{"id":328684,"date":"2025-12-06T11:33:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:33:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/328684\/"},"modified":"2025-12-06T11:33:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-06T11:33:13","slug":"1st-10-the-complete-blue-bombers-qb-picture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/328684\/","title":{"rendered":"1st & 10 | The Complete Blue Bombers QB Picture"},"content":{"rendered":"

Let\u2019s open this week with the following statement-slash-proclamation: there\u2019s already a spot waiting for Zach Collaros in the Winnipeg Football Club Hall of Fame and the Ring of Honour and, very likely, his bust will one day be included among the legends at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, too.<\/p>\n

Just to reinforce that, Collaros now ranks third in Blue Bombers history in career passing yardage behind only Dieter Brock and Khari Jones, has won two Grey Cups and appeared in three other championship games during his time behind centre here and has the second-best winning percentage in franchise history with a 55-22 record (71.4), behind only Jim Van Pelt at 20-5 (80.0). He also ranks 15th in CFL history in passing yardage.<\/p>\n

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There\u2019s also this: he\u2019s 37 and will turn 38 next August, is entering the final year of his current contract in 2026. And as of right now there is no clear-cut heir apparent at QB1 although there are options already in house and potentially on the near horizon and 11 intriguing quarterback names on the team\u2019s 45-player negotiation list, eight of which have been added during the 2025 NCAA season.<\/p>\n

With all that in mind, let\u2019s take a peek at the Blue Bombers organizational QB depth chart, to to speak, in this week\u2019s edition of 1st & 10\u2026<\/p>\n

THE STARTER
\n\"\"<\/p>\n

Zach Collaros<\/p>\n

We gushed about QB1 above and, as some of the numbers bear out, with good reason. There\u2019s nothing to say that Collaros can\u2019t continue to put up superb numbers, although they dipped last year as he missed five starts and did not finish three other games in posting his lowest totals since becoming a Blue Bomber. The big caveat in that being he was working with a new offensive coordinator and with often a revolving door at the receiver position.<\/p>\n

And so, when he\u2019s on it looks like it did against Hamilton in late September when he completed 2o of 25 passes for 367 yards and a touchdown a total which suggests in the right system and surrounded by consistent personnel he could enjoy a revival in 2026 the way Trevor Harris has in Saskatchewan and Bo Levi Mitchell in Hamilton. Still, there is little doubt the club must also be prepared for life after Zach or have options coming out of the bullpen if he can\u2019t finish games or be available for others as was the case in \u201925.<\/p>\n

THE DEPTH CHART BEHIND COLLAROS
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Terry Wilson<\/p>\n

\u2013Terry Wilson finished the season as the back-up to Collaros as veteran Chris Streveler was injured in the regular-season finale. Wilson, now 27, has dressed for all 36 regular season games over the last two years, sometimes as the No. 2 to Streveler or Collaros and often as the third QB on the depth chart. Still, he\u2019s only thrown 22 passes over those two years with 12 completions for 79 yards \u2014 all but one of those passes coming in the regular-season finale this year.<\/p>\n

No one is questioning his arm strength, and there were flashes in his extended work against Montreal that he can be effective, especially when he\u2019s using his legs to move the pocket or extend plays. Yet, it\u2019s also fair to wonder if his lack of playing time over the last two years \u2014 and there were opportunities \u2014 says something about the coaching staff\u2019s faith in him.<\/p>\n

\u2013Chris Streveler is a pending free agent and, after ripping up his knee in the last game of the regular season for the second straight year it\u2019s not overly dramatic to ask now what\u2019s next for the popular veteran given the depth at the position already on the roster. Say what you will about how it looked at times this year, but the team was 4-1 in his starts as he worked with some of the same challenges Collaros also struggled with all year.<\/p>\n

\u2013Chase Artopeous dressed for five games as a rookie in 2024 \u2014 the five games Collaros was not on the roster \u2014 but did not throw a pass. He posted solid numbers as a starter at Tennessee-Chattanooga in 2023-24, but with limited practice reps and no playing time in the regular season he still remains very much an unknown.<\/p>\n

\u2013Bryce Perkins was signed less than a month ago and can already be listed as one of the more fascinating players to track when camp opens next spring. A star at the University of Virginia back in 2018-19, Perkins \u2014 who turns 29 later this month \u2014 has an impressive pro profile after making one start for the Los Angeles Rams and being a member of their Super Bowl LVI championship in 2021. He spent two years in the UFL, and this past season was named the league\u2019s MVP and Offensive Player of the Year for his work with the Michigan Panthers.<\/p>\n

If his skills translate quickly to the CFL \u2014 and that\u2019s not always a given \u2014 then the Blue Bombers may have found something in a league where two thirds of the starting QBs are in their 30s in Saskatchewan\u2019s Harris (39), Collaros (37), Mitchell in Hamilton (35), Cody Fajardo in Edmonton (33), Calgary\u2019s Vernon Adams, Jr. (32) and Toronto\u2019s Chad Kelly (31). The three starters in the league still in their 20s are Nathan Rourke in B.C. and Montreal\u2019s Davis Alexander (both 27) and Ottawa\u2019s Dru Brown (28).<\/p>\n

ON THE HORIZON?
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Taylor Elgersma; photo courtesy Wilfrid Laurier Athletics<\/p>\n

-No prospect moves the needle more for Blue Bomber faithful than Taylor Elgersma, the towering 6-5, 227-pound Canadian product of Wilfrid Laurier University with a cannon for an arm. Selected by the club in the second round of the 2025 CFL Draft, Elgersma flashed in three preseason games with the Green Bay Packers this summer before his release and had a look from the New York Giants before getting another opportunity with an NFL team this week with the San Francisco 49ers.<\/p>\n

