Lions’ Burnham thriving after NFL tryout ordeal After a trying offseason trying out for NFL clubs, receiver Bryan Burnham is back with the Lions and thriving in a deep receiving corps.

Lowell Ullrich BC Lions writer Follow|Archive

KAMLOOPS -- It seemed like a complete slam-dunk, though it turned out to be as much of a foregone conclusion as Hillary Clinton winning the U.S. election.

Bryan Burnham completed his third season with the B.C. Lions with a career-high 1,392 receiving yards last year. His timing couldn’t have been better. He was 26 at the time and a free agent. A wedding was about to be planned. Few players in the CFL seemed better positioned to take the next step in his career. Burnham would be off to the NFL.

It’s the story every undrafted import in three-down football wants to write, but now Burnham hopes to become another shining example of the virtues of staying in the CFL, earning a decent living even if there’s a zero missing at the end of his Lions paycheque.

He’s with the Lions because despite the fact he spent weeks on the road last winter working for so many NFL teams he lost count, once reaching double digits, nobody offered him a decent contract.

Well, Burnham got one, he relayed Sunday, but offered up the deal he received from the Arizona Cardinals as proof of the longshot nature faced by the overwhelming majority of CFL players. The Arizona deal was rescinded 10 minutes after he was tendered, Burnham said, when the club discovered a minor medical issue which was long part of his past.

“Another team wanted me to sign a season-long injury waiver, meaning if I were to get injured, no money. Some said wait until the spring; we might give you a shot. I couldn’t take that risk just to say I got a chance in the NFL,” Burnham said.

“If I had to go back and do it again I would do all the workouts. It was fun. It was exciting. But at the same time it was very stressful.”

The story of the Lions last winter was the fact six players left to try the NFL. But the fact only Adam Bighill (Saints), Bo Lokombo (Ravens), Terrell Sinkfield (Vikings) and Richie Leone (Cards) remain is a statistical anomaly only given the current off-season NFL cycle. In four-down football, main training camps don’t even start for another month.

A total of 16 CFL players signed in the NFL after last season but already four have been cut, including Lions defensive lineman Alex Bazzie, who has been axed twice. Last year, 18 CFLers tried to the NFL. Only four never came back.

Burnham doesn’t regret his NFL tour, even though he began to see the fact he needed a physical from every team he visited as a pain of a different variety. He’d never tell any other import his age not to pursue the dream, but said players should be aware of what they are putting at risk.

“It’s a dirty business,” said Lions defensive lineman Mich’ael Brooks, who toured the NFL with Burnham and Bazzie last winter. But despite only being 25 and having previous four-down workout experience, he noted his B.C. teammates looked tense through much of the process.

Nonetheless, even Lions coach/GM Wally Buono was surprised that Burnham’s clear progression last season didn’t produce more NFL interest, yet wonders if history might still work in favour of the receiver.

Buono previously convinced three players to stay an extra year to great benefit. Jeff Garcia won a Grey Cup for Calgary. Cam Wake eventually became a Pro Bowl rusher following his second year with the Lions. Marc Boerigter had a productive NFL stint too. Another year like the last one and Burnham will surely be in the big time longer than 10 minutes.

“The NFL will give you a shot after one (year) but they’ll give you money after two and when they give you money they usually give you an opportunity,” Buono said.

Like every year, Burnham is among a receiving cast so deep veteran Nick Moore lines up in the second group at training camp. Burnham and Manny Arceneaux are locks of course, but the Lions want a wideout with speed similar to injured Chris Williams on the short side and are locking in on rookie Corey Jones.

Marco Iannuzzi and Stephen Adekolu have a leg up on work by virtue of the Lions’ desire to start two Canadians. There’s not much roster room for many more.

B.C. would be happy just to get the same amount of production out of Burnham this year as they did last, but the confidence that has evolved during his development into a route-running demon with superlative hands has some suggesting he could do more.

“Burnham is a different player this year. He has come out here with a newfound focus,” quarterback Jon Jennings said. “He understands more about the game and how to get open. He has that understanding with his confidence.”

He also has motivation. On the league website, the receiver is on a list of most underrated players despite his four-digit receiving season last year. He may still not yet be fully appreciated in two leagues, but not with the Lions.

LIONS TALES: The Lions open their pre-season schedule Tuesday against the Calgary Stampeders (6 pm pt, TSN1040) with a lineup designed to give many rookies a chance except for offensive linemen. All five projected starters will play. “For a lot of them they’re at new positions. It’s not like we have a 10-year veteran,” Buono said.

A veteran not playing who could use the playing time is running back Shaquille Murray-Lawrence, who hasn’t participated in practice the last couple of days.

Chris Rainey survived a scare when he stayed on the ground for several minutes Saturday after apparently injuring a quad but returned to work.

The play of camp took place at practice Saturday night when rookie receiver Corey Jones nearly buckled the ankles of safety Steven Clarke after taking a pass in the open field.

New in camp: DL Harold Brantley.