Montreal Alouettes forced into three starting changes ahead of Argonauts encounter

The Montreal Alouettes have confirmed three changes to their starting lineup ahead of Friday’s matchup with the Toronto Argonauts, releasing their official depth chart on Thursday.

At slotback, Marco Dubois will step into the starting role following an injury to Cole Spieker, who has been sidelined on the six-game injured list after suffering an ankle issue during Montreal’s season-opening victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Spieker, now in his fifth season with the club, has accumulated 152 receptions for 1,948 yards and 13 touchdowns during his CFL career.

Dubois joined Montreal in May after being released by the Ottawa Redblacks. The six-foot-four, 235-pound player spent much of his seven seasons in Ottawa operating as a fullback but has transitioned back to receiver with the Alouettes — the position he played during his university career at Université Laval.

On the offensive line, Cyrille Hogan-Saindon will replace Justin Lawrence at centre after Lawrence was moved to the six-game injured list with an ankle injury sustained in Week 1. Hogan-Saindon started four regular-season games at centre for Montreal last year and previously made 29 starts during his time with Ottawa.

Defensively, Arthur Hamlin has been named the starting strong-side linebacker in place of Najee Murray, who is unavailable due to a foot injury and has been added to the one-game injured list. Murray, now in his eighth season with the Alouettes, has recorded 244 defensive tackles, nine interceptions, three sacks, and two forced fumbles across 67 regular-season appearances.

All three replacements — Dubois, Hogan-Saindon, and Hamlin — featured in backup roles during last week’s game. To fill the open roster spots, Montreal has promoted offensive lineman Braydon Noll, linebacker Donovan Manuel, and defensive back Don Callis to the active squad.

The remainder of the Alouettes’ roster remains unchanged after last week’s win over Hamilton, where quarterback Davis Alexander threw for 336 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyler Snead starred with nine catches for 163 yards and a touchdown.