Main reason revealed why Davis Alexander exited Montreal Alouettes preseason game early

The main reason behind Davis Alexander being removed from the Montreal Alouettes preseason opener after only a short appearance has now been revealed — and fortunately for the team, it appears to have been more precautionary than serious.

Alexander made his first appearance of the 2026 campaign during Montreal’s preseason clash on Friday night, but his outing lasted just 15 minutes before concerns emerged over an apparent injury to his right knee.

The quarterback appeared to suffer discomfort after being clipped awkwardly from behind on a play, creating an unusual landing that immediately raised concerns on the sidelines. During his final series, Alexander was visibly rubbing his knee before eventually heading to the bench, where he removed his equipment.

Soon after, the Alouettes franchise signal-caller left for the hospital accompanied by team doctor Vincent Lacroix to undergo additional testing, sparking immediate concern among supporters given his importance to the team.

However, speaking after the game, Alexander quickly eased fears by explaining the incident was more awkward than dangerous. He admitted he had never experienced a tackle quite like it before, describing how his body fell backward while his legs lifted awkwardly into the air, comparing it to an unexpected leg press movement.

Although he acknowledged that the knee initially felt “a little weird,” Alexander revealed that medical checks, including X-rays, delivered positive news and confirmed there was no major issue.

The 27-year-old insisted there was never real panic from his perspective and suggested the team simply chose to be cautious. According to Alexander, the decision to pull him from the game was more about preventing unnecessary risk than dealing with a significant injury concern.

In fact, the quarterback confidently stated he likely could have continued playing had the situation demanded it, but stressed that caution was the smarter approach, especially in preseason action.

The injury scare briefly caused alarm within the organisation, particularly because Alexander spent much of last season battling a troublesome hamstring problem. That setback limited him to only eight regular-season starts and affected his form during Montreal’s Grey Cup defeat, making the team especially careful with his health this time around.

Head coach Jason Maas later confirmed that the move was purely precautionary and revealed there had never been plans to give Alexander heavy playing time anyway. Maas admitted that when a quarterback begins limping, coaches naturally fear the worst, but once medical staff reassured them everything looked fine, the decision was made to shut him down for the remainder of the night.

Maas also confirmed fans will not see Alexander again during preseason, as the organisation had already planned to rest him for next week’s exhibition finale in Ottawa.

Before exiting, Alexander struggled to find much rhythm offensively in his limited snaps. After opening with a first-down completion to Tyson Philpot, he managed only two more completions and finished with just 17 passing yards during a sluggish start for the offence.

Despite the brief injury scare, all indications suggest Alexander remains on track to start Montreal’s regular-season opener against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in just under two weeks, providing a major boost for the Alouettes after an anxious moment in preseason play.