It was a busy day on Thursday for the Alouettes as they signed 3 players. They also announced a player’s retirement. Montreal re-signed Canadian receiver Hergy Mayala. They also signed 2 American players, defensive back Jalen Embry and receiver Austin Mack.

Canadian defensive back, Treshaun Abrahams has retired.

Hergy Mayala, WR, Connecticut

Montreal re-signed Hergy Mayala yesterday who started every game for the Alouettes last year at wide receiver, except for the 2nd playoff game which he missed due to injury.

2022 was Mayala’s 3rd season in the CFL. He contributed 33 receptions for 409 yards and 2 touchdowns.

Mayala had signed with the New Orleans Breakers in the USFL but was released prior to the start of the season. This signing makes the Canadian receiving group very comfortable for the Alouettes.

Austin Mack, WR, Ohio State

Austin Mack is no stranger to professional football. He was signed as an undrafted free agent by the New York Giants following the 2020 NFL draft. He appeared in 11 games contributing 7 receptions for 91 yards.

Mack also spent time briefly with the Titans and 49ers in 2021 and 2022 but did not appear in any games with those teams.

Mack caught 27 passes for 361 yards and 3 touchdowns in 2019 for his senior year at Ohio State in 11 games (8 starts). He played in 43 games over his 4 season career at OSU  starting in 27 games. He totaled 79 receptions for 1,050 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Mack measures 6’2 and 215 pounds.

Ja’Len Embry, DB, Northern Illinois

Embry played most recently for Frankfurt Galaxy in the European Football League. The 29-year-old contributed 44 tackles (34 solo), 2.5 tackles for loss, 13 passes defended, and 4 interceptions over 11 games.

Embry was a member of the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers in 2022 but had some injury struggles and was released. He played in 2020 and 2021 in The Spring League. Embry was invited to the Houston Texans rookie camp following the NFL draft in 2019 but was not signed.

In 2018 Embry was a party of Northern Illinois’s MAC Championship season. He broke up 2 passes in the MAC championship game. In his senior year, he contributed 60 tackles (43 solo) 4.5 tackles for loss, and 8 passes defended over 13 games.

Embry totaled 88 tackles (65 solo), 6.5 tackles for loss, and 11 passes defended over his 24-game 2-season career at Northern Illinois. He played the season before at Iowa Central Community College and was a redshirt freshman at Iowa the year before that.

Embry measures 5’11 and 197 pounds.

Treshaun Abrahams, DB, Calgary

It was announced Thursday that the Canadian defensive back has retired. He appeared in 13 games for Ottawa in 2021. He was a member of the Montreal Alouettes practice squad for the final 11 games of the season last year.

Montreal’s Canadian Receiving Depth

With the Mayala signing, the Alouettes now have 3 Canadian receivers returning from last year in Mayala, Kaion Julien-Grant, and Tyson Philpot who all showed that they can comfortably start. Typically Montreal will start with 2 Canadians at receiver and 2 Americans. Regis Cebasu is also returning who played all but 1 game that he missed due to injury as a backup who contributed on special teams.

Montreal also added Canadian veteran Jake Harty earlier in the offseason who played3 games as a starter and 6 as a backup for Saskatchewan last year.

The Mayala signing makes Montreal’s Canadian receiving group very well-rounded with good depth.