B.C. Lions swap out almost entire starting offence against Winnipeg

Photo: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

The B.C. Lions have made sweeping changes to their roster for Friday night’s game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The team published its official depth chart on Thursday morning.

As announced earlier this week, Kaidon Salter will start at quarterback. The CFL rookie played the entire second half of B.C.’s loss to Calgary this past week, completing six-of-12 pass attempts for 113 yards and one interception. He also rushed three times for 23 yards to lead the team in rushing.

The 23-year-old made his first career start in a Week 9 upset win over Winnipeg. He completed seven-of-15 passes for 96 yards and a touchdown, while rushing 10 times for 160 yards and catching a critical two-point conversion attempt.

Chris Oladokun, who signed with the club in September after spending four years with the Kansas City Chiefs, is also expected to see some reps in the second half. The 29-year-old has won two Super Bowls and made two NFL starts last season, completing 63.6 percent of his passes for 235 yards and one touchdown. He is dressing as Salter’s backup, while Nathan Rourke is the third-stringer.

Emani Bailey will start at running back, where Zander Horvath is listed as the backup. James Butler will not dress and has been placed on the one-game injured list with a shoulder issue. Horvath needs one rushing touchdown to tie the all-time single-season CFL record set by Mike Pringle, and two touchdowns of any kind to tie Milt Stegall for the total touchdowns record.

Jermaine Jackson is the only usual starter at receiver who will start this week. Jaden Williams will start for Keon Hatcher at boundary wideout, while Nate DeMontagnac, Michael Fitzgerald, and Kieran Poissant will start to the field side. Justin McInnis (ankle) and Stanley Berryhill (thigh) will not dress this week, while Jevon Cottoy will dress in a depth role.

B.C. has also made three changes to the starting offensive line, with Anu Una and Tyran Hunt being the only two regular starters still in their spots.

Lorenzo Thompson will start at left tackle for Kory Woodruff (knee), Andrew Peirson will start at centre for Michael Couture, and Ivory Scott will start at right guard for Brandon Yates. Couture will still dress in a depth role, while Woodruff and Yates have come off the roster. This will be the first career CFL start for Thompson and Scott. Alex Berwick will dress for depth.

On the defensive side of the ball, the Lions have made just two significant changes. Defensive back Deontai Williams comes out of the lineup after suffering a head injury last week and Jordan Oladokun returns to the practice roster, with Mac McCain making his first start at boundary cornerback. Hayden Harris will start at defensive end in place of Mathieu Betts, though he will remain on the roster in a backup role. Depth linebacker Wesley Steiner will also sit out this week with a hip injury, with defensive end Matt Spatny filling in.

B.C. will see one significant addition to the lineup in Week 21, as kick returner Seven McGee is slated to return after he was injured in the season opener. The 24-year-old amassed 1,198 kick return yards and 516 punt return yards last year, scoring one touchdown.

Friday’s game means nothing in the standings for B.C., as the team is locked into second place in the West Division. The club will host the West Semi-Final on Saturday, October 31.

The B.C. Lions (10-7) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-9) at BC Place Stadium on Friday, October 23, with kickoff scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET. Winnipeg is coming off a loss to the Edmonton Elks that cost them a chance to clinch a playoff spot, while the Lions lost to the Calgary Stampeders after resting some of their starters in the second half.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver.

Eligible sports bettors in Ontario and Alberta can find relevant information for wagering on the games by clicking on their respective jurisdiction. Please bet responsibly.