WINNIPEG — Two of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ top contributors have avoided the free agent market, as the team revealed Tuesday on its official website that Justin Medlock and Stanley Bryant have agreed to new deals.
The moves continue to solidify Winnipeg’s off-season depth chart as both Bryant, the team’s starting left tackle, and Medlock, one of the CFL’s most accurate kickers, were slated for free agency on Feb. 14.
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No one kicked more field goals in 2016 than Bombers kicker Justin Medlock (Matt Smith/CFL.ca)
Medlock was the league’s second-ranked kicker in 2016, converting 88 per cent of his attempts while leading the CFL with 60 field goals.
The 33-year-old was a marquee signing by the Bombers at the start of free agency last February and the move paid off, helping Winnipeg reach the playoffs for the first time since 2011.
For Bryant, 30, his second season in Winnipeg was much better than the first. The 6-foot-5, 306-pound tackle anchored a much-improved Bomber O-line that allowed only 35 sacks, tied for the third fewest in the league.
This continues a busy off-season for Winnipeg, which has already signed Head Coach Mike O’Shea and General Manager Kyle Walters to contract extensions.
Quarterback Matt Nichols is among remaining pending free agents for Winnipeg while the Bombers also hold the first overall pick in the 2017 CFL Draft in May.
