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Bowman was one of the high-profile signings for the Blue Bombers in free agency, but for whatever reason, he wasn’t about to duplicate the strong production he was known for with the Eskimos.

Although he was targeted plenty, Bowman’s impact was minimal, with nine catches for 95 yards and no touchdowns.

In three of his six games, he did not record a single reception.

That type of production simply wasn’t good enough for a guy with a six-figure salary, not when there are other guys in house who were showing enough in practice to make Bowman expendable.

“In our mind, Adarius came in here to be one of the receivers to mix in with all of our guys. We didn’t bring him in to be our No. 1 receiver,” said Blue Bombers offensive co-ordinator Paul LaPolice. “Adarius was doing well with what we were asking him to do. But there were certain situations where you evaluate as you move on where you can change and adapt and move on from. I don’t want to say he wasn’t successful.

“He’s a good pro. I’m going to miss him, loved him in the room and the guys loved him, but that’s part of the business.”

Competition is on

Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea is never one to show his cards early in the week, but based on Tuesday’s workout, former NFLer Kenbrell Thompkins looks like the front-runner to replace Bowman in the slot.

Thompkins, 29, took the majority of reps with the first-team offence and hauled in several impressive grabs.

“I have a big opportunity in front of me, so I’m just trying to get better,” said Thompkins, who had 70 catches for 893 yards and four touchdowns in 33 games over four NFL seasons with the New England Patriots, Oakland Raiders and New York Jets. “I enjoy playing football, whether it’s practice squad, it doesn’t even matter. You have to stay sharp and mentally prepared. I’m out here running routes and I’ve been doing it for a long time. I’m just trying to do what I’m asked to do. I don’t control the decisions, I just try to make sure that I’m sharp. I just want to play football.”