The Montreal Alouettes signed running back Liam Talbot, wide receiver Zachary Houde, defensive back Cyrus McGarrell, and punter Jack Burgess on Monday according to the CFL Transactions page. They also released wide receivers Daniel Oladejo and Giles Jackson, offensive lineman Jesse Gibbon, and defensive lineman Philippe Lemieux-Cardinal.
Liam Talbot is five foot eleven and weighs 210 pounds. The 22-year-old from London, Ontario, was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the fourth round (37th pick) of the 2026 CFL Draft.
Collegiately, Talbot spent four seasons at the University of Windsor (2022-25) with 88 carries for 641 yards, four rushing touchdowns, 18 catches for 158 yards, one touchdown, punting the ball two times for 67 yards (33.5 AVG) with a long of 36 yards, 27 kick returns for 570 yards, 61 punt returns for 612 yards, one touchdown, 12 tackles (7 solos, 5 assists) in 29 games for the Lancers.
Zachary Houde is six foot one and weighs 205 pounds. The 23-year-old from Thetford Mines, Quebec, was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the eighth round (73rd pick) of the 2026 CFL Draft.
Collegiately, Houde spent four seasons at St. Francis Xavier University (2022-25) with 114 catches for 2,035 yards, nine touchdowns, two carries for -12 yards, three kick returns for 52 yards, and 11 punt returns for 143 yards in 25 games for the X-Men.
Cyrus McGarrell is six foot one and weighs 201 pounds. The 23-year-old from Windsor, Ontario, was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the seventh round (64th pick) of the 2026 CFL Draft.
Collegiately, McGarrell spent five seasons at Northern Illinois (2021-25) with 31 tackles (24 solos, 7 assists), one tackle for loss, two interceptions for 35 yards, two pass breakups, and one fumble recovery in 32 games for the Huskies.
Josh Burgess is six foot three and weighs 210 pounds. A native of Bacchus Marsh, Victoria, Australia, Burgess was drafted by the Montreal Alouettes in the second round (16th pick) of the 2026 CFL Global Draft.
Collegiately, Burgess spent two seasons at Weber State University (2022-23), punting the ball 100 times for 4,411 yards (44.1 AVG), with a long of 70 yards, eight touchbacks, 44 from inside the 20-yard line, 25 from 50-plus yards, and two carries for nine yards in 24 games for the Wildcats. In 2023, he was named an All-Big Sky Honorable Mention, an All-America honors from Bluebloods, and was a semifinalist for the FCS Punter of the Year award.
Then, he transferred to Texas Tech University (2024-25) with 89 punts for 3,815 yards (42.9 AVG), with a long of 61 yards, four touchbacks, 44 fair catches, 38 from inside the 20-yard line, and 16 from 50-plus yards in 26 games for the Red Raiders.
Daniel Oladejo is five foot ten and weighs 192 pounds. The 26-year-old from Ottawa, Ontario, re-signed with the Alouettes on November 26, 2024. In 2025, he made one catch for seven yards in one preseason game. He appeared in three regular-season games.
The Ottawa Redblacks drafted Oladejo in the second round (17th pick) of the 2023 CFL Draft. In 2023, he made one catch for 14 yards in one game.
In 2024, Oladejo played in two preseason games with two catches for 38 yards (19.0 AVG). In the regular season, he made three catches for 24 yards (8.0 AVG) in 14 games. The Redblacks released Oladejo on November 3, 2024.
The Montreal Alouettes signed Oladejo on November 5, 2024, and spent a week on the practice squad. The Alouettes released him on November 10, 2024.
Oladejo played five seasons at the University of Ottawa (2017-22) with 63 catches for 781 yards, six touchdowns, and six kick returns for 112 yards. In his senior year, Oladejo was named OUA Second Team All-Star after making 32 catches for 399 yards and three touchdowns in eight games for the Gee-Gees. In addition, he won a Gee-Gees Team Award for Outstanding Offensive Player and the President’s Award.
Giles Jackson is five foot eight and weighs 187 pounds. The 24-year-old from Antioch, California, signed with the Montreal Alouettes on November 21, 2025.
The Philadelphia Eagles signed Jackson as an undrafted free agent on May 4, 2025. In 2025, Jackson made two catches for nine yards in two preseason games. The Eagles released him on August 20, 2025. The Montreal Alouettes signed Jackson to a future contract on October 31, 2025.
