The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback room is an intriguing mix, featuring a future hall of famer, a fan favourite coming off knee surgery, a second-year man who grew comfortable with every snap a season ago, a Canadian Football League vet attempting to put down roots and a fresh-faced rookie still trying to get his bearings.
And, as always, what unfolds with the Blue Bombers QB depth chart from top to bottom will be an intriguing storyline to track through training camp, a pair of preseason games and right up until the season opener where — added twist — Zach Collaros will be forced to take a knee due to suspension.
Collaros, the QB1 and future hall of famer, is the clear-cut No. 1. What happens to the depth chart behind him with vets Chris Streveler, Terry Wilson and Shea Patterson and rookie Chase Artopoeus remains a mystery.
Now, it’s just three days into main training camp and Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea isn’t ready yet to publicly commit to the idea of running with three vets at QB or having a prospect as one of the roster pivots or on the practice roster.
Simply put, there’s too much highway yet to cover before they need to make those decisions.
“I’m not really thinking much about that,” he said. “I’m just trying to think about how they perform at practice, what the energy level is like and what they’re doing, how they’re running around, making sure they’re getting enough rest — all those things.”
Chase Artopoeus is the newcomer, FYI, and was placed on the Blue Bombers negotiation list last December after his final season at the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga and just signed to join the club a couple of weeks ago.
Chase Artopoeus
“I had no idea what being put on the negotiation list meant when I first saw it on Twitter,” said Artopoeus with a grin. “But a couple Chat GPT and Google searches later and you can figure it out.”
It’s been a crash course since on the three-down game. Artopoeus watched some CFL games on YouTube before coming to Winnipeg and has been peppering vets like Collaros and Streveler since his arrival — praising their patience with him.
The biggest adjustment, clearly, is the extra man on the field compared to the U.S. game and how that influences his eyes.
“It’s who am I identifying? Who is my main coverage tell or who is deciding what I’m reading on a certain play?” he explained. “A lot of our plays, you can either work one side or the other. So, you’ve got to figure out, ‘OK, who is my actual indicator? Who is going to tell me the story of the defence they’re in?’ It’s been a little bit of an adjustment because funky shells and you think, ‘That’s not even possible’ and then you remember there’s an extra guy out there and you’re not used to yet.
“Everybody is going to make mistakes, especially if you’ve only been doing it for about four days in a whole new system in a whole new league. I embrace mistakes. I’m here to try my best and put myself in position to be the best I can possibly be. If I do that then I can sleep at night and feel confident in what I’m doing.”
Artopoeus began his college career at UCLA under Chip Kelly and backed up Dorian Thompson-Robinson before making the decision to transfer. At Tenn-Chattanooga he won 15 games as a starter over two years, helping guide the program to a playoff berth for the first time in seven years. That caught the eye of the Blue Bombers but now the reality of pro football also sets in with a QB room stacked with vets and the scouting staff having a long list of prospects they could still airlift into camp.
“As far as the competition aspect, I really have to just focus on myself,” Artopoeus said. “I can’t control what someone else does on their reps, but I can control what I do. It can tough sometimes when it seems so effortless for them, but you’ve got to mature into a role and remember they’ve been doing this for a long time. You can’t really get jealous of them, you’ve just got to learn from them.
“It’s about getting the opportunity to compete, especially with an organization that has such a rich history of winning. You hear that this is the best organization, and they do it the right way — I heard that from a variety of sources and so when you have an opportunity like this it really is an honour and one I don’t take lightly. The preseason game… I’m not even focussed on that right now. I know it’s in a week and a half or something. Right now, I’m just focussed on today’s practice and how I can learn and then translate it to tomorrow’s practice.”
WELCOME ABOARD, SHAY: The Blue Bombers announced this afternoon that linebacker Connor Shay — the club’s first pick, 6th overall in the 2025 CFL Draft — has signed with the club. The Wyoming linebacker started all 12 games for the Cowboys last year with 76 total tackles 7.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one interception.
He’s already in the building after attending New York Jets rookie mini-camp last weekend and could be on the field as soon as Wednesday.
WELCOME BACK, B.A.: A familiar face was back on the field at Blue Bombers practice on Tuesday morning as Brandon Alexander is now a guest coach during training camp and will then transition into a new role as an Amateur Football Ambassador with the club.
“He’s here to help us out,” said O’Shea. “It’s a great idea with him being here a long time with us; he gave everything he could to the team and his teammates and the game. It’s good to have a guy like that around. He’s the ultimate rep thief, who make his mark if some of that rubs on guys in conversation that will only help us.”
FWIW: For what it’s worth, more random thought on the third day of Blue Bombers training camp…
-Global punter James Evans was on the field for the first time after attending his graduation at Indiana and when he was on, crushed a few kicks into the stratosphere on Tuesday.
“He banged the first one away pretty good,” said O’Shea. “We’ll see. Everybody at that position wants to be more consistent. It was pretty hard for both punters (including Jamieson Sheahan) to get the ball to turn over with the way the wind was going today. He landed (Monday) so to get out on the field today, he was probably trying to work out the kinks. At that position consistent ball flight and ball position is something they all are striving for.”
-Kevens Clercius latched on to a Collaros pass and took it the distance in one of the morning’s highlights. He’ll be counted on to take another step after a rookie campaign in which he started 12 games plus the West Final and Grey Cup.
“Every second-year guy comes in with a better understanding,” said O’Shea. “We touch on it every year. You see their growth; you recognize their confidence level has changed. I thought KC did a great job for us last year. He got in a bunch, played a bunch for us as a rookie and held himself to a high standard last year, so you’re looking for even more of that. He’s a big, strong, tough kid. I just enjoy being around him, too. He’s a little bit quiet but he tends to smile once in a while, and he likes to get his work done. You expect bigger things from him this year and he’s the type of kid that whatever you ask him to do, he’s going to do it. Whatever that role is, it doesn’t matter to him — he’s going to be pretty pleased that he’s with the guys on the field and has a role.”
-Marquise Bridges continues to man the cornerback spot opposite Terrell Bonds and defensive backs Cam Allen and Tay Gowan were among those with interceptions on Tuesday. Trey Vaval continues to impress among the newcomers in the secondary, too.
IN HIS WORDS: Blue Bombers draft pick Taylor Elgersma on landing a contract with the Green Bay Packers:
In his own words.@LaurierFootball grad Taylor Elgersma reflects on his journey to become just the fourth Canadian university quarterback – and first in 37 years – to sign an @NFL contract and finding a “perfect fit” with the @packers.#SoarAbove · @ElgersmaTaylor pic.twitter.com/fCoIUeUpCE
— Laurier Golden Hawks (@WLUAthletics) May 12, 2025
