The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have added four Americans to their practice roster, including receivers Ronnie Blackmon and Ravi Alston, defensive end Nate Givhan, and defensive back Tyrique McGhee.
Blackmon was recently on the practice roster with the Montreal Alouettes, though he was released last month. The native of Atlanta, Ga. started his collegiate career at the University of Colorado where he recorded 883 return yards over 24 games.
The five-foot-eleven, 185-pound speedster was converted from defensive back to receiver after transferring to Toledo and made 12 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns over six games with the Rockets. He also returned 13 punts for 59 yards.
Blackmon finished his career with two seasons at West Georgia where he caught 72 passes for 860 yards and eight touchdowns, returned 24 kickoffs for 510 yards, and returned 33 punts for 295 yards and one touchdown.
Alston finished his collegiate career in 2022 after transferring from St. John’s University to Montana State. The six-foot-three, 203-pound native of Lake Elsinore, Calif. made 27 catches for 398 yards and one touchdown with the Bobcats, finishing as the team’s second-leading receiver.
Givhan played five seasons at Toledo and recorded 97 total tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one interception over 47 career games. The six-foot-four, 245-pound native of Montgomery, Ala. went unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
This is McGhee’s third stint with the team as he was released by Winnipeg after training camp but brought back for an early-season stint on the practice roster. The native of Byron, Ga. was released again late last month.
The five-foot-ten, 185-pound defender spent the 2020 season on the practice roster with the Los Angeles Rams, though he wasn’t brought back for 2021. He played in 50 games with the Georgia Bulldogs and recorded 53 total tackles, nine pass deflections, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
The Blue Bombers (9-3) are scheduled to host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-5) for the annual Banjo Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 9 with kickoff slated for 4:00 p.m. EDT.
