Photo: Reuben Polansky/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
The Montreal Alouettes opened training camp on Sunday and lots of eyes were on franchise quarterback Davis Alexander.
After suffering a hamstring injury that bothered him from the first training camp session through to the 112th Grey Cup last year. The Gig Harbor, WA native is ready to move on.
“I’m at 100 percent. I don’t feel any limitations,” he told 3DownNation. “I don’t feel pain, I feel good, I’m ready to go and get the season started.”
He has no restrictions and should take part in every physical aspect of this year’s training camp. The path to recovery wasn’t easy, but he is excited to finally be healthy.
“It felt like a long, drawn-out first part of the offseason. I felt I was getting better, but not very fast. Toward the middle of March, I noticed a turn, and by April 1, I was basically at 100 percent.”
Alexander, who had to adjust his offseason training, is not concerned about his hamstring injury returning. He doesn’t believe any professional athlete should play with fear, especially quarterbacks who have a lot to process. However, he is aware that some adjustments could be made to his game.
“Is there a component of being smarter? Maybe, but it’s not like I run the ball a ton. I do escape a little bit, but not more than your normal mobile quarterbacks like VA [Vernon Adams Jr.], [Nathan] Rourke, or Cody [Fajardo]. I’m not concerned. It was a freak injury that I never fully let heal because I came into camp with it — I was never healthy.”
Lows after a tough loss
Alexander not only had to recover from a hamstring injury he aggravated in the biggest game of his career, but he had to do so after losing that game. He reflected on the period following the Grey Cup in Winnipeg last November.
“I spent three or four more weeks in Montreal after everything ended. It was a dead time. My family is spread out across the United States, I still had my lease, so I wanted some time to myself. Football was over,” he said.
“It was a hell of a year, with ups and downs, and getting to the Grey Cup. In our eyes, that was not good enough. I was really proud of our group, but losing can go one of two ways. We can become stronger from it or we can fold. Knowing this group and our leadership, it’s going to make us better.”
It’s been two-and-a-half years since the Alouettes won their first Grey Cup since 2010. Since then, Montreal lost in the East Final in 2024 and in the Grey Cup last year. Once viewed as a continuation of that championship team, Alexander acknowledged that perceptions have shifted and he wants to write a new story.
“A lot of the guys who won in 2023 were proud of it and it was an incredible accomplishment. But who wants to hang their hat on a championship from three years ago? No disrespect to our 2023 team, but because you won it doesn’t mean you’re going to win it again. Last year, we felt we had a really good team to win the Grey Cup, but we came up short. We know there is more to do. We want to use that experience, but we’re on to the next chapter.”
Changes to his receiver group
Receivers Charleston Rambo and Austin Mack are not back this season after starting in last year’s Grey Cup. This will create opportunities for players like Cole Spieker and Alexander Hollins to step into bigger roles. Alexander is not worried about his weapons.
“We made a huge signing with Tyson [Philpot], he’s going to be a stud. [Tyler] Snead is our workhorse. I think he went for 1,200 yards last season, and if you look at the tape, he could have had 1,600. Cole Spieker was overlooked last year, but he should step into a bigger role. He is one of our fastest players. He is kind of like a fast tight end in the CFL. I got to see Jerreth Sterns this offseason, and he looks pretty good as well. Alexander Hollins didn’t get a lot of chances to play, but he was our best receiver during Grey Cup practice week. We feel good about our receiver room.”
True Montrealer
Alexander has been with the Alouettes since 2022 and fully embraced life in Montreal. Fans have embraced him as well and he is increasingly recognized around the city.
“They are incredible. They love their Alouettes, and I hope they know we love them too. I wouldn’t want to play anywhere else,” he said.
“I’m not going to say I’m super famous, but when I walk around, people ask for photos sometimes. It’s a dream come true — I laugh and smile about it. One of my best friends has visited me nine or ten times since my rookie year and he can’t help but laugh when people ask me for photos. He takes them all.”
The Alouettes quarterback is also a big hockey fan. Growing up as a Colorado Avalanche supporter, he’s witnessing firsthand what the Montreal Canadiens mean to the city and he’s enjoying it.
“It was me, Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, Geoff Cantin-Arku, and Cole Spieker. We had such a great time. I had heard Montreal was the mecca of hockey, but I didn’t realize it was that intense. Last year, I was excited to see them make the playoffs after their rebuild. This year, I followed them pretty closely.”
Alexander hasn’t been able to attend a playoff game at the Bell Centre yet. With training camp taking place in Quebec City, around three hours away, he’s hoping the Canadiens make a deep run to catch a game in the mythic arena.
He has one dream Stanley Cup Final match-up in mind: Canadiens vs. Avalanche.
