It appears pending free agent quarterback Dru Brown has played his last game as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“Dru and his agent, I believe they want to go to an organization and it’s less about who’s gonna pay him the most money,
I think it’s more about where can he go and have the best opportunity to compete with the incumbent quarterback or the other guys under contract to play,” general manager Kyle Walters said via videoconference on Tuesday.
“My gut tells me even if the Winnipeg Football Club could afford to match a contract, they would think long and hard about the opportunity where to go.”
Brown threw for 983 yards, nine touchdowns, and zero interceptions this past season, going 2-0 as a starter. The 26-year-old first joined the Blue Bombers in 2020 and spent most of the 2021 season on the club’s practice roster.
He’s bided his time and developed under offensive coordinator Buck Pierce and veteran quarterback Zach Collaros and now has a chance to capitalize on his success.
Potential landing spots for Brown include the Calgary Stampeders, Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and Ottawa Redblacks. Walters spoke highly of the young passer and seems to believe he will be successful wherever he ends up this year.
“I think he’s got a great opportunity, I think he can be really good. In our system, he’s learned from Zach, he’s learned from Buck.
It’s very difficult for young quarterbacks because they just don’t get the reps or the opportunities in our league very often. To Dru’s credit, when he’s had a chance to go out there and perform, he’s had success,” he said.
“I think his work ethic will allow him to have that success in our league, but it’s about stringing it together multiple games as a starter and then multiple years as a starter.
He’s off on the right foot but it’ll be a long, interesting next step for him to be able to put together a bunch of good games in a row, but I believe he can — for sure.”
If Brown leaves the team, which appears to be a foregone conclusion, Winnipeg’s personnel group will be tasked with replacing him as the club’s backup quarterback.
Chris Streveler remains a free agent, though he’ll likely be too expensive for a veteran-laden team like the Blue Bombers to pursue.
Matthew Shiltz is arguably the most proven option currently set to become a free agent, though Jake Dolegala, Mason Fine, Nick Arbuckle, Kai Locksley, and Dominique Davis are also pending free agents. Dakota Prukop, the team’s well-tenured short-yardage quarterback, is also without a contract for 2024.
Winnipeg cut rookie Tyrrell Pigrome partway through the 2023 season when Prukop returned from the USFL and is now a member of the Ottawa Redblacks.
In hindsight, the team might have been wise to keep him as a developmental passer, though they’ll have the chance to add more young quarterbacks this off-season.
The Blue Bombers added one not long after losing the Grey Cup to the Montreal Alouettes in Terry Wilson Jr. The six-foot-three, 207-pound passer had a nomadic collegiate career that included stints at the University of Oregon,
Garden City Community College, the University of Kentucky, and the University of New Mexico. He was also a member of the Houston Gamblers of the USFL in 2022, making one start.
Whether the team chooses to sign a veteran or bring in more rookies to develop, one thing is clear: Winnipeg will almost certainly need a new backup quarterback in 2024.
“The traditional one-two-three with the third-string quarterback being that young developmental guy is a little skewed in certain organizations where the third down quarterback has taken up that spot, particularly in our organization.
Then it becomes maybe a practice roster guy, which doesn’t get the development or the rep distribution as the number two,” said Walters.
“When you talk about quarterback development, that is an interesting — I don’t want to say struggle or dilemma — it’s just the reality of the way certain teams are set up with the third being a short-yardage guy, not necessarily a developmental young guy.”
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