ALS TAP INTO FREE AGENCY
Sewell among six signees
Two days after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won the Super Bowl with a suffocating defence — not to mention quarterback Tom Brady — the Alouettes overhauled their defensive unit in one fell swoop.
On Tuesday, the opening day of Canadian Football League free agency, Montreal general manager Danny Maciocia announced the signings of five new players along with the return of a sixth — defensive-tackle Woody Baron, who spent his first two seasons with the Als.
Heading the list of signings is a pair of Edmonton defensive linemen — tackle Almondo Sewell and end Nick Usher. They're joined by Michael Wakefield, who can play both tackle and end, and comes to Montreal from the Ottawa Redblacks.
Also returning are linebackers Chris Ackie and Patrick Levels, both former Als. They had signed with Toronto and Hamilton, respectively, last season as free agents but never played for their new teams after the CFL season was cancelled in August because of COVID -19.
“These are players, I think, that are going to have an impact on our team in 2021,” Maciocia said during a video conference. “I don't need to tell you how important it is to play defence; especially to win the battle along the line of scrimmage. When you have a good front four and you can pressure with four, it can make all the difference in the world.
“This was a good day for our team. These are pretty good players.”
While Maciocia stated one week earlier he'd be active in free agency on the defensive side of the ball, signing six players in one day is unprecedented for the Als. The fact CFL teams now have a one-week window in which they can talk to potential free agents before the market opens undoubtedly expedited the process.
And it doesn't appear Maciocia's tinkering is completed.
While it wasn't announced on Tuesday, the Als are expected to add yet another former Université de Montréal player — receiver Régis Cibasu from Toronto. Maciocia, the former Carabins head coach, has been active signing his former players since becoming GM in January 2020.
Maciocia believed he had a new contract in place with Als defensive-back Ciante Evans Monday evening, only to be informed Tuesday afternoon the player had changed his mind. Evans subsequently signed with the Tiger-cats.
Between them, the six players produced 261 defensive tackles, 25 quarterback sacks, one interception, recovered five fumbles and knocked down seven passes in 2019.
Sewell, 6-foot-4 and 288 pounds, is expected to replace John Bowman, informed last week he wouldn't be offered a new contract at age 38. But Sewell isn't much younger, at 34.
A six-time CFL all-star, he spent his entire nine-year career with Edmonton. In 139 career games, he has 282 tackles, 60 sacks and forced two fumbles. In 2019, he produced eight sacks — the same total as Bowman.
Usher, 6-foot-3 and 235 pounds, had 36 tackles, six sacks and forced three fumbles in 2019. Usher, only 26, was part of the Las Vegas Raiders this season.
It's likely no coincidence new Als defensive co-ordinator Barron Miles was a former assistant coach at Edmonton. He probably played a significant role in the process, not only with Maciocia, but helping to convince the players to sign with Montreal. Miles has stated he wants a defence that plays fast, along with a line that dominates.
The Als had a league-low 27 sacks in 2019, when they had a 10-8 record, making the playoffs for the first time since 2014. They allowed nearly 27 points per game. Montreal intercepted 16 passes, ahead of only Edmonton and Ottawa.
“We're trying to identify some people that can rush the passer, can create some havoc behind the line of scrimmage, create some turnovers and can shorten the field for our offence,” Maciocia said. “It doesn't always have to translate into sacks. It has to translate into pressure, quarterback hits, getting him to throw when he's not ready.”
While many teams are expected to operate at the minimum $4.75-million salary cap this season, due to lost revenue from 2020, Maciocia maintained that won't be an issue, despite the flurry of signings.
Montreal had a league-high 48 free agents, about half of whom were resigned before Tuesday. That led to some resources becoming available. And numerous veterans restructured their contracts, agreeing to reduced salaries.
Meanwhile, while Maciocia had a discussion Tuesday with the agent for Henoc Muamba, he doesn't expect the Canadian middle linebacker to re-sign, which had been anticipated.
“The door's closed, but not necessarily shut,” Maciocia said. “It's almost a foregone conclusion we're moving on.”
One possible replacement is Canadian D.J. Lalama.
We're trying to identify some people that can rush the passer, can create some havoc ... create some turnovers and shorten the field.