Danny Maciocia had spoken of “calculated risks” to explain his two first-round selections in the last Canadian League draft, Jonathan Sutherland and Lwal Uguak. With the signing of Uguak on Wednesday, the general manager of the Montreal Alouettes won a first bet.
The team announced that they have reached an agreement with the defensive lineman selected seventh overall. Uguak has attended mini-camps with the Atlanta Falcons and New York Giants for the past two weeks, but hasn’t been offered a contract.
“It’s information that we will look for before drafting a player. Nothing is guaranteed in life, but it’s a calculated risk based on the information we seek, Maciocia said in a phone interview with The Canadian Press. I had a few exchanges with his agent on Sunday and he made it clear to us that if it didn’t work out with the Falcons, he wanted to come and join us. »
“We started discussing the terms immediately and Lwal joined us. [mardi] in Trois-Rivieres [où les Alouettes poursuivent leur camp d’entraînement]. We can’t wait to see him on the pitch. »
The six-foot-five, 271-pound colossus completed his college career with the TCU Horned Frogs in 2022, making nine tackles and recovering a fumble. He helped TCU finish last season with a 13-2 record and reach the NCAA National Championship Game.
The 23-year-old Albertan had played his first three seasons with the University of Connecticut Huskies. He completed his college career with 56 tackles, 9.5 tackles for loss, four sacks and four knockdowns in 48 games.
He will have the chance to prove himself as much as a blocker as a defensive end when he takes the field starting Thursday.
“He played as a winger at TCU, but we can move him inside as well,” Maciocia said. He’s a versatile guy and if all goes well, he’s going to take part in Saturday’s intra-squad game. »
With Jamal Davis, Almondo Sewell, Mustafa Johnson and Nick Usher as starters on the line, Maciocia sees Uguak more as a project for now.
“We want to give him the chance to acclimatize to our training and see where he feels best on the line, whether as a tackle or a winger,” said the general manager. If we ever decide to make a change to the ratio, maybe we can think about revamping that.
“We must not forget either that he has never played in the Canadian League and that requires a certain adaptation. But we have a very interesting player and we are happy that he is here. We took a bet and today we are doing very well. »
First cuts
The first cuts were expected at camp for the Alouettes and unsurprisingly, several receivers, including 22 who were at camp, suffered.
Ronnie Blackmon, Trevon Bradford – who injured his right foot on Monday -, Hasise Dubois, Demetris Robertson and Donald Stewart saw their camp come to an end.
On the other hand, the adventure continues for the American Tyler Snead.
“He impresses us a lot. He’s a player we’ve been talking about a lot for two days, [Jason Maas]the football operations guys and me,” Maciocia pointed out.
Linebackers Rashaad Harding and Jaylan Alexander, defensive linemen Akial Byers and CJ Wright, defensive back Coney Durr, and offensive lineman Jalen Burks were also released. All of the players released on Wednesday are Americans.
“These are players who will have the opportunity for the most part to find work elsewhere in the CFL, noted Maciocia. Otherwise, they are guys we could contact again if needed. »
The Alouettes are not required to reduce their roster by the end of camp on June 3, but Maciocia has signaled that some elements will likely be released in order to make room for other players who are on his radar, but who are not yet in Trois-Rivières.
The players enjoyed a recovery day on Wednesday, which they will enjoy every three days during the camp.
After Saturday’s intra-squad game, the Alouettes will play their first preseason game on May 26, in Ottawa. A week later, they will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.