The Montreal Alouettes have signed American defensive back Kahzir Brown and brought back American defensive lineman Decarius Hawthorne.
Brown, who is known by the nickname “Buggs,” went unselected in the 2025 NFL Draft. He later signed with the Green Bay Packers but was released at the start of training camp.
The six-foot-three, 210-pound defender wrapped up his career at Florida Atlantic University, where he made 44 total tackles, two tackles for loss, eight knockdowns, and two interceptions in 12 games for the Owls last season. The native of Trenton, N.J., transferred after three seasons with the University of Maine, where he compiled 143 total tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss, a sack, 23 pass breakups, six interceptions, two forced fumbles, a blocked kick, and a defensive touchdown in 32 games.
Hawthorne rejoins the Alouettes after finishing the 2025 season on the practice roster. He had brief stints with the Los Angeles Rams and Buffalo Bills prior to signing with Montreal at the end of October.
The six-foot-two, 290-pound defender played at the University of South Florida in 2024, where he was named second-team All-AAC, recording 40 total tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. The native of Birmingham, Ala., previously played at Florida Atlantic University, where he made 46 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, and five sacks over four seasons.
The Montreal Alouettes finished second in the East Division standings in 2025 with a 10-8 record and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final before losing the 112th Grey Cup to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Davis Alexander went 7-0 as a starter during the regular season, though he missed 11 games due to a hamstring injury.
The Alouettes ranked eighth in net offence, first in net defence, and third with a turnover differential of plus-eight. The club’s leading rusher was Stevie Scott III with 418 yards, the leading receiver was Tyler Snead with 1,129 yards, and the leading tackler was Darnell Sankey with 103 tackles. Montreal finished sixth in attendance with average crowds of 21,132, which was a 0.8 percent decrease from the previous year.
