After a long wait, our 2025 season kicks off for real! For once, we don’t open the season on the road. However, we are playing the team that dealt us a bitter defeat in the 2024 EDF. Let’s hope Maas has the whole team fired up to avenge that loss in front of our home crowd.
GO ALS GO!
Presently, there are 52 players on the roster, i.e. 6 above the limit of 45. The questions are:
Richard
My gut feeling (barring injury):
I know it’s a lot of guys to keep on the 1-game, but it serves us right now, when we still have some questions about how the roster will shape up, and we want to keep some of the newer guys on their toes so they don’t take their spots for granted.
If J. Harris goes to the PR, 1 A player presently on the practice roster will have to come off.
1 of Moultrie and Mason will have to be added to 1 game injury list; I expect that it will be Moultrie.
Richard
Archibald is presently on 1 game injury list; he can’t come off before game 2. Only 6 DL, i.e. 4 A and 2 N
Richard
Voici mes choix, en fonction des informations sur la santé des joueurs et des besoins de l’équipe:
Depends on how much 3-4 they want to run. If they only dress 6 DL, I expect to see a lot of GCA, Richards, and maybe even Beauchemin in 3-4 alignments.
Regarding Mustafa Johnson, he was removed from the injured list today. It was reported 3 weeks ago that Montreal expects him to be available in the season opener, much like with Philpot.
I see that now, but given that he has missed basically the entire camp, I wouldn’t be surprised to see them sit him out. I guess it depends on how practice goes this week.
Super-great news if he’s back at 100%, and bad news for Toronto’s offence. 
Edit: If Moose is back, then the dressed DL would be Johnson, Oakman, Berglund, Uguak, Vaughns, and Wynn, with one of Mason or Moultrie as the seventh man if they have the room for an extra American DL.
By my count, we’re carrying 29 Americans on the roster, so that number will need to be trimmed down to 19 for game 1. Of that group, Spieker and Wynn can be designated nationalized Americans, but there are going to be Americans going to the 1-game for sure either way.
I think J. Harris, T. Mason, Morgan, Theis, and Veasy go to the 1-game.
We are right at the 21-national minimum, though the nationalized American 8th starter counts toward that number. So we can afford to send one Canadian to the 1-game. That person is probably Hakeem Harris (or maybe Fervius). Given that we’re only starting 1 Canadian at receiver (Philpot), having one Canadian backup makes sense, but not two.
Unless the team activates people from the PR, all our backup OL are going to be Canadians. We only have three American OL on the roster and all are starters (McGloster, Callender, Ventrelli). Same deal at linebacker, where all the backups are Canadian (Richards, Beauchemin, GCA, Gagné, though the latter is really an ST ace and backup longsnapper).
The question for me is: where is Mullen starting, at field half or SAM? We only have 5 American DBs on the roster, and 5 non-safety starter spots, so Mullen has to start somewhere. My guess would be SAM based on where he was used in preseason, which would let Murray play field half next to Ento, a position he knows from 2024.
Mustafa Johnson was never added to 1 game or 6 game injury during this training camp, but transferred /described as injured veteran, which is not the same; the team was probably not sure if he was to be added to 1 or 6 game, so they declared him injured veteran, which meant that he could not practice with other players.
Johnson and Donovan were never taken off the training camp roster and added to 1 or 6 game injured list. Once Archibald -May 18- and Ruffin -May 26- were transferred to 1 game injury list they both came off the active roster and added to 1 game injury list and both will remain on it at least until game 2 of the season.
All CFL teams transferred veterans to injured veterans during the training camps; some players came off during training camps others at the end, as Johnson in Montréal and Stubblefield in Hamilton.
Richard
They must really be confident in Mullen to release Cosby, knowing that Mullen will have to start in week 1 with Ruffin on the 1-game.
I wonder if Mullen will start on strong side LB and Murray as DB.
Richard
Before 2nd pre-season game, Maciocia spoke highly of Mullen and Theis and both are now on roster.
Richard
L’autre nouveau demi offensif, Travis Theis 5´11 215 livres 40 verges en 4.44. Un demi offensif solide et rapide qui donne comme on dit 110% à chaque jeu.
« The freigth train « , un train de marchandise rempli de verges gagnées et de touchés, difficile à arrêter.
Bienvenue avec les Alouettes, Travis Theis et bonne saison 2025.
I really want to know Moose’s status this week. If he’s on the field for full practice, then he’s got a good chance of being ready for Friday. But if he’s still practicing on his own, I expect Maas to hold him back until week 2.
Premier horaire de pratique de la saison régulière.
Ce soir sur CFL.ca, premier état de situation des blessés ou des joueurs qui n’ont pas pratiqué, aujourd’hui.
So Joey Alfieri “can’t wait for Friday night”.
I detest that phrase.
Yes Joey you can indeed wait.
And you will.
You have no choice in the matter.
It’s just an expression…no big deal.