
The Montreal Alouettes made a significant free agent acquisition on Canada Day with the signing of WR Alexander Hollins on Tuesday. Hollins was a 2023 West Division All-Star with the BC Lions, who the Montreal Alouettes will face on Saturday. Montreal also signed linebacker Caleb Johnson, who recently played in the UFL with the Arlington Renegades.
Alexander Hollins
Hollins played for the BC Lions from 2022 to 2024. He didn’t appear much in his first CFL season, playing in 4 games in 2022, recording 13 catches for 117 yards and a touchdown. His next 2 seasons saw him be very impactful, recording 139 catches for 2,110 yards and 15 touchdowns over 34 games.
Holins was released in the 2024 offseason, which saw him not reach a $75,000 roster bonus payout. He was dealing with knee problems at the time that required surgery, and was awarded that money after filing an injury grievance. CFL teams are not allowed to release veteran players while injured.
Hollins was most recently with the Edmonton Elks this training camp but was released amid final roster cuts.
Hollins’ signing is well-timed with Montreal facing BC this week; he will be motivated to ball hard against his old team. WR Austin Mack was a non-participant in practice due to a hamstring injury on Tuesday and Wednesday, while Cole Spieker was limited on Tuesday, although he was a full participant on Wednesday.
Caleb Johnson
The Alouettes have also signed linebacker Caleb Johnson, who played this past season in the UFL with the Arlington Renegades. Johnson recorded 19 total tackles, including 2 TFLs and a sack.
He had his most impactful game for Arlington in the final game of the season, which saw him lead the team in tackles with 10, starting at inside linebacker. By my count, he had 3 shared run stops and a solo pass stop. He saw 4 targets come his way in coverage (excluding screens), and those plays resulted in 3 receptions for a total of 18 yards.
This is the 2nd time in 3 seasons that Montreal has signed a linebacker midseason who played that same year for the Arlington Renegades. Montreal signed Darnell Sankey midseason in 2023 after he won an XFL Championship with Arlington.
Johnson played his final collegiate season in 2022 with Miami (FL), where he recorded 48 total tackles (26 solo, 22 assisted), 4 TFLs, 1.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles over 12 games
Prior to Miami, he played for UCLA from 2020-2021, where he had 89 tackles (50 solo, 39 assisted), 7 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery over 18 games.
He started his collegiate career in 2017 with Fullerton College, where he made 41 tackles (29 solo, 12 assisted), 8.5 TFLs, 5.5 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR, and a knockdown over 13 games. He played for Texas in 2019 but only appeared in 1 game before transferring to UCLA.
He has had stints with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Arizona Cardinals, and Cleveland Browns in the NFL, although he has not yet appeared in an NFL regular season game.
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