(Montreal) Wide receiver Greg Ellingson will likely not be able to start the season at the same time as the rest of his new Montreal Alouettes teammates.
Ellingson, acquired on the free agent market this winter by general manager Danny Maciocia, was not in uniform for the Alouettes’ first official practice of the 2023 season on Tuesday at Percival-Molson Stadium.
The former Winnipeg Blue Bombers color carrier was unable to participate in the entire Alouettes training camp. In particular, he had to miss his two preseason games due to an undisclosed lower body injury.
“He’s not ready to train,” Maciocia said. I don’t know if his situation will improve in the next few days. If so, we’ll find a way [de l’insérer dans la formation]. For now, we have decided to go with players who are healthy and who give us the opportunity to win on Saturday. »
Head coach Jason Maas wouldn’t comment on the severity of Ellingson’s injury after practice.
“He’s just not ready to come back to the game right now, so we’ve kept him out. »
The 34-year-old American was plagued by injuries last season, but when he played he was a big help for the Bombers, catching 38 balls for 598 yards and three touchdowns in just eight games. He returned in time for the playoffs and helped the Bombers reach the Grand Finals.
He comes to Montreal after nine successful seasons with Hamilton, Ottawa, Edmonton and Winnipeg. He caught 587 passes for 8,550 career yards and 45 touchdowns. He was named to the East or West Division All-Star Teams from 2016 to 2019 and to the CFL All-Star Team in 2017.
CFL teams are required to release their injured list 48 hours prior to their games. We will therefore know on Thursday if Ellingson will only miss the Alouettes’ opener against the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday in Montreal, or if his absence will be longer.
The Alouettes are already without receiver Reggie White Jr., whose name is on the six-game disabled list, and Tyson Philpot. The 2022 CFL Rookie of the Year finalist sat out both of his team’s preseason games due to an undisclosed lower-body injury.
The receiver from Delta, British Columbia, appeared in all 18 games for the Alouettes, during which he caught 39 passes for 459 yards and 2 touchdowns.
In the absence of Ellignson and Philpot, the first receiving unit consisted of Kaion Julien-Grant, Hergy Mayala, Cole Spieker, Austin Mack and Keshunn Abram. The latter two earned their positions ahead of Quartney Davis and Tyler Snead, who also had a good camp, but were relegated to the practice lineup.
“There is not much difference [entre ces receveurs], explained Maciocia. We all love Quartney Davis; it was Byron Archambault and myself who identified him. We’ve been trying to attract him to Montreal for a year and a half. Snead, we were very impressed with what he did at Steelers camp. »
Mack and Abram, however, went a little further to beat the other two at the finish line.
“Even though Ellingson was there, I think Austin earned a spot in Saturday’s lineup,” Maciocia said. He had a very good camp. He played very well in the preseason games and he’s someone who understands what we want to do on offense and who seems to get along so well with our quarterback Cody Fajardo.
“He’s a guy who played at Ohio State and was on three or four NFL rosters. He has a good background. He is someone who is capable of producing in quite hostile environments. When the pressure is there, he delivers the goods. »
“Mack has shown consistency since Day 1,” commented Maas. He ran his tracks well and caught the balls thrown at him. We expect great things from his side, but you can’t buy experience. »
As for Abram, his speed allowed him to carve out a place for himself in the formation.
“Abram, he’s a guy who’s able to challenge defensive backs with a speed that the other three don’t have, so he’s capable of making big plays,” Maciocia noted.
“Abram impressed us throughout camp,” added the head coach. He also has a lot of speed, which ended up making the difference. »
The group of receivers, however, is very inexperienced.
“We knew it when we got to camp,” Maas recalled. I think they did their job and they know our playbook well. It is also up to the coaches to choose the games that will highlight them. »