He\u2019s told the Blue Bombers he\u2019ll explore his NFL options through January and if that doesn\u2019t provide anything concrete, will gladly consider coming to Winnipeg. That scenario \u2014 having him in camp next spring to learn from the likes of Collaros while pushing for work \u2014 is absolutely ideal for the organization.<\/p>\n

NEG LIST PROSPECTS
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Diego Pavia; photo courtesy Vanderbilt Athletics<\/p>\n

Diego Pavia \u2014 Vanderbilt<\/p>\n

Added: June 1, 2024<\/p>\n

FYI: A simply electric prospect who guided the Commodores to a 10-2 record \u2014 the first 10-win season in school history \u2014 including last week\u2019s win over Tennessee. Vandy\u2019s playoff fate will be determined on Sunday but Pavia\u2019s work this year now has him currently listed as one of the favourites to win the prestigious Heisman Trophy along with Ohio State\u2019s Julian Sayin and Indiana pivot Fernando Mendoza.<\/p>\n

Set a school record with 3,192 passing yards this season and was also the team\u2019s rushing leader. What makes him an intriguing CFL prospect is his height is listed at 6-0, smallish by NFL standards.<\/p>\n

Keali\u2019i Ah Yat \u2014 Montana<\/p>\n

Added: October 25, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: The son of former Blue Bomber QB Brian Ah Yat (1999-01), Keali\u2019i completed 68.7 % of his passes this season for 3,154 yards \u2014 tops in the Big Sky Conference \u2014 and 25 TDs against eight interceptions while rushing for 127 yards and another seven scores in leading the Grizzlies to an 11-1 record. Montana faces South Dakota State on Saturday in the second round of the FCS playoffs.<\/p>\n

Rocco Becht \u2014 Iowa State<\/p>\n

Added: November 12, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: Led the Cyclones to an 8-4 record and a bowl game TBA while throwing for 2,565 yards with 16 TDs against nine picks while rushing for 116 yards and another eight TDs.<\/p>\n

Ryan Browne \u2013 Purdue<\/p>\n

Added: September 27, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: Led Purdue in passing this year in what was a difficult season for the Boilermakers in a two-win season. Had a 9:7 TD-to-interception ratio, but has good size at 6-4, 210.<\/p>\n

Jordan Cooke \u2014 Idaho State<\/p>\n

Added: October 15, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: Was the Bengals starter this year and threw for 3,052 yards with 16 TDs and nine interceptions while rushing for 220 yards and four more scores. Idaho State finished the year 6-6.<\/p>\n

Mark Gronowski \u2014 Iowa<\/p>\n

Added: May 10, 2021<\/p>\n

FYI: Holds the distinction of being on the Blue Bombers neg list longer than any other player, dating back to being added in the spring of 2021 during his days at South Dakota State. Highly decorated during his days with the Jackrabbits \u2014 he led the school to two FCS national championships, was twice named the FCS national championship game MVP and won the Walter Payton Award in 2023 as the most outstanding offensive player in the FCS \u2014 Gronowski transferred to Iowa in 2025 and led the Hawkeyes to an 8-4 record and now wait to see which bowl game they\u2019ll be playing.<\/p>\n

Jarrett Guarantano \u2014 Washington State<\/p>\n

Added: August 25, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: Was 12-22 as a starter at Tennessee and Washington State through 2021 and first turned pro as an undrafted free agent with the Arizona Cardinals in 2022. Had a look from the Denver Broncos in 2022, spent 2024 with the Houston Roughnecks of the XFL and played one game in 2025 with the San Antonio Brahmas of the UFL. Now 28 years old.<\/p>\n

Haynes King \u2014 Georgia Tech<\/p>\n

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Haynes King; photo courtesy Georgia Tech Athletics<\/p>\n

Added: December 2, 2024<\/p>\n

FYI:\u00a0Was named the ACC Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday after a sensational season in which he finished with 2,697 yards passing, 922 yards rushing and 27 touchdowns \u2014 12 passing and 15 rushing. He is only power-conference player this season to average at least 240 yards passing and 80 yards rushing per game \u2014 just the fifth to do so since 1956.<\/p>\n

The Yellow Jackets finished the year at 9-3 and are also headed to a bowl game.<\/p>\n

Justin Lamson \u2014 Montana State<\/p>\n

Added: November 18, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: Led Montana State to a Big Sky Championship with a win over Ah Yat and Montana and is the most recent QB addition to the Blue Bombers neg list. Was 4-2 as a starter this year, throwing 20 touchdowns against two picks and rushing for 589 yards and a whopping 11 TDs.<\/p>\n

Chase Mason \u2014 South Dakota State<\/p>\n

Added: October 28, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: Returned from missing six games with a foot injury to lead the Jackrabbits to a 41-3 win over New Hampshire last week in the FCS playoffs and will now face Montana \u2014 and QB Keali\u2019i Ah Yat \u2014 on Saturday in the next round. Threw for 1,649 yards and 14 TDs in eight games while rushing for 264 yards and four TDs. Growing chatter he could now be a high pick in the NFL draft.<\/p>\n

Payton Thorne \u2014 Auburn<\/p>\n

Added: August 28, 2025<\/p>\n

FYI: Was 10-12 as the starter in his two years with the Tigers, throwing for 4,468 yards and 37 touchdowns against 19 interceptions while rushing for 798 yards and five more TDs. Signed with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent this year and attended their training camp before being released in late August.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Let\u2019s open this week with the following statement-slash-proclamation: there\u2019s already a spot waiting for Zach Collaros in the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":328685,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-328684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=328684"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/328684\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/328685"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=328684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=328684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=328684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}