Advertisement

Winnipeg continues spending spree, adding Smith, Shologan and Medlock

Winnipeg continues spending spree, adding Smith, Shologan and Medlock

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been the most active team in free agency so far, bringing in highly-coveted Canadian running back Andrew Harris from B.C. and now adding import receiver Ryan Smith from Saskatchewan, Canadian defensive tackle Keith Shologan from Ottawa, and import kicker Justin Medlock from Hamilton. That's a lot of big-name free agents, especially when you consider that they also made a big pre-free agency move with the signing of import receiver Weston Dressler. Thus, there's been plenty of comment on the money they're throwing around, including this great tweet from Scott Nicholls:

All of these signings make some sense, though. Smith led the Roughriders with 991 receiving yards last season and has plenty of potential as a top CFL receiver; he's also just 24. Shologan is a solid Canadian defensive tackle who was an important part of Ottawa's run to the Grey Cup last year, and had an outstanding 2015 with 26 tackles and seven sacks in 15 games. He's 30, but may still have some solid years ahead. Medlock is a bit older at 32, but has been a very consistent kicker and punter, and he was an East Division all-star last year. None of these additions looks particularly bad.

However, heavy free agency spending doesn't always lead to more wins. The Bombers were aggressive in free agency in the 2014-15 offseason as well, and while some of their signings panned out, they finished 5-13 on the season. The problem with being aggressive in free agency is that while you can get some great, proven players, you're usually paying a significant price for them, and if some start to experience performance downturns, that doesn't turn into a great deal.

Free agency can help with some turnarounds (see Ottawa last year; they spent big in free agency but spent wisely, and went from 2-16 to 12-6 with a Grey Cup appearance), but it's not a cure-all; your free agency moves need to be smart, and you also need to be finding and developing your own talent through the draft and through tryout camps. These free agency moves may wind up being impressive for Winnipeg, but on their own, they won't be enough. We'll see if the Bombers can put enough of their own talent around these guys to find success.