The 2014-15 offseason/free agency grades, West Division

There are still plenty of CFL free agents out there, but a lot of the big names have already signed. In fact, this year, many of the biggest names didn't even make it to free agency, with eight of the nine available league all-stars signing new deals with their previous team or heading to the NFL. While there are still other signings and the Canadian draft ahead, we have a pretty good picture of what each of the CFL's teams will look like in 2015, and how that's changed from last year. It's important to consider both the offseason and the free agency period together here; some teams haven't done much in free agency, but made big moves before it opened. We can't predict exactly how any of these moves will work out, or what else teams will do in the coming days to bolster their rosters, but we can at least get a sense of how each team has changed since the end of the 2014 season. With that in mind, here are grades out of 10 for each West Division team, following the same format we've used before. Go here for a look at the East teams.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers: 9/10:  The Bombers headed into this offseason in a bit of a weak place, finishing 2014 with a 7-11 record, but they've perhaps done more to upgrade their roster (and simultaneously, lost fewer big pieces) than anyone else. General manager Kyle Walters was aggressive in free agency, a big change from predecessor Joe Mack, and he landed the one league all-star who did hit the market (import offensive tackle Stanley Bryant from Calgary). He also added a potentially ratio-changing Canadian linebacker in Sam Hurl. Canadian defensive tackle Ivan Brown, import receiver Darwin Adams and import offensive tackle Marc Dile are less-splashy signings, but they could pay off as well.

The Bombers haven't lost that much, either. Their big offseason loss was linebacker Ian Wild to the NFL, but only one of their pending free agents (talented, but seldom-used RB Carl Volny) has signed elsewhere so far. Others are likely gone too, and tackle Glenn January in particular could be a loss, but Bryant will help to fill that void. Most of the players Winnipeg still has out there aren't going to be huge losses if they don't resign. Building a team through free agency is often expensive, but Walters seems to have found a good balance there, signing two big-ticket players (Bryant and Hurl) and finding value with others. There are still challenges ahead for the Bombers to address, and this doesn't mean that their roster is one of the league's best (it doesn't look that way right now), but they've arguably improved more than anyone else this offseason.

Edmonton Eskimos: 7/10: Edmonton's made some nice pickups so far in free agency, adding import receiver Wallace Miles and Canadian offensive lineman Alexander Krausnick-Groh from Ottawa, plus Canadian offensive lineman Greg Wojt from Hamilton. Wojt might be the most vital addition here, as the team lost a good Canadian lineman in Matt O'Donnell to the NFL this offseason. Eskimos' GM Ed Hervey did well to extend a couple of key defensive linemen, Odell Willis and Don Oramasionwu, and locking up returner/receiver/running back Kendial Lawrence also looks like a strong move. However, Canadian DB Chris Rwabukamba (who went to B.C.) will be missed, and Canadian linebacker/special teams player Joash Gesse (who went to Saskatchewan) could be missed as well.

Saskatchewan Roughriders: 7/10: The Roughriders have had a ton of turnover this offseason, but they've come out of it with a pretty solid-looking team. Their pre-free agency trade to get Canadian linebacker Shea Emry in exchange for Canadian defensive end Ricky Foley should benefit them if Emry can stay healthy, and their extension of Weston Dressler might be a nice move if he can live up to the price tag. Bringing back league all-star safety Tyron Brackenridge is strong, and offensive lineman Dan Clark may play a larger role going forward considering their losses. Their free-agent signings of Canadian DB Keenan MacDougall (from Calgary) and Canadian LB Joash Gesse (from Edmonton) also seem positive, as does bringing back DE Alex Hall (who spent 2014 trying to crack the NFL; thanks to Wayne Reeve for reminding me of Hall). However, this team's suffered a lot of losses, with Canadian offensive lineman Ben Heenan going to the NFL, defensive end Brandon Boudreaux heading to Calgary and Canadian linebacker Sam Hurl headed to Winnipeg.

B.C. Lions: 6/10: The Lions have made one key acquisition so far, signing Canadian DB Chris Rwabukamba from Edmonton. He should be a significant upgrade for them. They also did well to lock up star linebackers Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill; while those guys weren't set for free agency this year, they'll now be Lions through 2017, which is good news for B.C. fans. However, the Lions lost their second-leading receiver last year (Ernest Jackson) to Ottawa, which could hurt them a fair bit. We'll see how much they miss him this year.

Calgary Stampeders: 5/10: It's often tough being the champions, as your own players often get substantially more outside interest (and thus, become substantially more expensive) after a Grey Cup win. The Stampeders have seen that, especially on the offensive line, where they lost top CFL lineman Brett Jones to the NFL and league all-star left tackle Stanley Bryant to Winnipeg. They've also lost a great defensive end (Shawn Lemon, to the NFL), a Canadian contributor at receiver in Brad Sinopoli (to Ottawa), and a Canadian contributor on defence and special teams in Keenan MacDougall (to Saskatchewan). Calgary GM/head coach John Hufnagel did well to lock up all-star defensive back Brandon Smith, Canadian running back Matt Walter and offensive lineman Edwin Harrison before free agency, and Brandon Boudreaux should be a nice addition on the defensive line, but there are still a lot of losses here. Those weren't necessarily preventable, but Calgary still may have had the worst roster transition from the end of the 2014 season to now.

Go here for a look at the East teams.