Collegiately, Jackson spent two seasons at the University of Michigan (2019-20) with 24 catches for 309 yards (17.2 AVG/G), one touchdown, 12 carries for 74 yards, one rushing touchdown, 37 kick returns for 976 yards, two touchdowns, and five punt returns for 45 yards in 18 games for the Wolverines. He was named Second Team All-Big Ten in 2020.
Then, he transferred to the University of Washington (2021-24) with 135 catches for 1,414 yards (31.4 AVG/G), nine touchdowns, 21 carries for 109 yards, one rushing touchdown, 34 kick returns for 754 yards, 20 punt returns for 136 yards, and three tackles (3 solos) in 38 games for the Huskies. He was named a Preseason All-Pac 12 Honorable Mention in 2023 and Preseason Second Fourth Team All-Pac 12 by Athlon in 2024.
Jesse Gibbon is six foot three and weighs 300 pounds. The 27-year-old from Hamilton, Ontario, re-signed with the Alouettes on January 2, 2025. In 2025, he started 18 games.
Montreal’s offense averaged 23.3 points per game, 34 touchdowns, 329.4 net offense per game, 254.6 passing yards per game, 85.9 rushing yards per game, and allowed 26 sacks, finishing 10-8 for the season on their way to appearing in the 112th Grey Cup against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Gibbon attended the Pittsburgh Steelers rookie minicamp in 2019. The Hamilton Tiger-Cats drafted Gibbon in the first round (2nd pick) of the 2019 CFL Draft. He played 42 games in three seasons in Hamilton, including two trips to the Grey Cup in 2019 and 2021.
The Tiger-Cats traded Gibbon to the Edmonton Elks on September 2, 2022. He played seven games for the Edmonton Elks. The Elks traded Gibbon to the Montreal Alouettes on February 15, 2023, for a 2024 second-round draft pick. In 2023, Gibbon played 17 games, helping them win the 110th Grey Cup over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24.
Montreal’s offense finished seventh in offensive points per game (20.6), fourth in touchdowns (43), sixth in average net offensive yards (329.7), fifth in average rushing yards (102.2), sixth in average passing yards (250.0), and eighth in sacks allowed (61).
Gibbon re-signed with the Montreal Alouettes on December 15, 2023. In 2024, Gibbon started 12 games. Montreal averaged 25.3 points per game (5th), 332.9 net offense per game (9th), 84.3 rushing yards per game (8th), 264.4 passing yards per game (7th), and 46 touchdowns (4th).
Collegiately, Gibbon played four seasons at Waterloo (2015-18), playing left tackle in 32 games for the Warriors. In 2018, Waterloo averaged 33 points per game, 184.3 rushing yards per game, 351.89 passing yards per game, 515.1 total yards per game, and 38 touchdowns, finishing 4-5 for the season.
Philippe Lemieux-Cardinal is six foot five and weighs 252 pounds. The 29-year-old from Montreal, Quebec, signed with the Montreal Alouettes on July 28, 2025. In 2025, he made two tackles on special teams in 10 games.
Lemieux-Cardinal went undrafted in the 2022 CFL Draft. He signed with the Ottawa Redblacks on January 21, 2023. He was released by the Redblacks on May 22, 2023.
The Montreal Alouettes signed Lemieux-Cardinal on September 1, 2024. He appeared in one game against the Calgary Stampeders in Week 15, recording no stats. The Alouettes released him on September 27, 2024. Montreal re-signed Lemieux-Cardinal on October 23, 2024, and spent the rest of the season on the practice squad. The Alouettes released him on November 10, 2024.
Collegiately, Lemieux-Cardinal played six seasons at the University of Montreal (2017-19, 2021-22) with 85 tackles (60 solos, 25 assists), 20 tackles for loss, 19.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, seven pass breakups, one interception, and one touchdown in 35 games for the Carabins. He was named First Team U Sports All-Star Team, RSEQ Lineman of the Year, and RSEQ All-Star Defensive Team.
In 2022, he made 17 tackles, 5.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and two pass breakups in seven games. The Montreal Carabins finished in second place with a 6-2 record and lost the Dunsmore Cup to Laval 25-24. Lemieux-Cardinal was named Second Team U Sports All-Star and RSEQ All-Star Defensive Team in 2022.
