WINNIPEG \u2014 Trey Vaval dominated the CFL in 2025, rewriting league and franchise record books during a historic rookie season.<\/p>\n
As the Winnipeg Blue Bombers open training camp, many around the three-down game are wondering what the dynamic returner has planned for an encore in his second year. While fans might expect more record-breaking returns, Vaval\u2019s second act is aimed at a completely different phase of the game.<\/p>\n
With significant vacancies in the club\u2019s secondary, the 25-year-old hopes to parlay his success as a specialist into a full-time starting role on defence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI believe I can make an impact on defence. But no matter where I am on the field, I just want to be out there helping my team,\u201d Vaval said, standing in the south end zone at Princess Auto Stadium Sunday following the league\u2019s first day of training camp. \u201cI want to play every spot \u2014 returning, defence, offence. I will do anything for my team.\u201d<\/p>\n
While modesty has become a defining characteristic of Vaval off the field, on it, he\u2019s a ruthless competitor. The native of Blue Springs, Mo., is coming off a rookie campaign that established him as one of the game\u2019s most dangerous open-field threats.<\/p>\n
Last August, Vaval became the first player in Bombers history to return both a punt and a kickoff for a touchdown in the same game, leading Winnipeg to a Week 9 win over the Toronto Argonauts. In September, he set a CFL single-game record for missed field goal return yardage in a victory over the Ottawa Redblacks, punctuated by a 128-yard score that tied for the seventh-longest in league history.<\/p>\n
Named the league\u2019s Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player during Grey Cup week in Winnipeg, Vaval finished the 2025 season as the CFL\u2019s leader in punt return yards (957), missed field goal return yards (391) and return touchdowns, with four. He\u2019s under contract with the Bombers through 2027.<\/p>\n
Vaval\u2019s steep rise in the CFL alone might warrant filling one of the defensive back vacancies left by departed veterans Demerio Houston, Jamal Parker and Terrell Bonds. But he also has a foundation to build on, having started four games at field-side corner last year and finishing with 21 defensive tackles, four special team tackles and an interception.<\/p>\n
\u201cI like being a winner. I like to dominate,\u201d Vaval said. \u201cThe Bombers like to dominate. We\u2019re winners. That\u2019s who we are. In every phase of the game, I want to make a name for myself.\u201d<\/p>\n
His chances of earning a starting spot are heightened by a conditioning level that even Winnipeg\u2019s top veteran found daunting this off-season. Running back Brady Oliveira, the league\u2019s Most Outstanding Player in 2024 and a fitness freak, spent part of the winter training with Vaval, a much leaner teammate.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was trying to run with him this off-season so that when the season comes, it becomes a lot easier,\u201d Oliveira said. \u201cBut I realized my legs got cooked one day because he just kept me out here much longer than I expected. I\u2019m like, \u2018Dude, I\u2019m 230 (pounds), you\u2019re 170, there\u2019s levels to this.\u2019 He pushed me, and it was really good to just get to know him better.\u201d<\/p>\n
Oliveira added that Vaval has become the blueprint for American rookies coming up to Canada: \u201cHe went from a rookie to being one of the best players in the CFL right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Veteran defensive back Deatrick Nichols puts Vaval firmly in the mix for the open defensive spots, noting he already possesses the Bombers\u2019 just-do-your-job attitude.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not boxing or tennis \u2014 you\u2019ve got 10 guys out there with you,\u201d Nichols said. \u201cEverybody has a role. If you can master your role \u2014 and his was to be a star on special teams \u2014 then you succeed. He\u2019s got the abilities. It\u2019s about bringing that attitude into everything you do.\u201d<\/p>\n
Head coach Mike O\u2019Shea credited Vaval\u2019s breakout rookie season to a \u201cthirst for knowledge\u201d regarding the nuances of the Canadian game. While O\u2019Shea is encouraged by Vaval\u2019s physicality \u2014 noting he isn\u2019t shy to \u201cstick his nose in there and whack guys\u201d \u2014 the coach emphasized that the transition to full-time corner also requires mental discipline.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s so athletic, you could put him in a spot and say, \u2018Hey, you\u2019re just going to go on an island and do your thing,\u2019\u201d O\u2019Shea said. \u201cThat\u2019s not the way we do it here, so he\u2019s got to learn, and he has. He does have a tremendous desire to learn as much as he can and be as good as he possibly can, for the right reasons, for his teammates.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaval enters his second Bombers training camp with newfound confidence after a winter in which he worked out for six NFL teams, including the New York Jets, New Orleans Saints, Cleveland Browns, Minnesota Vikings, Denver Broncos, and Atlanta Falcons. Indeed, the transition from quiet rookie to respected team leader is already taking shape.<\/p>\n
\u201cFirst day last year, I didn\u2019t know anybody. Now I walk in, and I\u2019m cool with everybody,\u201d Vaval said. \u201cWe all know how to play the game \u2014 it\u2019s just about perfecting it.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite the accolades in the return game and his push for a bigger role on defence, Vaval remains focused on one thing above all else.<\/p>\n
\u201cGet that Grey Cup,\u201d he said. \u201cThat\u2019s the biggest goal.\u201d\u2028<\/p>\n
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 12, 2026.<\/p>\n
Jeff Hamilton, The Canadian Press<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"WINNIPEG \u2014 Trey Vaval dominated the CFL in 2025, rewriting league and franchise record books during a historic…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":664642,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,890,82],"class_list":["post-664641","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-lifestyle","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664641","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=664641"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/664641\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/664642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=664641"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=664641"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=664641"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}