The day is finally here! CFL football is back! They play tonight at 7:30 PM on the road in Ottawa. Here are some key players to watch tonight.

The weather is very pleasant outside tonight in Ottawa being partly cloudy and will be around 69°F/ 21°C at 7 pm.

Receivers to Watch

Rookie Receivers

Montreal brought in a lot of talented rookie receivers this year. They brought in more rookie receivers than any other CFL team this year heading into the offseason. Tonight they have 7 rookie receivers showcasing their talents.

Austin Mack out of Ohio State and Tyler Snead out of East Carolina are listed as starters for tonight’s game.

They also have the following rookie receivers playing listed as 2nd stringers: Keshunn Abram (Kent State), Trevon Clark (California), and James Letcher Jr. (Washburn). Listed at the third string we have Quartney Davis (Texas A&M) and John Bruner (Western Illinois).

Other Receivers

In the lineup, tonight as receivers are only 4 players returning from last year. Cole Spieker is starting at slotback who only started in 2 games last year but had 171 yards and a touchdown in those 2 games.  National receiver, Hergy Mayala is starting at wide receiver who started at wide receiver in every game last year except for the playoff loss to Toronto which was lost to Toronto.

Kevin Kaya is getting the start also at wide receiver. Kaya has a global player designation and played his college ball for Montreal. He played in 5 games last year as a backup and was on the practice roster the rest of the season.

National player, Regis Régis Cibasuis playing behind Spieker at slotback who played all of last year in a backup role aside from 1 game that was missed due to injury.

I previously wrote on many of these receivers:

Austin Mack, Hergy Mayala Signing

An Early Look at Montreal Alouettes Receivers, Depth Chart

Looking at Montreal Alouettes’ Rookie Receivers

Quarterback Pecking Order

Starting quarterback Cody Fajardo is not playing tonight. Tonight will be very important to nail down the pecking order in the position.

Caleb Evans will be starting tonight as he wears a Montreal jersey for the first time in his career. He will be going up against his former team as he was a Redblack in his first 2 seasons. Evans started in 7 games last year for Ottawa and showed signs of high potential after the Jeremiah Masoli injury. He ultimately was not consistent enough as a passer to hold the starting position and was moved down the chart in favor of Nick Arbuckle.

Davis Alexander is listed as the 2nd string quarterback tonight. He was the third-string QB for Montreal last year. Tonight will be an important night for him entering his 2nd season.

Mike Glass III is the third quarterback listed tonight. He played last year in the Indoor Football League. Mike Glass led the MAC in passing yards in 2019 playing for Eastern Michigan in his final year. Glass threw over 300 yards more than Nathan Rourke that year who was also playing his final season in the MAC.

Runningbacks

Jeshrun Antwi and William Stanback are not dressing tonight. Walter Fletcher is getting the start. Fletcher started in 6 games last year during Stanback’s injury and finished the season as the 2nd string on the depth chart. 

A.J. Rose is the 2nd runningback listed. Rose is a rookie out of Kentucky. In his senior year rushed for 666 yards and 2 touchdowns averaging 6.3 yards per carry.

Jerry Howard Jr. is the third running back listed. Howard spent 5 games last year with Montreal on the practice roster. In his senior year at Towson, he rushed for 895 yards and three touchdowns averaging 4.8 yards per carry over 11 games.

Players From the 2023 CFL Draft

Round 1, Selection #7: Lwal Uguak, DL, TCU

Uguak is listed at 2nd string defensive end on the right side. Montreal is lucky to have Uguak as he attended 2 NFL rookie camps prior to signing with Montreal. He had 10 tackles and a fumble recovery last season playing in a rotational role for the TCU Horned Frogs who made it to the National Championship last year.

One of the biggest holes to fill this year is at the defensive end. Last year Mike Moore tied the team for first in sacks and started every game as a right-sided defensive end. Moore is not an Alouette this year so there is an opportunity for Uguak to push to make himself a first-year starter.

Round 2, Selection #13: David Dallaire, FB, Laval

Dallaire is listed as the 2nd string fullback tonight. He was the RSEQ Offensive All-Star in 2022 and 2021.

Round 4, Selection #32: Theo Grant, OL, Queen’s

Grant is listed 2nd string at right guard. He was a second-team U Sports All-Canadian guard in 2022.

Round 5, Selection #39: Jacob Mason, FB, McMaster

Listed as tonight’s third-string fullback.

Round 8, Selection #68, Maxym Lavallée, DB, Laval

Lavallée is listed as the 2nd string-free safety. He was a four-year starter at Laval where he was an RSEQ Defensive All-Star in 2022.

Additional Defensive Rookies

Alouettes reporter and Social Media Manager, Joey Alfieri has been doing a great job putting out a lot of training camp reports. In his Preseason Preview, he mentioned 2 defensive rookies that I did not mention above who have looked very good through camp.

Kabion Ento out of Colorado is listed as a starting cornerback tonight. He played receiver at Colorado before switching to cornerback after college. He was a member off and on with the Green Bay Packers beginning in 2019 primarily in training camp or practice roster capacities. He was waived in January 2022.

Bryce Notree is listed as the starting middle linebacker tonight. He played his college at Southern Illinois. In his senior year in 2021, he started all 13 games and was 2nd Team All-MVFC. He led the team in tackles at 91, added 4 sacks, 7.5 tackles for loss, and 2 interceptions.

Ottawa Redblacks Depth Chart

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