Six members of the Grey Cup-bound Winnipeg Blue Bombers have been named to the CFL’s 2022 all-star team.
The league announced the annual honours Tuesday, naming quarterback Zach Collaros, receiver Dalton Schoen, left tackle Stanley Bryant, guard Pat Neufeld, defensive back Deatrick Nichols and kick returner Janarion Grant to the squad.
The Winnipeg players who made the all-star cut — as selected by the Football Reporters of Canada, head coaches across the league and a fan vote — are no strangers to accolades this season.
Collaros, the CFL’s reigning Most Outstanding Player, is a finalist for that award again this year. In leading the Bombers to their third-straight championship game, he rewrote many pages in the team’s record book, notably notching the second-most passing touchdowns in Bomber history, and setting a new team record for touchdown-interception differential.
The other local all-stars are no slouches, either.
Schoen, up for this year’s Most Outstanding Rookie, was top of the league in receiving yardage — the most by a Bomber since Milt Stegall two decades ago — and tied for the league lead in touchdowns.
Bryant is a finalist for the league’s Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman, an award he’s already won three times, while Neufeld and Nichols have each earned a second consecutive all-star nod.
Grant set a team record this season, becoming the Bombers’ all-time leader in return touchdowns — in a season where he also finished second in the CFL in punt return yards and third in kickoff return yards.
The Bombers head to Regina Tuesday afternoon to prepare for this weekend’s Grey Cup matchup against the Toronto Argonauts.
If they win, they’ll be the first CFL team to win three or more consecutive championships since Edmonton’s five-in-a-row feat 40 years ago.