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Both are already lifting the play of those around them.

Let’s start with the glamour side of the ball, where quarterback Matt Nichols says it took all of one day for him to click with Matthews.

“Out of the 20-odd completions over a couple of periods, maybe 17 went to him,” a grinning Nichols said. “It seemed like we’re on the right page with everything. Obviously, he brings something different to our offence and something that’s going to cause some people problems.

“There’s not many 6-5, 230 receivers in professional football.”

As safety Derek Jones put it: “You can be on his hip and his arms are so long and he’s so strong, he can make a play anyway.”

Matthews, 29, signed a three-year deal with the Bombers just before camp, returning to the place he got his start as a pro in 2012, when he was the team’s top rookie.

That led to four years in the NFL before he ran out of options there, returning to the CFL late last season to help the Stampeders capture the Grey Cup.

Nobody stands to benefit more from Matthews’ presence than the quarterback. Let’s face it, the Bombers haven’t exactly had an elite receiving corps the last few years.

“I’ve been a fan of his for a long time,” Nichols said. “I didn’t know him at all, and now that I’ve gotten to know him, he’s sending me pictures of plays at 11:30 at night, making sure they’re drawn up correctly. So I know he’s working, trying to get this offence down so he can be ready to roll, Week 1.”

Over on the dirty side of the ball, working just as hard to learn a new defence is the one-of-a-kind Jefferson, who bolted the Riders as a free agent to sign a one-year deal with Winnipeg.