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![\"Timothy](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/4636205_web1_CP176785920.jpg\")
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Timothy Matwey \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
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Winnipeg Blue Bombers\u2019 Trey Vaval leads the league in punt return yards, sits third in kickoff return yards and ranks second with two return touchdowns \u2014 including a second-half opening 88-yarder Saturday against the Calgary Stampeders.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Even a nurse on site checked him out and told him he likely had nothing more than a sprained wrist.<\/p>\n
\u201cI iced it all day and the next day I went out and raced again because we thought it was nothing serious,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Then his hand started to go numb.<\/p>\n
Vaval tried to tough it out at the gym over the next few days, but he could no longer ignore the problem. Something was clearly wrong.<\/p>\n
He went to the hospital for an X-ray and, sure enough, needed surgery to insert a metal rod into his hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of just blacked out. Whatever happened, it was kind of just instincts.\u201d<\/p>\n
He didn\u2019t tell the Bombers about the ordeal until he arrived in Winnipeg. Before allowing him to strap on the pads, the team sent him to a doctor to determine whether or not he was OK to play.<\/p>\n
Thankfully for Vaval \u2014 and the Bombers \u2014 he was given the green light. He went on to win the CFL\u2019s Most Outstanding Rookie and Most Outstanding Special Teams Player awards in 2025.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf that doctor hadn\u2019t cleared me, I wouldn\u2019t be here,\u201d said Vaval, who was forced to wear a soft cast on his hand during the pre-season.<\/p>\n
\u201cI probably would not be playing football anymore. I didn\u2019t have any film at the time, I didn\u2019t have any exposure. If I hadn\u2019t gotten cleared that day, I\u2019d probably just be working a job or doing something that wouldn\u2019t be football, honestly.\u201d<\/p>\n
Lesson learned. Vaval no longer goes anywhere near a dirt bike during the off-season.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe retired that as of now. I gotta stay away from that,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
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Vaval has also mastered the art of staying away from would-be tacklers. A prime example of that was the fourth quarter of Saturday\u2019s 33-28 victory over the visiting Calgary Stampeders.<\/p>\n
Fielding a punt deep in Winnipeg\u2019s own end, Vaval broke out a spin move that sent two Stampeders crashing into each other. He then bounced off two more red-and-white jerseys before racing down the sideline for a 34-yard gain.<\/p>\n
The Bombers led 27-22 with 11 minutes remaining, and the clutch return put them in prime position to add a field goal moments later to extend their lead.<\/p>\n
\u201cTrey can outrun everybody\u2026 He\u2019s the fastest man on the field.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI kind of just blacked out. Whatever happened, it was kind of just instincts,\u201d said Vaval.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd then the next day we came in and watched film and that was the first time I realized what happened.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaval was finally brought down right in front of Bombers head coach Mike O\u2019Shea on the sideline. O\u2019Shea was grinning from ear to ear before approaching his star returner to pat him on the helmet.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat is a pretty slick play when you watch it again and again,\u201d said O\u2019Shea. \u201cWe put it up and watch it in amazement, then we rewind it and watch it again and say, \u2018OK, here\u2019s how this play scores.\u2019 Because you\u2019re really maybe a block and a half away from taking it to the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaval had already hit pay dirt that night, opening the second half with an 88-yard kickoff return touchdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cI ain\u2019t gonna lie, I was talking to someone and I said, \u2018This one is going to the house,\u2019\u201d said Bombers cornerback Major Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey kept kicking it to the boundary and Trey can outrun everybody to the field (side). He\u2019s the fastest man on the field. Everybody likes to pin him in that one corner, and the time we do bring it all the way up across field to our sideline, he takes it back. I mean, who\u2019s going to catch Trey if he\u2019s untouched?\u201d<\/p>\n
Vaval will look to deliver another highlight-reel return or two Friday when the Bombers (8-8) visit the Edmonton Elks (12-4) at Commonwealth Stadium.<\/p>\n
A Winnipeg victory or a Calgary loss this weekend would automatically clinch the Bombers a post-season berth.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t Peter McCabe \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Trey Vaval, right, defends against Montreal Alouettes’ Tyson Philpot. Vaval has started the last two games at corner and has recorded four pass knockdowns and 19 defensive tackles this season.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n But Vaval\u2019s contributions extend beyond special teams. He has started the past two games at corner and was once again working with the defensive starters Tuesday during the team\u2019s lone open practice of the week.<\/p>\n He has recorded four pass knockdowns and 19 defensive tackles this season.<\/p>\n \u201cYou\u2019re out there playing corner on second down then you\u2019re returning the punt on third down,\u201d said Williams.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a very tough challenge, but at the end of the day, he deserves that role. He\u2019s the perfect person for that. That\u2019s why he\u2019s Trey Vaval.\u201d<\/p>\n After collecting a pair of major awards last season, Vaval entered 2026 with sky-high expectations. While continuing to develop as a defender, he has further established himself as one of the CFL\u2019s most dangerous returners.<\/p>\n The 26-year-old from Blue Springs, Mo., leads the league in punt return yards, ranks second with two return touchdowns and sits third in kickoff return yards.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter last year, it sparked a little more fire under me and made me want to go even harder,\u201d said Vaval. \u201cAnd to keep proving that this wasn\u2019t a one-time thing \u2014 I\u2019m here to stay, keep playing good for my teammates, and keep my foot on the pedal.\u201d<\/p>\n Metaphorically, of course.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t John Woods \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Winnipeg Blue Bombers\u2019 Dorian Singer makes a leaping catch last Saturday. The receiver may be sidelined for Friday\u2019s rumble in Edmonton.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Singer questionable for Friday<\/p>\n Rookie receiver Dorian Singer is battling an illness and is questionable for Friday\u2019s clash in Edmonton.<\/p>\n Singer, who exploded for 166 yards on five catches against Calgary, wasn\u2019t at practice Tuesday and was listed as a non-participant Wednesday.<\/p>\n O\u2019Shea hesitated before saying that the plan is for him to play.<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t 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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