Official: Montreal Alouettes to start QB James Morgan against Blue Bombers

The Montreal Alouettes will start James Morgan at quarterback against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday night.

The 28-year-old native of Green Bay, Wis. played three quarters against the B.C. Lions last week in relief of Caleb Evans, who is out for the season after suffering a torn ACL. He completed 20-of-33 pass attempts for 211 yards, one touchdown, and one interception as his team lost 36-18.

The six-foot-four, 229-pound passer was originally a fourth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the New York Jets out of Florida International University. He spent time with five different NFL teams and the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL before signing with the Alouettes last year, spending most of the season on the practice roster.

Shea Patterson, who signed with the Alouettes earlier this week, will dress as the third-stringer behind Morgan and Cameron Dukes. Montreal’s top three quarterbacks — Davis Alexander, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, and Evans — are all on the six-game injured list.

The Alouettes have made two other changes to the roster as Canadian running back Sean Thomas-Erlington (neck) and field-side cornerbacker Kabion Ento (calf) have returned to the lineup. Thomas-Erlington has dressed for nine games on the year and rushed for 361 yards and two touchdowns, while Ento has played seven, recording 21 defensive tackles and three interceptions.

Canadian fullback David Dallaire and defensive back Robert Kennedy III have both been moved to the one-game injured list. With Ento returning, veteran defensive back Ciante Evans has been moved to field-side halfback in Kennedy’s place.

Some key players who remain out for the Alouettes due to injury include receivers Austin Mack and Tyson Philpot, offensive lineman Justin Lawrence, defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson, defensive backs Dionte Ruffin and Marc-Antoine Dequoy, and returner James Letcher Jr.

The Montreal Alouettes (5-5) will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-4) at Percival Molson Stadium on Thursday, August 21 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a walk-off win over the Ottawa Redblacks, while Montreal lost 36-18 on the road to the B.C. Lions.

The weather forecast in Montreal calls for a high of 27 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and TSN 690 in Montreal.