The Alouettes have announced that they have signed veteran defensive back Jumal Rolle, re-signed running back Walter Fletcher, and completed a trade for offensive lineman Jesse Gibbon. Each of these players is an established player in the CFL and adds value to their position groups for Montreal. In addition, Rolle and Gibbon bring the Grey Cup championship game experience to the Alouettes 2023 roster.

Let’s look at the path each of these players has followed to put themselves in a position to be signed by Montreal.

American defensive back Jumal Rolle has played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the last four seasons. In 2022, Rolle produced 35 tackles and two interceptions on his way to being named a 2022 East Division All-Star. During his career with the Tiger-Cats, Rolle played in 65 games and accumulated 150 tackles and 11 interceptions; he also returned two interceptions for touchdowns. Before arriving in the CFL, the 6’0″, 188-pound defensive back spent time with the Buffalo Bills, New Orleans Saints, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Arizona Cardinals, and the Baltimore Ravens.

Montreal has re-signed American running back Walter Fletcher. The 5’9″, 202-pound Fletcher played for the Edmonton Elks in 2021 and Montreal during the 2022 season. During the 2022 season, Fletcher produced 486 rushing yards on 85 carries and one running touchdown for the Alouettes. He also had 29 catches for 353 yards and one touchdown while playing in 14 games for Montreal. In 2021, Fletcher played for the Edmonton Elks and averaged 4.5 yards per carry for the Elks.

In addition to signing Rolle and Fletcher, the Alouettes traded a 2nd round draft pick for the 2024 CFL draft to the Edmonton Elks to obtain offensive lineman Jesse Gibbon. Gibbon is a 6’3″, 300-pound National offensive lineman that played for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2019, 2020, and 2021. Gibbon is a native of Hamilton, Ontario, and played collegiately at the University of Waterloo. He also has Grey Cup experience with the Tiger-Cats during the 2019 and 2021 seasons.

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