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\u00bb\u00a0Key 2026 off-season dates you need to know<\/a>
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1. THEY APPEAR TO HAVE FOUND SOME COMFORT AT THE BACK-UP QUARTERBACK POSITION<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Quarterback Davis Alexander\u2019s 2025 season was plagued by a hamstring injury, originally occurring early in the season and then being aggravated at least three more times as the year wore on.<\/p>\n
He appeared in just eight regular season games and when he wasn\u2019t on the field, the Montreal offence suffered greatly.<\/p>\n
When he was out there, the Als\u2019 offence moved very fluidly.<\/p>\n
So, job one for the Als this season is to keep Alexander healthy and in action, that is painfully clear.<\/p>\n
Job two \u2014 which was actually job one during the off-season \u2014 was to ensure the Alouettes had a suitable back-up in place behind their franchise QB, one who they could be fairly certain could keep Montreal marching when they have the ball.<\/p>\n
Out are last year\u2019s understudies; McLeod Bethel-Thompson<\/a>, Caleb Evans<\/a>, James Morgan<\/a> and Shea Patterson.<\/p>\n In signing former REDBLACKS quarterback Dustin Crum<\/a>, the Alouettes should feel more comfortable about QB2 than they did in 2025.<\/p>\n In 2025, Crum appeared in 17 games for the REDBLACKS, including six starts, throwing for 1,771 yards, six touchdowns and only two interceptions.<\/p>\n It certainly looked like the 27-year-old emerged as more than a run-first, checkdown-pass quarterback.<\/p>\n 2. A BIG CHANGE AT THE HEART OF THE DEFENCE<\/p>\n STUFFED!<\/p>\n Geoffrey Cantin-Arku gets in for the sack! #CFLGameDay<\/a> \u2014 CFL (@CFL) June 20, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n The Alouettes will have a new look in the middle of their defence in 2026, after releasing veteran Darnell Sankey<\/a> \u2014 an East Division All-CFL linebacker last season \u2014 in December.<\/p>\n After watching 2024 first round pick Geoffrey Cantin-Arku play so well in a rotational role in his first two seasons (71 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles and two interceptions in 36 games), the Alouettes decided it was time for the native of L\u00e9vis, QC to take over at middle linebacker.<\/p>\n It\u2019s assumed the 27-year-old will get every opportunity to make the position his own this season, but the Als recently brought in a little insurance<\/a> in the form of veteran linebacker Micah Awe<\/a>, the 2025 CFL tackles leader (114) who was released by the BC Lions<\/a> after they\u2019d gone out and signed Sankey<\/a>.<\/p>\n 3. DIRECTLY BEHIND THE HEART OF THE DEFENCE, ANOTHER BIG CHANGE Defensive back Jonathan Sutherland returns to Canada looking to make his mark in Montreal\u2019s secondary (Penn State)<\/p>\n Veteran free safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy<\/a> called it a career earlier this winter, announcing his retirement after five terrific seasons in Montreal, where he was twice named an All-CFL safety (2023 and 2024).<\/p>\n Fast, smart and hard-hitting, Dequoy will not be at all easy to replace but the Als need to do it and they have a number of candidates they can look at including their fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft, Jonathan Sutherland.<\/p>\n Sutherland spent the last three years looking to lock down an NFL gig in places like Seattle, Las Vegas and New York, but signed with the Als this past January.<\/p>\n In addition to Sutherland, Montreal has second-year man Nate Beauchemin in the mix as well as last year\u2019s back-up to Dequoy, Arthur Hamlin.<\/p>\n 4. THE RECEIVING CORPS GETS A NEW COAT OF PAINT<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n The Als still have stars like Tyson Philpot<\/a> and Tyler Snead<\/a> and Cole Spieker<\/a> remaining in the line-up for 2026, but the team did part ways with a couple of other familiar faces this past off-season, when they released Austin Mack<\/a> (now in Edmonton<\/a>) and opted not to re-sign Charleston Rambo, who remains a free agent.<\/p>\n So, two of five receiving spots are in play this spring, and the Alouettes appear prepared to fill those vacancies well.<\/p>\n Alexander Hollins<\/a>, who served as a depth player for Montreal last season, was extended this off-season<\/a> and he is a prime candidate to step back into a starter\u2019s role, a role he had with the BC Lions in 2023 and 2024 (139 receptions for 2,110 yards in 34 games).<\/p>\n In free agency, the Als signed former Saskatchewan and Winnipeg receiver Jerreth Sterns<\/a>, who is expected to step up after catching 131 passes for 1,471 yards in 37 appearances over the last three seasons.<\/p>\n 5. GOODBYE TO A BURNER, HELLO TO ANOTHER ONE<\/p>\n Devonte Dedmon turns on the jets! #CFLGameday<\/a> \u2014 CFL (@CFL) October 18, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n There are changes afoot in the Montreal return game for 2026.<\/p>\n James Letcher Jr., Montreal\u2019s primary return man over the previous two-and-a-half seasons after he replaced Chandler Worthy midway through the 2023 campaign, was released by the Als just ahead of free agency, landing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.<\/p>\n In Letcher\u2019s place, the Alouettes have another established return star in their midst, signing former Ottawa REDBLACK DeVonte Dedmon to a one year deal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dedmon averaged than 26.1 yards per kick return over 42 games in six seasons with Ottawa, and 13.1 yards per punt return, with three punt return TDs, and three kick return TDs.<\/p>\n
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\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/Jonathan_Sutherland.jpg\")
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