Alouettes’ backup QB Alexander ready for the spotlight as starter

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This article was published 25/10/2024 (353 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — The first thing you notice when talking to Davis Alexander is how calm, collected and even laid-back he is for a young professional athlete.

Alexander, who turned 26 a few days ago, has a quiet but sure confidence when he speaks. It’s in stark contrast sometimes to the man seen on the football field quarterbacking for the Montreal Alouettes, where Alexander isn’t afraid to exchange physical and verbal jabs with his opponent.

That fiery passion has earned the native of Gig Harbor, Wash., the respect of his teammates and many across the CFL. So has his ability to escape the pocket and extend plays — thanks to a strong and accurate arm and legs that are ready to take off downfield at any moment — which has also been a major factor in why he’s 4-0 as a starter in 2024.

All of these traits should serve Alexander well heading into what could be a hectic offseason for the third-year CFLer. Despite a small sample size, what Alexander has shown this season should be enough for teams to be considering him as a potential No. 1 option.

“Honestly, it’s very exciting,” Alexander told the Free Press shortly after Montreal’s walkthrough practice at Olympic Stadium Friday. “Just the year that I’ve had, with everything going on outside of football, as well as the hard work that I do over the offseason, spending money to train in Arizona, which is not cheap. I’ve invested in myself, and my girlfriend has helped out a ton, too. I don’t know what’s going to happen — I mean that. But all I truly know is after the Grey Cup, we’ll get into it.”

The Alouettes enter their regular-season finale against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Molson Stadium Saturday boasting the top record in the CFL, at 12-4-1. They wrapped up first place in the East Division a few weeks back, putting them in prime position to defend their title as reigning Grey Cup champions.

Davis will have a front-row seat to the action, but if all goes to plan, his time on the field will be limited.

That’s because the Alouettes already have a proven leader at quarterback in veteran pivot Cody Fajardo. Fajardo signed with the Alouettes last season after appearing to wear out his welcome in Saskatchewan, where he spent three seasons as the Roughriders starter following short stints in Toronto and B.C.

The season proved to be a resurgence for Fajardo, who would eventually silence his critics by leading the Alouettes to their first league title since 2010, winning Grey Cup MVP along the way. At 32 years old, the question will need to be asked about just how much more Fajardo will be able to give.

At the same time, Alouettes general manager Danny Maciocia and his staff will need to decide what they have in Alexander and whether they believe his success as a backup QB can translate to being an every-week starter.

“Every year, you look at your roster and there are a lot of tough decisions that are going to be made,” Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said. “We have a veteran quarterback that’s won a Grey Cup, that is extremely motivated to play at a high level, that’s been our leader and won a lot of games for us. And you have a young up-and-comer who is a free agent, who you would have to make a decision to stick with them and pay them well to have them be here and it’s very difficult, in a salary-cap era, to do that.”

Alexander has actually been with the Alouettes longer than Fajardo and Maas, who also came aboard last season after Khari Jones was fired partway through the 2022 campaign and temporarily replaced by Maciocia. It was Maciocia who signed Alexander to a contract ahead of the 2022 season and then decided to bring him back last year, making him the only QB on the roster from the previous season.

Alexander has returned the favour by playing a consistent and effective brand of football. While he played in some spot duty his first couple of years in Montreal, this season has brought the kind of opportunity Alexander had been hoping for when he first signed, taking over the offence after Fajardo suffered a hamstring injury against the Toronto Argonauts in Week 6.

“People see the way that I carry myself every day. The way I treat other people. That’s kind of the start of being a quarterback, with some leadership,” Alexander said. “But I really think it’s the way I compete out there on the field. The guys know I would do anything for us to win. That’s one step in getting everybody to play better, and that’s kind of the quarterback’s job.”

The Alouettes first went to the more experienced backup in Caleb Evans. After trailing 16-3 at halftime to Saskatchewan, the decision was made to hand the ball over to Alexander.

That proved to be a savvy decision, with Alexander wasting little time mounting a comeback, scoring touchdowns on his first two drives to secure an improbable 20-16 victory. He followed that up with three more wins, twice beating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and once more versus the Riders.

This season, Davis has completed 98 of his 142 passes (69 per cent) for 1,247 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions. He’s also rushed 21 times for 162 more yards – an average of 7.7 yards per run – and two additional scores.

“You have to bide your time. It is a difficult game to learn, and so I think anytime you’re able to do that, show enough every training camp to win your job, to be ready every year and take it serious, years of doing that usually lends itself to being successful when you get an opportunity. You got to take advantage of that, and I know someone like Davis has,” Maas said. “It’s like anything for professional athletes, when the lights are on, you have to perform. There’s a lot of people that would like to trade places with you, but the one thing you can always control is how well you’re prepared, what you’re doing on a daily basis to get yourself prepared and ready, then you just have to make the most of the opportunity.”

There’s always the chance the Alouettes get an extension done with Alexander between now and free agency in mid-February. Whether that would mean keeping Fajardo, who is under contract through next season, or not, only time will tell.

Alexander and Fajardo have a strong working relationship, able to bounce ideas off one another and grow their games together. Alexander wouldn’t mind sticking around the only CFL home he’s known, but will let the cards fall where they may.

“I’m sure there’s a scenario where I’m in Montreal. By the end of the year, we’ll have it figured out,” Davis said. “Business goes both ways. There are some things that need to get done and all that, but I’m forever thankful, for sure.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton