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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have retained another significant member of their defensive unit with the re-signing of Jackson Jeffcoat to a two year extension.

Jeffcoat had been pursuing some potential NFL opportunities, but obviously felt a return to the Blue Bombers was a better fit for his football future.

Jeffcoat joined the Blue Bombers as a free agent before the 2017 season and played in 16 games as a CFL rookie, recording 36 defensive tackles, and another three on special teams while adding seven quarterback sacks along with an interception and forced fumble.

This past season the 6-3, 251 pound Defensive End had to miss a half-dozen games because of injury, but still had five quarterback sacks in the 12 games he played while adding another four in Winnipeg’s two playoff games versus Saskatchewan and Calgary.

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In the grand scheme of things, the 27-year-old Dallas native was on that list of “priority two” pending agents right behind star linebacker Adam Bighill.

“Jackson has continued to develop into a very strong pass rusher for us,” said General Manager, Kyle Walters in a team news release.

“He was able to come back strong after missing some time due to injury last season, and really played well in the postseason for us as well. He’s a big part of our defence up front and we are thrilled to have him back.” Tweet This

READ MORE: Winnipeg Blue Bombers cut loose veteran Chris Randle

The re-signing of Bighill and Jeffcoat are seen as contributing factors to the team’s decision to release popular veterans Chris Randle and Ian Wild, but there are still a few other key pending free agents on Walters “to do list.”

That group would include Linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, Safety Taylor Loffler, Defensive Back Brandon Alexander, and Center Matthias Goossen.