Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sign Seven Americans
It was a busy Tuesday for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who announced the signing of seven Americans to their roster. The following players are joining the team:
- WR Keric Wheatfall
- WR Braxton Burmeister
- WR Peter Afful
- WR Oliver Martin
- K Jose Borregales
- LB/DB Marcus Hillman
- DE Ali Fayad
Wheatfall played in three games with the Philadelphia Stars in the USFL last year and had a training camp stint with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022. During his three seasons at Fresno State, he caught 78 passes for 1,286 yards and six touchdowns.
Burmeister was a quarterback in college with Oregon, Virginia Tech and San Diego State and he threw for 3,020 yards with 19 scores and 11 interceptions. He converted to wide receiver at San Diego State, but only caught one pass for 19 yards.
The club has added to the roster:
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) January 23, 2024
🇺🇸 WRs: Keric Wheatfall, Braxton Burmeister, Peter Afful, Oliver Martin
🇺🇸 K: Jose Borregales
🇺🇸 LB/DB: Marcus Hillman
🇺🇸 DE: Ali Fayad
📝 » https://t.co/7upLTyRu5U#ForTheW | @canadalifeco pic.twitter.com/I19Kr9Necg
Afful went to minicamp with the Kansas City Chiefs last spring and was at the UFL’s Showcase in St. Louis during the summer. He attended college at Washburn, where he made 63 receptions for 1,220 yards and 16 touchdowns in 23 games.
Martin is back with the Bombers after being on their practice roster in September. He also attended training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars last year. Martin went to school at Michigan, Iowa and Nebraska, hauling in 25 receptions for 405 yards in three seasons with the Cornhuskers.
Borregales spent last year with the Orlando Guardians of the XFL, where he converted six of his nine field goal attempts on the season. He spent time with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2021 and 2022, and he made 80.5 percent of his career field goals in college at Florida International and Miami (FL).
Hillman is coming off a five-season run with Elon Phoenix in college. In 47 games, he racked up 101 tackles, 13 sacks, one interception, eight forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and five pass deflections. He earned First-Team All-CAA honors in 2022.
Fayad played in the USFL with the Philadelphia Stars last season and was on the Toronto Argonauts roster for four games in 2022. During his time in Toronto, he registered four defensive tackles, one special teams tackle and one sack. He was MAC Defensive Player of the Year and First-Team All-MAC in 2021 with Western Michigan.
The moves come after the team made a big trade last week, sending quarterback Dru Brown to the Ottawa Redblacks for a draft pick.
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Anthony Miller has been covering professional spring football since 2019 including XFL, USFL, and CFL. He was a local news reporter in Texas before transitioning to sports. Other sites he writes for includes College Football Network and NTZ Network.