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![\"Ruth](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/4217692_web1_260511-90-Dixon-1-.jpg\")
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Ruth Bonneville Free Press<\/p>\n
De\u2019Shaan Dixon, at Winnipeg Blue Bombers training camp on Monday, is willing to accept any role that\u2019s offered.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was surprised, but it\u2019s all good,\u201d admitted left tackle Stanley Bryant after Monday\u2019s session. The rep in question occurred on Day 1 on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ll see what happens tomorrow when the pads come on. Nothing against him, that\u2019s on me. It won\u2019t happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n
Bryant, who turned 40 last week, backed that on Monday when he again lined up across from the aspiring Bomber.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe got me back today,\u201d said Dixon, a 27-year-old from Chesapeake, Va.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou shake hands at the end of the day. Just good competition.\u201d<\/p>\n
Considering Dixon\u2019s size \u2014 six-foot-four, 260 pounds \u2014 and r\u00e9sum\u00e9, it should come as no surprise that he\u2019s been standing out.<\/p>\n
After a five-year collegiate career at Norfolk State, Dixon signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars as an undrafted free agent in 2022 and made the 53-man roster.<\/p>\n
He appeared in three games, recording his first career tackle against then-New York Giants superstar running back Saquon Barkley for a minimal gain.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn my head, I got really excited. It was like a \u2018you\u2019re in the league\u2019 moment \u2014 like, \u2018Oh, you just tackled Saquon.\u2019 It was really cool,\u201d said Dixon.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe next play, they ran a read option \u2014 Daniel Jones kept it and ran for eight yards. I chased him down, but I think I was still too excited from the first play, and then I got pulled out.\u201d<\/p>\n
He spent 2023 on the practice squad. In 2024, Dixon was having a promising camp when he tore his ACL.<\/p>\n
His NFL career was over.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was heartbreaking. It really sucked,\u201d he said. \u201cIt took more of a mental toll than a physical toll. You work so hard to get to that level and then it just kind of gets taken away from you.\u201d<\/p>\n
He returned home to Virginia and started working for a company that does crawl space and foundation repairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not an ideal job for somebody my size,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
After some time away from the game to heal up, Dixon got an offer to join Winnipeg\u2019s practice roster in October.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst day off the plane, I was in a full padded practice. It was really good because I hadn\u2019t been in a practice in probably two years,\u201d he said.\u201cI just had a blast and was enjoying every moment of it.\u201d<\/p>\n
He was only in blue and gold for a few weeks before returning home for the birth of his son.<\/p>\n
Now back in Winnipeg, Dixon has a chance to crack this year\u2019s roster and have a significant role. Jake Ceresna and Cam Lawson will man the middle of the D-line, and Willie Jefferson will hold down the fort at one of the edge spots.<\/p>\n
With James Vaughters leaving Bomberland for Riderville in free agency, that leaves an opening at the opposite end from Jefferson. While names like Kydran Jenkins are in the mix, Dixon might just be the favourite.<\/p>\n
Head coach Mike O\u2019Shea has made it clear that he\u2019s already a fan.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe saw it yesterday in practice, he chased a play 50 yards down the field when other guys had already stopped \u2014 he kept running. For a guy that size, it just looks effortless for him to move that way,\u201d said O\u2019Shea.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he\u2019s a good football player. He\u2019s a conscientious learner, and there are a lot of good things that we recognized last year, too. So he\u2019s building upon that and we\u2019ll see where that takes us. We had him in here last year for a reason and he\u2019s back again this year for a reason.\u201d<\/p>\n
With what his past few years have looked like, Dixon is just thrilled to have a chance.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a role on this team, whether it\u2019s in a rotation, on special teams, or anything like that, just being here is already a blessing and a great opportunity.\u201d<\/p>\n
GATKUOTH SET TO JOIN BOMBERS<\/p>\n
The Bombers are set to welcome their first-round pick from this year\u2019s CFL Draft.<\/p>\n
Defensive end Nuer Gatkuoth, an Edmonton product who was chosen fourth overall out of Wake Forest, attended Denver Broncos rookie minicamp over the weekend but was not offered an official contract.<\/p>\n
\u201cI did everything I could (in the tryout),\u201d said Gatkuoth in an interview with Chris Tomasson of the Denver Gazette. \u201cI put my best film on tape. The Broncos already have a great outside linebacker group, so it was hard to get signed here. But I feel like I had a dominant three days and it worked out like it worked out. So now I\u2019m going to the CFL to just dominate.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\tWinnipeg Free Press | Newsletter\n\t<\/p>\n
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Gatkuoth saod the Broncos told him they\u2019ll be watching what he does in the three-down loop. If he impresses, they could bring him back to the NFL in 2027.<\/p>\n
\u201cHonestly, I have right now all the confidence in the world,\u201d Gatkuoth said. \u201cMy confidence has shot up a hundred times. Just me going out there and dominating all three days has really boosted my confidence and I know I can play in the NFL. It\u2019s not an if, it\u2019s a when if I just keep working.\u201d<\/p>\n
Gatkuoth returned home to Edmonton on Sunday and is expected to arrive in Winnipeg in the near future.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe has a very high football IQ, so I think he\u2019ll do well there and make his way back to the NFL,\u201d added Gatkuoth\u2019s agent, Nate Thomas, in the article.<\/p>\n
winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n
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Taylor Allen 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<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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