Bombers wide receiver Lawler prepares to return from broken arm in season opener

Kenny Lawler is ready to lend a helping hand to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The star receiver fractured his right arm after being hit by a Montreal Alouettes player’s helmet in the season opener on June 6. He returned to team practice on Tuesday.

“This is Day 1, and I’ve been waiting for this for a long, long time,” Lawler told reporters after the team returned from its first bye week of the season.

“This is everything I’ve ever dreamed of. Man, being back on the field again, putting on a helmet with my friends – it’s an unforgettable, amazing feeling.”

He believes he can play when the Blue Bombers (3-6) travel to face the BC Lions (5-4) on Sunday, an opponent that could have newly signed Canadian quarterback Nathan Rourke under center.

Lawler said during training camp that his goal is to have more than 2,000 receiving yards and 23 touchdowns in 2024, but he doesn’t have specific goals for the rest of the season.

“Whatever the team needs, we do it,” Lawler said of his mentality. “That’s the situation right now, we do whatever the team needs.

“If the game is in my favor, we go all out. If the game is not in my favor, we try to help the other team get the ball.”

Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said there was no guarantee Lawler would play Sunday.

“We have to let him practice for a week and see how he is. He hasn’t played football for a long time,” he said.

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Lawler was suspended for the first six games last season due to immigration issues related to a DUI conviction in 2021. He returned to play and had 50 catches for 901 yards and six touchdowns in 12 games.

O’Shea is excited to have Lawler in action this week, as are his teammates.

“It’s nice to have him back,” Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros said. “Obviously, he’s dynamic. What he can bring to the table, from his explosiveness to the level at which he can catch the ball.”

Colaros was asked if he thought Rooker would be able to keep up with the pace of the game after a year and a half away from the Canadian Football League.

“It depends on whether I’m on the couch drinking Miller Lite or I’m staying in shape,” he said, before adding that he’s sure it’s possible.

The Lions announced the signing of Rooker on Tuesday. He is expected to practice on Wednesday.

The 2022 Canadian Football League’s most outstanding Canadian left the Lions after the season to try his hand at the NFL. He played for the Jacksonville Jaguars and the New England Patriots.

In May, the New York Giants waived him and then cut him during training camp. On August 1, the Atlanta Falcons signed him, but the Falcons released him last Sunday.

Rooker’s arrival comes at a time when the Lions are struggling.

Boston College has lost three straight games and in a 25-0 win in Winnipeg on Aug. 1, starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. left the game with a knee injury and was replaced by Jake Dolegala.

The three-game regular season series between the Bombers and Lions was tied with one win each.

O’Shea said that Luke’s return is a good thing for the league. He hopes Luke can learn the parts of the playbook that he needs to learn and play on Sunday.

“They didn’t sign him to not play,” O’Shea said. “He’s integrated into the system and he knows what to do.”

Winnipeg defensive end Willie Jefferson said Rooker has had a “roller coaster” of ups and downs in the NFL over the past few months and he’s happy to see Rooker return to the Canadian Football League.

He might welcome the “young, knowledgeable” quarterback back with open arms, but not in a pleasant way.

“Coming back to the Canadian Football League and coming back to see us this week, we just want to make it hard on him,” Jefferson said. “If we have a chance to get to him, get to him early, get to him often, get him on the ground, make him feel it, just give him those first few good hits and make him valuable.”

Defense Enhancement

Bombers defensive lineman Celestin Haba also returned to practice on Tuesday after being sidelined since injuring his left knee in Winnipeg’s second game of the season on June 13, a loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.

O’Shea said his status for Sunday’s game is still undecided.

© 2024 The Canadian Press