Photo: Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have brought in Jamaal Westerman as a guest coach for this year’s training camp at Princess Auto Stadium.
The 41-year-old played three seasons with the team, earning an All-CFL selection and the West Division nomination for Most Outstanding Canadian in 2015. He made 127 defensive tackles, 32 sacks, four forced fumbles, and three pass knockdowns over 47 regular-season games with the club.
Westerman signed with the Montreal Alouettes as a free agent in 2018, where he played alongside his brother, Jabar. He was traded to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in July, then suffered a torn Achilles in September, after which he never played another CFL game.
The six-foot-three, 250-pound edge rusher spent six seasons in the NFL as a member of the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins, Arizona Cardinals, Indianapolis Colts, Buffalo Bills, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Cleveland Browns. Over 52 regular-season NFL games, he made 40.5 total tackles, six sacks, four fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.
Westerman is the assistant strength and conditioning coach at Rutgers University, his alma mater located in New Jersey. He has been on staff at the school since 2020, when he was hired as a graduate assistant.
The native of Brooklyn, N.Y. spent part of his childhood in Canada, attending Notre Dame Academic in Brampton, Ont., which allowed him to qualify for National status in the CFL.
As announced in April, recently-retired receiver Bralon Addison is also guest coaching with the Blue Bombers for training camp through the CFL’s Diversity in Football Program.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers recently selected Wake Forest defensive lineman Nuer Gatkuoth with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, adding to the club’s pass rush. The team’s other major offseason additions include receiver Tim White, offensive lineman Jarell Broxton, and defensive lineman Jake Ceresna.
All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. Winnipeg will play its first preseason game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, May 23 and its regular-season game against the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, June 5.
In 2025, Winnipeg finished fourth in the West Division standings with a 10-8 record, qualifying for the playoffs as the crossover team before losing the East Semi-Final to the Montreal Alouettes.
