James Morgan will receive the opportunity he has been craving when the Montreal Alouettes host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday night.
Morgan will become the fourth different quarterback to start for the Alouettes (5-5) this season. It will also be his first CFL start and only his third since finishing his college career in 2019.
“This is an opportunity,” said Morgan, a fourth-round pick by the NFL’s New York Jets in 2020. “You do everything you can to take advantage of the opportunity. … I wish it were under different circumstances, but it’s something you have to always be ready for.”
Initial starter Davis Alexander (hamstring) and veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson (right elbow) are both on the six-game injured list. Last week, Caleb Evans made his first start and sustained a torn ACL in his right knee during a 36-18 road loss to the BC Lions, giving the 28-year-old Morgan his long-awaited chance.
Alouettes coach Jason Maas is embracing the situation of starting four different starting in one season.
“It doesn’t happen very often but we welcome the challenge,” Maas said. “… I felt terrible after the game for Caleb, so James is going to lead the charge.”
Morgan played two college seasons at Bowling Green (2015-17) and two at Florida International (2018-19). The only time he has started a game since college came for the Pittsburgh Maulers of the USFL in 2023. He started two games and played in three overall and passed for 210 yards, no touchdowns and three interceptions.
This is Morgan’s second season with the Alouettes. He passed for 211 yards, one touchdown and one interception after replacing Evans last week.
The Blue Bombers (5-4) insist they won’t be taking Morgan lightly.
“We don’t know much about him. He hasn’t gotten a lot of snaps in these last two years,” Winnipeg veteran defensive end Willie Jefferson told reporters. “He played in the preseason games the last couple of years for Montreal but hasn’t gotten any real snaps before last week. We’ve got to try and get in his face and make it hard for him.”
Winnipeg is coming off a 30-27 victory over the visiting Ottawa Redblacks. Sergio Castillo nailed a 47-yard field goal as time expired to win it.
The Blue Bombers, who have played in the last five Grey Cups, are hoping they are about to go on a roll.
“We’re a resilient group. We’ve been through a lot, lots of highs and lows with some tight games,” said Winnipeg receiver Nic Demski, who had six catches for 128 yards against Ottawa. “We’re finding ways to turn this thing around.”
–Field Level Media
