Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ quarterback Zach Collaros did not dress for practice on Monday following an injury he sustained against the Edmonton Elks this past week. According to the team’s injury report, he is dealing with a neck injury.
The 34-year-old was injured on a hit from defensive lineman Kony Ealy. The injury occurred when Collaros evaded pressure and was struck in the head on his way to the turf after releasing the ball. The play did not draw a penalty for roughing the passer and the ruling on the field was upheld following a challenge by Blue Bombers’ head coach Mike O’Shea.
Collaros received attention from trainers before leaving the field under his own power. He jogged to the locker room accompanied by a trainer moments later and watched the second half from the sidelines in street clothes.
The CFL’s two-time reigning Most Outstanding Player has completed 69.2 percent of his passes for 2,298 yards, 16 touchdowns, and six interceptions this season, leading the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns.
Collaros has yet to miss a game due to injury since he was traded to Winnipeg in October 2019. He reportedly suffered at least three concussions during his tenure with the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2018-19) and at least two as a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2014-17). He addressed his history of head injuries shortly after joining the Blue Bombers, indicating that every specialist he’d seen said he was fine.
The native of Steubenville, Ohio has thrown for 17,591 yards, 110 touchdowns, and 54 interceptions over 85 career CFL games. He is a two-time CFL all-star, three-time Grey Cup champion, and one-time Grey Cup Most Valuable Player.
Winnipeg completed a 22-point comeback following Collaros’ departure from this past week’s game against Edmonton as Dru Brown threw four touchdown passes in a relief effort to lead the team to a 38-29 victory. He would presumably start this week if Collaros was unable to play.
The Blue Bombers (7-2) are scheduled to visit the Calgary Stampeders (3-6) on Friday, Aug. 18 with kickoff slated for 9:00 p.m. EDT. The clubs previously met in Week 5 as the Blue Bombers came away with a 24-11 victory at IG Field.
