As the 2024 season approaches, CFL.ca is here to catch you up with the 5 Things To Know series. Each article will look at key storylines facing each team this season, while examining off-season movement and where your team might stand in 2024.
The defending Grey Cup Champions have their rings!
Now, do you dare doubt that they can go back-to-back after their remarkable climb to a Grey Cup Championship last year?
I know I won’t!
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There were some significant departures this off-season, so here are the five things to watch for the Alouettes in 2024.
**** YOU, JUST WATCH
It’ll be the phrase that defines the Alouettes 2023 season. FYJW is even engraved on the championship rings to honour the famous Cody Fajardo speech on the eve of the Grey Cup.
Now, I’m interested in seeing if this carries into this season with some doubt the Alouettes can repeat. It was a rallying cry for the team to believe and if they can galvanize even further and earlier this season, the Alouettes are going to be a dangerous team out of the East Division.
Trust me, I’ll be watching!
REPLACING THE MACK
Austin Mack was the big play guy for Cody Fajardo to throw it up to and believe he’ll come down with it.
The playmaking ability of Mack got the attention of the NFL, so Fajardo will be looking for a new reliable receiver who can make the big plays and stretch the field.
The Alouettes do have a decent receiving corps with Cole Spieker, Tyson Philpot, Tyler Snead and Kaion Julien-Grant. We’ll see if Reggie White Jr. or Tevin Jones can become a major piece or if Danny Maciocia has found another rookie American to take the league by storm.
READY TO RUN
Will Walter Fletcher be who Cody Fajardo hands the ball of to this season? (Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca)
William Stanback has been a mainstay in Montreal. He was a big part of what the Alouettes did as shown by his big touchdown run in the Grey Cup, but with Stanback now out of the picture it’s time for another running back to take the mantle of what has always been a great run game in Montreal from Stanback to Avon Cobourne to Mike Pringle.
Montreal has Walter Fletcher, Jeshrun Antwi and brought in Sean Thomas Erlington to compete for the job, but Maciocia has also brought in several others to compete for what will be an open competition to replace the pounding presence of Stanback.
BEEFING UP THE MIDDLE
One of the best defensive tackles in the game, Almondo Sewell, is not back in 2024. The powerful lineman ate up double teams and bull rushed over guards and was a havoc almost every down.
So, the Alouettes went out and beefed up the depth chart with Dylan Wynn coming over from Hamilton, Derek Wiggan and Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund heading in from Calgary and Shawn Lemon has returned to the field as well.
Mustafa Johnson is back from last season, but there is more than enough interior defensive linemen in Montreal to have a much deeper rotation come the regular season, barring they all stay healthy.
STABILITY
The Alouettes have to admit it’s nice to come into a season with some stability. Whether it be the coaching staff or the quarterback or the main core of the roster, the Alouettes find themselves with more returning players and coaches and management in a long, long time.
It seemed if it wasn’t the general manager, it was the coach or the quarterback or some big play defensive players that changed from year to year.
This is interesting to watch just for the sole fact of seeing if they can start the season a lot less streaky. Last year they went from win streak to lose streak to win streak to lose streak and finished off with a win streak when it mattered most.
Consistency at key areas should have the Alouettes considered one of the favourites in 2024.