{"id":670139,"date":"2026-05-15T01:24:10","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:24:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/670139\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T01:24:10","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T01:24:10","slug":"winnipeg-blue-bombers-taylor-elgersma-staying-grounded-as-pivotal-cfl-preseason-debut-inches-closer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/670139\/","title":{"rendered":"Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ Taylor Elgersma staying grounded as pivotal CFL preseason debut inches closer"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\"\"\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tPhoto courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers\/CFL<\/p>\n

Taylor Elgersma remains both a mystery and a fantasy for the majority of Blue Bombers fans, but that won\u2019t be the case for much longer.<\/p>\n

There are just nine days remaining until the highly touted Canadian quarterback will be made incarnate for viewers during the team\u2019s preseason opener on Saturday, May 23, in Saskatoon. While that game will not be broadcast on TSN<\/a>, the Winnipeg faithful will flock to the CFL\u2019s online streaming service for a glimpse at the potential heir to Zach Collaros.<\/p>\n

Those first live reps have been anticipated for over a year<\/a>, which should make the first impression all the more potent. But while he\u2019s itching to see the field, Elgersma is choosing not to look that far ahead.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really living in the moment and being where your feet are,\u201d he told the Winnipeg media on Thursday<\/a>. \u201cWhen we\u2019re going and competing against the defence, like we go against every single day, you see those guys are flying around, and we\u2019re getting new installs every single night. You don\u2019t want to look too far ahead. You want to focus on where you are and grow, especially as a young guy. I\u2019ve got to really soak in every single rep that I get. I\u2019ve really got to soak in every single coaching point I\u2019m getting and try to make those improvements daily. And then we\u2019ll see where we get to at the end of this.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to reports from training camp, Elgersma has taken the majority of the number two reps in the early going. By all accounts, he\u2019s been impressive, but there is still plenty of competition for the coveted backup job<\/a>. Incumbent Terry Wilson remains in the fold, while former UFL MVP Bryce Perkins<\/a> and Auburn signal-caller Payton Thorne<\/a> are also pushing for an opportunity.<\/p>\n

In typical fashion, head coach Mike O\u2019Shea didn\u2019t provide any insight as to how the position battle was progressing when asked for his thoughts<\/a>, instead complimenting the group\u2019s leadership as a whole. However, he made clear that it would be preseason reps that would be most important in determining the outcome.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll let the preseason games sort of unfold and see where that takes us,\u201d he insisted. \u201cObviously, we don\u2019t need preseason games to say that Zach is a stud. How they all sort of sort out after that \u2014 to me, we wouldn\u2019t be doing them any favours if we determined on day four of main camp where they all slotted.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201c(The preseason) is, I think, where it matters most. They\u2019re not getting hit here, and there\u2019s potential in preseason that they\u2019re going to get touched even \u2014 they don\u2019t get touched here. Being able to process through a call in a game situation \u2014 it\u2019s different. We definitely want to see that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elgersma was no more forthcoming with how he felt he was faring in practice, though the Hec Crighton Trophy winner did indicate he was holding his own. When growth is the goal, there is little time for pats on the back.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have a high standard of how I play, and I think that there are a lot of things that I can improve upon. I think that we\u2019re all trying to ultimately be the best version of ourselves, and so my job every single day is to come in here, compete to the highest level and get better,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve got a long road ahead. I\u2019ll hopefully have a long career, and my job is to get better every single day, learn from Zach and compete. Obviously, there\u2019s things that I can do better each and every single day, but I feel like I\u2019m out there and I\u2019m competing.\u201d<\/p>\n

As anticipated as Elgersma\u2019s debut might be to fans, new teammates seem to share the sentiment. Former CFL Most Outstanding Player Brady Oliveira indicated that he reached out to the Wilfrid Laurier product shortly after he was signed<\/a> and is eager to see the offseason hype become reality.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve heard a lot about him the last 12 months or whenever we drafted him,\u201d the star running back said earlier this week<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s good to finally have him here, see what he\u2019s able to do, the product he puts on the field. From watching him, getting ready for camp in the offseason, he was here a little bit earlier, getting to throw with him, he\u2019s got a massive arm on him. The touch that he puts on the ball, it\u2019s something that you can\u2019t really teach \u2014 you\u2019re gifted with that. He throws a really pretty ball.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cLet\u2019s see how he learns a pro playbook. I know he\u2019s had some opportunities with some other pro teams, but let\u2019s see how he digests everything, if he can go out there and continue to perform well. Really excited to see what guys like that do in a preseason game. Are you built for game day? I think he is.\u201d<\/p>\n

In the meantime, Elgersma isn\u2019t tuning out his competition, but rather trying to learn from what Wilson, Perkins, and Thorne do well. He\u2019s also absorbing all he can from Collaros, whom he admires especially for his ability to balance being a demanding leader with being an approachable teammate.<\/p>\n

The 37-year-old has offered plenty of invaluable feedback as the rookie works to master Tommy Condell\u2019s detailed and demanding offence, giving him the tools that he may one day use to succeed him<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cZach\u2019s a guy that he wants you to see it. He understands, he\u2019s been in this league for a long time, we\u2019re all gonna make mistakes. This is about growing,\u201d Elgersma said. \u201cWe\u2019re trying to get ready, ultimately, for the preseason, but we\u2019re really trying to get ready for Week 1 so we can go and win some football games and help the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. He does a really good job of trying to explain what he sees on a play and maybe what would get him through his progression faster, or where he went with the ball in his mind watching it. I think it\u2019s very effective.\u201d<\/p>\n

The real gauge of Collaros\u2019 impact will come when the live bullets start flying against the Saskatchewan Roughriders next week. If Elgersma performs well, the official anointing will begin. If he struggles in his CFL debut, critics of his delayed path to Winnipeg<\/a> will be all too happy to dismiss him as overrated.<\/p>\n

The 24-year-old isn\u2019t giving a moment\u2019s thought to that dynamic. There are still too many practices in front of him and a hefty playbook to master.<\/p>\n

\u201cUltimately, it\u2019s how can I come here every single day, compete to the best of my abilities, learn from my mistakes and not make the same mistake twice,\u201d Elgersma said. \u201cI think that\u2019s gonna be a big theme for me as a young guy.\u00a0 I\u2019m seeing stuff for the first time. We\u2019re getting used to stuff as a group. How can I not make the same mistakes twice, and how can I get better?\u201d<\/p>\n

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J.C. Abbott is a University of British Columbia graduate and high school football coach. He covers the CFL, B.C. Lions, CFL Draft and the three-down league’s Global initiative.<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo courtesy: Winnipeg Blue Bombers\/CFL Taylor Elgersma remains both a mystery and a fantasy for the majority of…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":670140,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[166835,166836,22070,22936,49,48,7028,521,522,520,527,2002,170990,46430,246917,82,173382,22073],"class_list":["post-670139","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-3down","tag-3downnation","tag-blue-bombers","tag-bombers","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-football","tag-league","tag-mike-oshea","tag-preseason","tag-qb-battle","tag-sports","tag-taylor-elgersma","tag-winnipeg"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670139","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=670139"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/670139\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/670140"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=670139"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=670139"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=670139"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}