Davis Alexander and Tyson Philpot had plenty of conversations over the off-season.
One topic kept coming up.
“Holy s---, we probably talked about it 20 times: ‘We gotta stay healthy,’” Alexander said. “That's all we talk about is staying frickin’ healthy.”
Alexander is the No. 1 quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes. Philpot, an explosive receiver from Delta, B.C., is his favourite target.
The two cornerstones of Montreal’s offence know what they’re capable of when they’re on the field. But staying there has been a challenge, especially for Alexander last season.
"It's been something we definitely have bonded over," Philpot said. "Anytime I see him a little tight or labour a little bit, I'll be like, 'Just making sure you're good?' And he does the same vice versa for me.
"Keeping each other accountable."
Alexander is out to prove he can play a full campaign after a hamstring injury followed him from training camp through the Grey Cup, limiting him to just seven regular-season contests.
The 27-year-old from Gig Harbor, Wash., won all seven to improve to a record-setting 11-0 as a starter to begin his CFL career. He then displayed his confidence and flair for the dramatic in leading the Alouettes to the championship game.
Once there, however, Alexander further aggravated the ailment, which significantly hindered his play with three interceptions in a 25-17 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. That motivated the six-foot, 210-pound quarterback to arrive this season without a scratch.
“Get paid too much money to not be on the field,” Alexander, who signed a contract extension through 2028 in December, said in a phone interview Sunday. “I definitely want to play all 18 games and stay healthy and prove to people that I can do that. Not even prove to people, but just be there for my team.”
The offence plummeted without him under centre, swinging from 33.2 to 18.8 points per game as Montreal shuffled through three other quarterbacks to a 3-8 record.
Alexander's off-season rehab involved isolating each leg in exercises until data showed both were close in strength, something that didn't occur until March. And long gone are the days of lifting weights twice.
“Instead of lifting the second time, I was doing mobility and stretching,” he said. “So I was trying to mature, I guess.”
The CFL season begins Thursday in Hamilton as the Alouettes open the 2026 campaign with an East final rematch against the Tiger-Cats.
Alexander said he’s “ready to roll,” despite also facing an injury scare when he hurt his knee early in pre-season action May 22 against the Ottawa Redblacks.
Philpot, meanwhile, is also hoping to finally put together a full, healthy season.
The 25-year-old wideout is the CFL’s highest-paid Canadian receiver, but has yet to top 1,000 yards in a season as injuries have piled up over the past three years.
"I felt like I was going to get my thousand-year season last year for sure," Philpot said. "And just the way it happens, wasn't able to get that. So that's definitely a big goal of mine, establish myself as one of the elite receivers in this Canadian Football League and get that 1,000-yard marker."
Last season he posted a career-high 804 receiving yards — including 379 after the catch — and five touchdowns in just 12 games, but Alexander expected to see his best version this season.
"Tyson looks the best that he's ever looked since I've been here, and that's saying something," he said. "He's just explosive. He's always getting open.
"He's always been smart, but I feel like he's just gotten to another level and, besides, he's healthy as ever and he looks fast and explosive. He put on some muscle, too. He's getting big. Big boy."
Philpot joins Tyler Snead and Cole Spieker as returning receivers this season, with Austin Mack and Charleston Rambo moving on after helping to form a versatile, dynamic group last year.
The Alouettes added five-foot-eight receiver Jerreth Sterns, a former Winnipeg Blue Bomber, in free agency and seldom-used veteran Alexander Hollins should see the field more often.
On the other side of the ball, the Alouettes will try to remain a model of consistency on defence after a pair of key off-season departures.
Standout safety and local favourite Marc-Antoine Dequoy unexpectedly retired in February. All-star linebacker Darnell Sankey is now with the BC Lions after the Alouettes released him last December.
While multiple players battle for the starting safety job, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku of Lévis, Que., will step into an elevated role at middle linebacker.
"There's gonna be some big shoes to fill, and what an opportunity it is. There's nothing but positive for these guys,” said defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund of Dartmouth, N.S., describing the 27-year-old Cantin-Arku as versatile, aggressive and possessing “a violent take on the ball.”
“For everybody else who may think there might be a drop-off or this void, wait till you get to meet this guy on the field and you see the passion he plays with.”
Montreal, with a defensive unit that was also paramount to its success in 2023 and ‘24, allowed a league-low 338.4 offensive yards per game last season. That came despite facing the third-most offensive plays (56.2 per game).
But even that only took the Alouettes so far when Alexander wasn’t at full health.
Season Snapshot
2025 record: 10-8, second, East Division
Did you know?: The Alouettes haven’t missed the post-season since the 2018 season, the last of four straight years without playoffs in Montreal.
Key additions: QB Dustin Crum (Ottawa), WR Jerreth Sterns (Winnipeg), LB Micah Awe (B.C.)
Key losses: S Marc-Antoine Dequoy (retired), LB Darnell Sankey (B.C.), WR Austin Mack (Edmonton), WR Charleston Rambo (free agent)
Players to watch: QB Davis Alexander, WR Tyson Philpot, LB Tyrice Beverette, LB Geoffrey Cantin-Arku
