Worth the wait: REDBLACKS’ Dontae Bull thankful for new opportunity

Dontae Bull’s Ottawa REDBLACKS debut was a long time in the making.

After breaking his leg midway through the 2022 NCAA season with Fresno State, the Canadian offensive tackle has spent nearly 11 months rehabbing. That time included surgery, and plenty of days in which he could do little more than sit around and watch new shows with his family.

With patience – and in due time – the first-overall pick in the 2023 CFL Draft was able to make his return to the field, but not immediately to the game-day roster. Weeks ticked by as Bull diligently worked in practice to convince the coaching staff he was ready to go, and worthy of a spot.

In Week 10 against the Toronto Argonauts, Bull drew in as a backup, seeing a handful of reps as a sixth blocker, but last week against Montreal, the six-foot-seven giant was listed as the starting right tackle. The moment brought back feelings that had been missing for a while, something he had been longing for.

“It has been a long 11 months, and I was excited to get back on the field finally,” Bull said. “It’s a blessing that I was put in a position to be able to return from an injury that some people might never come back from.”

Overcome with emotions, Bull knew how fortunate he was to be standing on the TD Place turf at that exact moment.

“I don’t really know how to explain it, there were a lot of emotions out there,” Bull said. “I’m just grateful, that’s all I can say.”

It didn’t take long for Bull to settle in, and lock into a battle with the Alouettes’ pass rush that lasted the duration of the night. As a whole, it was an improvement for the offensive line, which allowed quarterback Dustin Crum to be sacked only three times, but Bull is looking at his introduction to the CFL with a critical lens.

“[My performance] could have been better,” he said candidly. “Not great, not bad, but could have been better.”

Imperfect, sure, but with film study wrapped up for the week, Head Coach Bob Dyce was satisfied with what he saw.

“Dontae exhibited a lot of the skills we saw when we decided to draft him,” Dyce said. “He’s a big man that moves well, and in the run game, he plays with a physical nature. There were some assignment things that he wasn’t 100 percent on, but it’s something we have corrected over the week.”

This week in practice, Bull has challenged himself to take immediate action on his perceived shortcomings, targeting a bigger impact in the critical final seconds of each play.

“It’s staying on blocks,” Bull said. “I need to keep my hands on guys and continue to work to make a bigger impact toward the end of the play. There are always things to work on, and I’ve done that throughout the week. I can’t wait to get out there on Sunday.”

The next step forward, Bull says, will come through preparing for each specific opponent, and the little things. It can be as simple as the tendencies of an opposing rush end, or what situations the defence likes to blitz in, but having that little bit of knowledge in your back pocket can result in a colossal advantage.

Last week, it was Shawn Lemon and the multi-leveled pass rush the Alouettes boast, but the beast to be tamed against the Edmonton Elks this week looks a little different. The combination of A.C. Leonard and Jake Ceresna has been difficult to disrupt for the entire league, but the last time these two teams met, the REDBLACKS never allowed a sack to either player.

The blueprint exists, but Bull says it’s important to evolve, just as he expects the opponent to do.

“It’s different, but you’re never going to play the same guy over and over,” Bull said. “Everyone is an individual, so you just have to take a piece of what these guys are putting on film, and build a plan based on that.”

Thus far, he hasn’t been caught off guard by anything, all while he has been looking to meet challenges with a positive attitude.

“Guys are good, this is competitive football,” Bull said. “Nothing is too surprising, I knew this wasn’t going to be easy.”