The Alouettes add depth for the home stretch

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 with its 32-15 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks last Saturday, added fullback Jacob Mason and defensive back Kenneth Durden to his squad.

Mason, 6’2″, 240 lbs., was the fifth round pick, 39^e overall, the Alouettes (8-7) during 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 will be in familiar territory, having played four games with the Alouettes in 2022. The 6’1”, 181 lb. American then had 18 tackles.

The 31-year-old football player previously spent the 2016 to 2021 seasons in the NFL with the Las Vegas Raiders, New York Giants and Tennessee Titans.

Durden could, however, fill 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, at this position, how important it is,” said Maas when talking 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. Bringing in a guy like Kenneth, who has played in our system – who has 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. »

Mack again an uncertain case

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 due to a thigh injury on Saturday, Mack took part in his team’s training on Thursday, but Maas did not rule out leaving him aside 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 see with him 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. »

Mack has caught 70 passes for 1,057 yards and 4 touchdowns this season. Before missing last weekend’s game, he ranked first in the Ambrosie circuit among pass catchers.

He has since been beaten by Dalton Schoen of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1,136 yards) and Keon Hatcher of the British Columbia Lions (1,103).

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 Kaion Julien-Grant, injured in Saturday’s game, also missed Thursday’s practice. Maas was unable to give an update on the status of the n^o 11 of the Alouettes.

“I will reserve the right to wait until the last minute before specifying what will happen on this side,” declared the coach, always reluctant to talk about injuries with journalists.

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.