Riders vs. Bombers: Preseason Game 1

It’s time for my first game preview of the year, which means we’ve made it through another offseason. Football is back. That means my blood pressure and alcohol intake will be trending up and my time spent on recreation and family time will be trending down. There is a real sense of optimism surround the Riders… which I find very uncomfortable. Apparently I am too used to misery and cynicism.

Saturday we will get our first look at the 2025 squad. I expect some spot appearances from starters and a heavy dose of the back-ups/future unemployed. I am ok with that. For one given the state of our already growing injury list I would prefer if anyone important could be wrapped in bubble wrap and be kept as far away from the field (and Winnipeg in general) as possible. But also, our starting roster is set for the most part. We know what we have in guys like Harris, Ouelette, Emilus, Baker, Milligan, Rose, Thurman, etc… The majority of roster spots available are back-up/depth roles. The football gods are already telling us our depth will be tested this year so the quality of the back-ups will be a key determinant of our season. 

Here are some specific things I will be looking for: 

Canadian WRs – The plan appears to be to start Emilus, Baker and Duncan-Busby. Lots to like about those 3 but over an 18 game season we are going to need more than just them to fill 3 Canadian WR spots. We know Picton is a reliable fill-in but I will be watching guys like Nield, Mimbs, Wiebe and Misseri. We likely need at least 2 of them to pan out to get through the year. 

Returners – While Alford is the likely starting returner when the season opens, I don’t think that is a guarantee and I think its even less of a guarantee he finishes the season in that role. If someone can step up and show they can be an impact returner and back-up a WR or RB spot then I think they have a good chance to wrestle that spot away. Myers is a solid returner, we’ve seen that. Be nice to see what Drae McCray or Mario Anderson can do. 

Young OL – Any hopes that last years continuous cycle of OL injuries was a one-off have been all but erased. I still feel really good about our starting 5 but depth behind that is far less certain now and we will need to see some you guys step up. I will be watching Daniel Johnson to see how he is progressing. Erik Anderson to see how pro ready the rookie is. Also can an import like Nick Jones show progress in year 2? Is Brandon Kemp ready to be the back-up tackle? As much as I think Micah Johnson is a better OL than a lot of actual OL we’ve had over the years, I would be just as happy keeping him exclusively on D this year. 

LB – Thurman and Reavis will man two of the LB spots (and do so at a high level) but I will be very interested to see how we run that 3^rd spot. CJ Avery has seen time there. AJ Allen and Dalke have been splitting the spot to give a Canadian option. Is Nick Wiebe going to be able to stay healthy? Can guys like Aubrey Miller and Braxton Hill step up to be reliable depth when called on? 

DB – I remain a pessimist when it comes to our secondary. I think its no better than last season. Milligan and Sayles will be outstanding. Fields will serviceable. Safety and the other CB spot scare me. I really would love to see Tevaughn Campbell allay my skepticism. But I think a more realistic goal is seeing what we have in our new guys. I really like Heckard and hope he shows well. Lots of hype around Antoine Brooks hope that translates to the field and not just Terrence Nunn of the ’25 camp. Also would love to see Jaxon Ford take another step forward (and give us a reliable option if/when Lokombo struggles). 

I will also take this opportunity to remind you that the preseason and first couple weeks of the season are the annual “Brett Lauther struggles prompting people to want him replaced only for him to eventually get back to being awesome and make us forget he ever struggled” part of the year. If they let him kick, he’s going to miss. Please don’t panic. It’s part of his process. Kinda like how the Oilers need to start every regular season terrible before remembering they are cup contenders. 

Also remember that this being preseason the refs will be doing an homage to Zach Collaros… expect lots of missed calls. 

For years I just assumed we would lose every preseason game (because we did for an entire decade) but we are actually on a preseason winning streak (for as much as that matters). I don’t care if we win and back-ups playing on the road doesn’t strike me as advantage us. Plus Winnipeg will have all the emotion from raising yet another Grey Cup banner… oh wait, I mean Grey Cup participant ribbon (it’s a dynasty so I’m told).