Winnipeg Blue Bombers shuffle trenches against Tiger-Cats

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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have shuffled their offensive and defensive lines for Sunday’s game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The team released its official depth chart on Saturday morning.

Patrick Neufeld will start at right guard after missing last week’s loss to the Edmonton Elks. The 37-year-old was a late scratch and told the media at practice on Tuesday that he missed the game because he and his wife were busy welcoming twins — one girl and one boy.

Winnipeg has also made a change at left guard with Gabe Wallace being placed on the reserve roster. The 26-year-old native of Salmon Arm, B.C. missed one day of practice this week with a shoulder injury and was officially listed as questionable.

Micah Mazzccua (pronounced: ‘Muh-ZOOKa’) will make his first career CFL start in Wallace’s place. The six-foot-five, 344-pound blocker played collegiately at Baylor, Florida, and Nebraska. In 2022, the native of Philadelphia, Pa. was Pro Football Focus (PFF)‘s second-highest-graded guard in the Big 12.

With two American tackles and Byron, Ill. native Tyler Elsbury at centre, the Blue Bombers will start four American offensive linemen for the first time this season and possibly the first time in franchise history. Tui Eli will be the only backup offensive lineman on the roster.

The Blue Bombers have also made a change to their starting defensive line, demoting Kydran Jenkins to the practice roster. The 24-year-old started the team’s first three games at defensive end opposite Willie Jefferson and recorded three tackles.

The Purdue product has been replaced by David Reese, who has made one defensive tackle in a depth role through two games this season. The 25-year-old native of Fort Pierce, Fla. finished his collegiate career at Syracuse in 2025, recording 27 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, and three pass breakups.

Ethan Vibert, who was promoted to the active roster late last week, has been moved back to the practice roster. Winnipeg native Collin Kornelson has been promoted to the active roster to provide some added depth at defensive tackle. The six-foot-two, 285-pound defender has made three defensive tackles in nine career regular-season games.

Dru Brown, who was recently acquired from the Ottawa Redblacks in a trade, remains on the reserve roster and will not dress.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-2) will visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (2-1) at Hamilton Stadium on Sunday, July 5 with kickoff scheduled for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a 23-18 loss to the Edmonton Elks, while the Tiger-Cats were on bye.

The weather forecast in Hamilton calls for a high of 28 degrees and a 40 percent chance of rain. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg or the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.

Winnipeg Blue Bombers

John Hodge is a longtime Canadian football reporter, insider, and podcaster for 3DownNation. Based in Winnipeg, Hodge is also a freelance television and radio broadcaster and curling reporter for Rock Channel.