The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have signed four American players, including running back Chris Smith, receiver and returner specialist Aron Cruickshank, defensive end Jordan Lewis, and defensive back Raleigh Texada.
Cruickshank spent this past season as a member of the Chicago Bears and Pittsburgh Steelers after going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, though he didn’t dress for any regular season games.
The five-foot-ten, 170-pound speedster was a standout returner at the University of Wisconsin and Rutgers University, bringing back 107 kickoffs for 2,564 yards and four touchdowns and 21 punts for 210 yards and one touchdown. He also caught 103 passes for 908 yards and five touchdowns and carried the ball 40 times for 360 yards as a member of the Badgers and Scarlet Knights. He was named the Big Ten’s return specialist of the year in 2020.
Smith signed with the Seattle Seahawks after going unselected in the 2023 NFL Draft, though he was waived by the team before the start of training camp. The five-foot-nine, 194-pound ball-carrier rushed for 2,167 yards and 16 touchdowns and made 52 receptions for 410 yards and three scores over 53 collegiate games at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. He was named first-team All-Sun Belt in 2021.
Lewis was most recently a member of the New Jersey Generals, a team that folded as part of the XFL-USFL merger. The six-foot-three, 223-pound edge rusher was twice named All-SWAC during his collegiate career at Southern University. The native of Ocala, Fla. won the Buck Buchanan Award in 2021 as the top defensive player in the FCS after making 27 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, and one forced fumble in just five games.
Texada was a member of Winnipeg’s practice roster late this past season. The five-foot-ten, 188-pound defender signed with the Green Bay Packers after going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft but was waived by the team not long after. He recorded 24 tackles and five pass knockdowns as a member of the XFL’s Houston Roughnecks in 2023.
The native of Frisco, Texas played five collegiate seasons at Baylor University, recording 142 tackles and four interceptions.
During his five years at Baylor, Texada recorded 142 tackles and four interceptions while being named to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honour Roll four times.
