Travis Theis was there. Then he was not. And if you blinked, you might have missed it.
Theis, the Alouettes’ starting tailback, had the team’s opening offensive play last Thursday at Hamilton — a three-yard gain. Three plays later, he had a five-yard run up the middle. Then he was gone, injured and replaced on the next series by rookie Shomari Lawrence.
Few details were disclosed about Theis’s injury except that it was to his head. While he wouldn’t reveal whether he sustained a concussion, Theis has been practising at Stade Hébert this week as the Als prepare for their home opener Friday night against Toronto at Molson Stadium.
While Als players are required to wear Guardian Caps on their helmets during practice, Theis was the only active player sporting one against the Tiger-Cats. And it might have prevented him from suffering a more serious injury.
The Guardian Cap is a soft-shell pad that attaches to the outside of the helmet and was designed to reduce the force of impact to the head, minimizing the impact of violent collisions and, hopefully, curtail concussions.
While it might reduce the impact of shots to the head, it’s impossible for the cap to fully prevent concussions. Although highly effective at preventing skull fractures, lacerations and severe traumatic brain injuries, helmets can’t stop the brain from rapidly shifting and impacting against the inside of the skull during an impact, research has found.
Alouettes receiver Cole Spieker sports a Guardian Cap over his helmet during training camp practice on May 15, 2025. John Mahoney / Montreal Gazette
The Guardian Cap was first mandated for NFL practises entering the 2022 season — one year before the CFL adopted a similar rule.
The 5-foot-9, 215-pound Theis wore a standard helmet as a rookie last season, when he dressed for 12 games. He gained 365 yards on 70 carries.
Theis said he’s not sure what the potential repercussions would have been had he been wearing regular headgear and wants to conduct more research into the topic. He decided to don the Guardian Cap this season for precautionary reasons.
“I’m thinking long-term. I’d like to stay healthy,” he said after practice this week. “The type of player I am, the type of back, I take a lot of hits to the head and neck area. I want to take care of those things.”
But there has been a stigma attached to the few players, north or south of the border, who have decided to wear the added layer of protection due to its oversized look, giving the players the appearance of being bobblehead figures.
“They look really goofy,” Mike Rose, a defensive lineman who was playing for Calgary at the time, said in 2023. “But I mean they’re meant to help our brains and possibly help in CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy) prevention.
“I guess we’ll find out in 25 years.”
Theis said he hasn’t received any ridicule — from teammates or opponents — for his choice of helmet, but isn’t certain why more players don’t follow suit.
“I haven’t heard anything but respect for wearing it,” Theis said. “I’m still not sure how good the research is on it. I’m sure we’ll find out more over the years. As far as guys wearing it more, who knows? I see some guys occasionally here and there, but I don’t think there will ever be a time where both teams are wearing it.”
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With still nursing a hamstring injury sustained in practice last week, Theis will share the rushing duties against the Argonauts with Lawrence.
While it’s rare for a rookie to start for an experienced team like the Als out of training camp, Lawrence stood out during the team’s two exhibition games. And he filled in admirably for Theis against Hamilton, gaining 63 yards on eight carries. That included a 16-yard run on the final play of the third quarter and a pair of 13-yard gains in overtime after a Keric Wheatfall fumble. That put the .
“Seeing (Theis) go down sucked. It really did,” Lawrence said. “I knew I had to step up. He wouldn’t want me sulking over him being out. I was ready to go and prepared as much as I could.”
Lawrence and Theis are road roommates and studied fervently the night before the game.
“We’re all football players,” Lawrence said. “You either go out there and tuck your tail or man up, puff my chest out and help my team win these games. I wasn’t as impressive as I would usually be doing my thing.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com