 yards per game, or dead last in the CFL.

There are too many factors in play here to point the finger solely at first-year offensive coordinator Jason Hogan, including Collaros being out of action for a handful of games and three others, to the injury to Dalton Schoen, to the departure of Kenny Lawler in free agency, to an offensive line greying at the temples. But that drop — almost 60 yards per passing per game in three years — is absolutely alarming, especially with three receivers pending free agents in Demski, Sterns and Wheatfall.

The to-do list is substantial for the Blue Bombers this winter, but breathing some life into the passing game needs to be a top priority.

FURTHER TO THE ABOVE

Dalton Schoen

There was no more productive receiver in the CFL in 2022-23 than Dalton Schoen, who was twice named a CFL All-Star, was the CFL’s Most Outstanding Rookie in 2022 and pulled in a jaw-dropping 141 passes for 2,663 yards and 26 TDs in 34 games. His numbers in the two years since then, due to injury? Eight games played, 36 receptions for 414 yards and two scores.

He is again heading to free agency, albeit with far less bargaining power now. Worth noting: he also owns a master’s degree in data analytics and would have firms tripping over themselves to have them in their offices. So, the question: if Schoen still wants to play, does the club step up again to give him a home? Or do they let him get to market knowing they’d be sick to their stomachs if he regained his form in a different uniform?

THE TRENCHES

The boys on the O-line

In his season-ending press conference Collaros made mention of some of the offensive troops recently watching film of the 2019 Grey Cup and marvelling how the O-line repeatedly blew the Tiger-Cats off the line of scrimmage, all part of a dominant 33-12 win. Winnipeg’s big eaters up front are still effective in run blocking — the offence finished second in the league in rushing yards per game at 124.1 (Calgary was first at 126.7). But, again, three starters are now in their 30s and the pass protection issues — 37 sacks allowed, ranking sixth — are partly owned by this unit, by the quarterbacks, and by the play calling.

Still ‘dominant’ is not a word which was used to describe Winnipeg’s front, certainly not the way it has been in the past few years.

The defensive line situation is also worth looking at as part of a bigger take on the Blue Bombers at the line of scrimmage. Winnipeg’s defence finished first in offensive points allowed (24.1), third in net yardage (344.3), second vs the pass (261.4), third against the run (94.1) while allowing 21 TDs — tied for fewest in the league. Those are all exceptional numbers that speak of the work of defensive coordinator Jordan Younger’s crew.

The flip side of that is the overall defensive approach, which regularly drops eight-nine players into coverage, and means there is often less pressure on QBs. As a result, Winnipeg ranked last in sacks (23), last in tackles for losses (20), sixth in forced fumbles (11) and tied for last in interceptions (13). Vaughters is coming off a season in which he had a career high six sacks and while Jefferson’s sack totals were down — he had only three, tying a career low set in Saskatchewan in 2016 when he played in only five games after a shot in the NFL — he did lead the league with 16 pass knockdowns.

STOCKPILING THE CANADIAN CUPBOARD

Jaylen Smith (39)

The Blue Bombers got significant contributions from their 2025 CFL Draft class, with linebackers Jaylen Smith and Connor Shay both suiting up for every game — Smith also finished second on the team and fifth in the league in special teams tackles with 22 — while defensive back Ethan Ball dressed for every game after returning from a hand injury, receiver Joey Corcoran started the Eastern Semi-Final, with linebacker Lane Novak making the team out of camp before suffering a knee injury and Vibert, mentioned above, a promising prospect at guard.

Winnipeg has all its selections in the 2026 CFL Draft and a national snaps bonus pick again and will choose 6th overall, then 15th, 20th, 26th, 35th, 44th, 53rd, 62nd and 71st overall.