The final week of CFL preseason action will get underway at 7:00 p.m. EST on Friday when the Montreal Alouettes visit the Ottawa Redblacks.
After facing each other last week, both teams are leaving the starters at home for this game. That will provide plenty of rookies with their final chance to impress coaches before cuts are due on Saturday night at 10:00 p.m. local time. The challenge for CFL fans is figuring out in advance who they should have their eyes on.
Whether you are watching from the stadium or on TSN, 3DownNation is teeing up every preseason game with a handful of rookies you should know. The only rule: those with CFL game experience need not apply. Since this is the second exhibition game, you can view last week’s watchlist by clicking here and gain double the insight.
“N” denotes National players (ie. Canadians), “A” denotes American players, and “G” denotes Global players.
Ottawa Redblacks
REC Sam Schnee, University of Northern Iowa (A)
Cracking the Redblacks’ starting lineup as a receiver isn’t going to be possible coming out of training camp but Schnee made a compelling case to be kept around as a backup in the first preseason game, catching four passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. The five-foot-10, 191-pound target was an All-American in his senior year with the Panthers, demonstrating all the short-area quickness and route-running precision to be a dangerous CFL slotback.
DB Shakur Brown, Michigan State University (A)
There is no better way to earn a roster spot than distinguishing yourself on special teams and Brown added a pair of kick coverage takedowns to his two defensive tackles last week. That might help him crack a weak Ottawa secondary when he couldn’t last year in Hamilton. The five-foot-11, 185-pound cover man was an instinctual pick artist during his time with the Spartans, but was cast aside by the NFL due to size and speed concerns. That hasn’t been a problem during successful stints in the USFL and XFL, and his style of game could be even better suited to Canada.
REC Ethan Jordan, Wilfrid Laurier University (N)
Jordan is among the most dominant U Sports receivers in recent memory and surpassed 1,000 yards last year with the Golden Hawks, but fell to the sixth round of the CFL Draft due to size concerns. Things could not have worked out better for him than landing in Ottawa, where the season-ending injury to Nick Mardner has pushed Keelan White into the starting lineup and left the team without a proven backup. If the five-foot-10, 177-pound speedster can flash during an extended run on Friday, he could crack a lineup sooner than most expected.
P Noah Gettman, University of Akron (A)
Consider this a two-for-one, as Global first-round pick Callum Eddings deserves as much attention as Gettman does. The main question mark here is loyalty to incumbent Richie Leone, who continues to be the highest-paid punter in the CFL despite offering no ratio benefits. That’s hard to justify even with his level of performance and general popularity. Gettman already matched his numbers in the first preseason game and would cost $20,000 less, while Eddings would fill a Global spot for just as cheap.
Montreal Alouettes
QB Jonathan Sénécal, Université de Montréal (N)
Sénécal was thrown to the wolves in the final five minutes of the first preseason game, but game number two should be a better indicator of what the Alouettes see in the 2023 Hec Crighton Trophy winner. Was his status as a seventh-round pick simply an attempt to cater to fans and gain media attention? Or does the team see a future for the six-foot, 200-pound dual-threat passer? How well he performs and how long he actually plays will determine the answer to those questions.
DT Kori Roberson Jr., Southern Methodist University (A)
A late addition to the Alouettes’ roster, Roberson has been on my radar for several months. The six-foot-three, 300-pound interior pass rusher doesn’t blow you away statistically but flashed some quick twitch when I first saw him at the College Gridiron Showcase. He did so again by recording a sack in his first action for Montreal and could be in line for a depth role with Mustafa Johnson still out injured.
REC Jalen Wayne, University of South Alabama (A)
Wayne’s inclusion on this list might seem a little odd considering he failed to make the team last year, but he translated that into a practice roster stint with the Green Bay Packers. Now back for his second go, the six-foot-two, 207-pound receiver was targeted eight times last week, making three catches for 32 yards. He’ll need to convert more of those this week to make the roster but Reggie Wayne’s cousin has the type of physical profile that coaches are woe to let go of.
DB Don Callis, Troy University (A)
If he makes Montreal’s final roster, you can bet that Callis will become a Francophone fan favourite but there is more to like than just a dirty-sounding surname. A former Division II standout at East Central Oklahoma, he was able to successfully transfer up to the FBS because of his easy movement skills and legit 4.4 speed. The six-foot, 184-pounder will have no problems covering on the larger CFL field and will get an extended look at cornerback.
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