Second time's the charm for Hall

Winnipeg Free Press

29-05-2025

After every practice, Jaylen Hall takes three tennis balls to the goal line and begins to juggle.
From there, he meticulously walks to midfield and back without breaking stride or mishandling a toss, making a skillful task look second-nature.
It's a drill that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver uses to maintain sharp eye-hand co-ordination. He picked it up during his time at Western Kentucky University, and it's become a staple in his daily routine.
BROOK JONES / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Jaylen Hall (87) catches the ball at training camp. Hall had a recurring hamstring injury that took him out of the running for a roster spot with the club last spring.
Hall takes his time with it every day, soaking up every step on the turf inside Princess Auto Stadium, because he remembers how badly he itched to be back here.
'I'm just blessed to be out here again,' the 26-year-old said recently. 'Second time around, kind of getting a hang of the offence this time around, everything's clicking for me. Just thankful for the opportunity, thankful for being back out there. Everything's flowing and going good for me.'
Most importantly, Hall is healthy. A recurring hamstring injury took him out of the running for a roster spot with the Edmonton Elks in 2023 and then again with Winnipeg last spring.
He returned home to Macomb, Mich., (a county that borders Detroit to the north) to rehab. There, he also coaches a 7-on-7 team for a non-profit while staying ready for his next opportunity.
This spring, Hall's training camp has gone without a hiccup, which has allowed him to showcase everything the Bombers liked a year ago.
The 6-3, 190-pound pass-catcher stopped short of saying it's all been smooth sailing, noting he's picked up some bumps and bruises along the way, but thus far he's avoided anything major and put himself in the thick of a deep position battle at receiver.
'Liked him before. Like him again,' said head coach Mike O'Shea. 'He's long. He seems to have caught damn near every ball. Haven't seen him really have any missteps. Usually, in your second time go-around, you're more correct. He seems to be a guy you can move around to different spots too. Versatility is always very important.'
Hall is one of 18 receivers who will dress for Winnipeg's final pre-season contest against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina on Friday (8 p.m. CT). Players like Nic Demski, Dalton Schoen, Keric Wheatfall and Kevens Clercius all figure to be safe bets to make the roster, but any remaining spots are up for grabs.
After the game, the Bombers' coaching staff will begin the difficult process of shaving down the roster for regular-season action. Because O'Shea isn't tracking every rep in practice, he'll turn to offensive co-ordinator Jason Hogan before making any decisions on that side of the ball.
He'll also confer with his quarterbacks when it comes to the receivers.
MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers' Jaylen Hall (right) is one of 18 receivers who will dress for Winnipeg's final pre-season contest against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina on Friday.
In Hall's case, O'Shea might be best advised to speak with Chris Streveler, who has worked with Hall on the second-team offence for much of camp. Their connection has stood out at every level, but especially on the long ball, as the duo has taken the top off the defence several times in team periods.
'He's having a good camp, man, and he's a guy that sticks around after practice and gets extra throws, too. That's just something that me, personally, I just really appreciate from young guys trying to make a team,' said Streveler, adding it's been nice to know he has a trustworthy set of hands like Hall's to work with.
'He's been here for camp before, so I kind of knew him coming in, but man, he's having a heck of a camp. He knows the plays, which is such a big thing in camp, because the more you know the plays, the faster you can play, the more confident.'
Hall isn't getting caught up in the position battle.
Focusing on himself has been a part of his maturation process. Last year, his mind would wander into the world of 'what-ifs,' and it became easy to stack bad days. This year, the view on his outlook has remained positive, and now he's allowing the chips to fall where they may.
'Mentally. Just thinking positive, no getting down on myself. Nothing is as good as it seems, and nothing is as bad as it seems. You take a day, you might think you had a bad day, then once you watch it on film, it's not as bad. Or you think you had a good day, and then you look on film and you're like, 'Oh, I could correct this and correct that,'' he said.
'Ultimately, just having a positive mindset and flowing with that.'
Star running back Brady Oliveira, right tackle Eric Lofton, and a host of expected starters on defence will not dress for the Bombers in Friday night's exhibition contest.
Defensive backs Marquise Bridges and Jamal Parker Jr. are two expected starters who will play. Otherwise, there will be plenty of snaps to go around for those battling for roster spots on that side of the ball.
Meanwhile, it could be a dress rehearsal for the starting offence.
RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler (left) has high praise for Jaylen Hall, making the receiver his primary target on the long ball over training camp.
Streveler, who is expected to start in place of Zach Collaros (suspension) for the season-opener in Week 2, will start, with Wheatfall, Clercius, Schoen, Demski and Jerreth Sterns as his receivers. The offensive line (from left to right) will be Stanley Bryant, Micah Vanterpool, Chris Kolankowski, Paddy Neufeld and Kendall Randolph.
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Quinton Cooley is slated to start at running back, and Matthew Peterson will also see time.
'This game is just as important to the evaluation process,' said O'Shea.
'I think there's going to be some guys that are pulling a few more reps that have to show they're in the kind of shape they need to be to play at this level.'
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Joshua Frey-SamReporter
Josh Frey-Sam reports on sports and business at the Free Press. Josh got his start at the paper in 2022, just weeks after graduating from the Creative Communications program at Red River College. He reports primarily on amateur teams and athletes in sports. Read more about Josh.
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