Danny Maciocia didn\u2019t hesitate for one second as he finished the open-ended statement I\u2019d made to him.<\/p>\n
That statement was: \u201cI would like our team to be more\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHealthy?\u201d was Maciocia\u2019s reply. \u201cHealthiER?\u201d<\/p>\n
That, then, spring-boarded a conversation with the Montreal Alouettes senior vice president of football operations and general manager about what will be an important consideration as the off-season winds its way through recruitment, free agency and the CFL Draft.<\/p>\n
Depth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe foundation is in place,\u201d Maciocia said as he took a break from league meetings in Calgary. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot to be excited about.\u201d<\/p>\n
RELATED \u00a0<\/p>\n The Alouettes are well-stocked with returning stars on the field and great continuity in the coaching staff, led by head coach Jason Maas.<\/p>\n All arrows point to another successful season, especially if the starters remain mostly healthy for most of the schedule.<\/p>\n But Maciocia isn\u2019t willing to count on that, wary of his club\u2019s recent past.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you take a look at the last few years, we\u2019ve had north of 70 players dress for a minimum of one game,\u201d lamented Maciocia, who signed a contract extension with the Alouettes last October<\/a>. \u201cWe had more quarterbacks during the season (in 2025) than we did going to training camp.\u201d<\/p>\n Seven quarterbacks, when you count them up, with four different starters including franchise pivot Davis Alexander<\/a> who missed 10 regular season games and was continually hampered by a nagging hamstring injury.<\/p>\n The Alouettes suffered through Alexander\u2019s absence, as well as the absences of other key starters at other positions, at one time enduring a five-game losing streak before rallying to a second-place finish in the East Division and then an appearance in the 112th Grey Cup game.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n There\u2019s only so much one can do to ensure the ongoing good health of any player, though, and Maciocia knows that. That\u2019s why his off-season plan for the Als will be anchored by ensuring that Montreal\u2019s stars are backed up by more-than-capable understudies.<\/p>\n \u201cDepth is going to be important,\u201d said Maciocia. Making sure that you\u2019ve got enough of it, whether it\u2019s American or Canadian players.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cMaking sure that you\u2019ve got depth at every single position.\u201d<\/p>\n It starts with ensuring the Als have a back-up quarterback they can count on.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had that depth when Davis was the number two guy,\u201d Macocia said with a laugh, remembering Alexander\u2019s superb performances in place of an injured Cody Fajardo<\/a> during the 2024 season.<\/p>\n Last year, with Alexander elevated to QB1 and Fajardo traded to Edmonton, Montreal struggled on offence during their young quarterback\u2019s lingering absence, unable to gain much traction with any of McLeod Bethel-Thompson<\/a>, Caleb Evans<\/a> and James Morgan<\/a> as starters.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n While Morgan is under contract for 2026, Bethel-Thompson and Evans \u2014 as well as short-yardage quarterback Shea Patterson \u2014 are all potentially free agents, come February 10.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery single year, you have to have a back-up that\u2019s able to win you two or three games, because there\u2019s going to be a point in time that you\u2019re going to play with them,\u201d said Maciocia.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s going to be a major topic of conversation for us as an organization and as a football ops staff, to make sure that we put ourselves in a position where we\u2019ve got that guy. That if we need to play him, well, there\u2019s not going to be any reservations doing so.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s the mindset,\u201d said Maciocia. \u201cTo make sure that we\u2019re able to find that guy.\u201d<\/p>\n While improving quarterback depth is high or even at the top of the list for the Alouettes, they do believe that proven depth at another position is precisely what allowed them to make quite a bold move with the roster this off-season.<\/p>\n
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