(Montreal) The Montreal Alouettes added depth to their roster on Thursday before entering the home stretch of the season.
Jason Maas’ team, which confirmed its place in the Canadian Football League playoffs thanks to its 32-15 victory at the expense of the Ottawa Rouge et Noir last Saturday, added fullback Jacob Mason and defensive back Kenneth Durden.
Mason, six-foot-two and 240 pounds, was the fifth round pick, 39th overall, of the Alouettes (8-7) in last May’s draft. He participated in the club’s last training camp and played in the two preparatory matches, without being retained in the lineup at that time.
Aged 23, he played four seasons in the Canadian university circuit with the McMaster University Marauders, sometimes playing defense.
“We don’t have a lot of fullbacks in our formation and yet we use this position a lot,” noted Maas. He’s someone we really liked at camp and we’re happy to be able to add him to the group. »
Durden enters familiar territory, having played four games with the Alouettes in 2022. The six-foot-one, 181-pound American then collected 18 tackles.
The 31-year-old football player previously spent the 2016 to 2021 seasons in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders, the New York Giants, as well as the Tennessee Titans.
Durden could, however, serve more immediate needs, since defensive back Kordell Stewart, who missed the last game in Ottawa, saw his name placed on the injured list for six games.
“It’s mostly a question of depth. We saw it all season in this position how important it is,” said Maas when speaking about the numerous injuries suffered by the Alouettes’ secondary in 2023.
“It’s clear it’s a question of depth,” added defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach Noel Thorpe. To bring in a guy like Kenneth, who played in our system — who played well in our system, I should say — it’s a great opportunity.
“He’s a guy who has a lot of character and knows our system. It was an easy decision for us to make. »
The Alouettes could once again be deprived of receiver Austin Mack for Monday’s duel, at Percival Molson Stadium, against the same Rouge et Noir (4-11).
Sidelined with a thigh injury on Saturday, Mack took part in his team’s training on Thursday, but Maas did not rule out the possibility of leaving him out again if his receiver was not feeling 100%. .
“He looked good today. He continues to do what he has done for us since the start of the season, which is to give his all every time he is on the pitch, commented Maas. That said, we will check with him to see if there is anything slowing him down and if he is not 100%, we will allow him to get back into shape again. A decision will be made at the last minute. »
In his absence, Canadian recruit Shedler Fervius was inserted into the lineup. He did not catch the only pass directed towards him in this meeting. The workload was shared among several receivers, seven of whom caught at least one pass. Cole Spieker had the most yards with 60 on three catches, as did Tyson Philpot, who had 41 yards and scored a major.
Receiver Keion Julien-Grant, injured in Saturday’s game, also missed Thursday’s practice. Maas was unable to provide an update on the condition of No. 11 of the Alouettes.
“I will reserve the right to wait until the last minute before specifying what will happen on this side,” said the coach, always reluctant to discuss injuries with the scribes.
In the event of a victory combined with a loss for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-8), who will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (6-9) on Sunday, the Alouettes would ensure they finish in second place in the ‘East and host the Association semi-final at home on November 4.
