The left hamstring health of Montreal Alouettes defenseman Davis Alexander has been the focus ahead of the 112th Gray Cup on Sunday in Winnipeg.
During training sessions at the Princess Auto Stadium, he felt comfortable throwing the ball and moving around. He's passing four to five therapy sessions per day within a week to get back to 100 percent.
“I would say somewhere between 75 and 90 percent,” Alexander said of his left hamstring participation in the CFL championship game.
“I haven't laid it out completely yet, but at least we were able to check all the boxes on days one, two and three. I keep saying it, but it went better than expected.”
It appears the Saskatchewan Roughriders have heard enough about Alexander's left hamstring. Some players believe the 27-year-old QB and his team are making the injury worse than it actually is.
“I don't care. I think it's funny. If that's what they're worried about, then that's what they're worried about. We'll see after the game, I guess,” Alexander said.
Riders head coach Corey Mays said he told his team to prepare for the best out of Montreal. Regardless of whether Saskatchewan truly feels like a master of the game, the 39-year-old bench coach knows his defense must play focused football for 60 minutes against Alexander.
“We expect the best from everyone. I expect him to do what he does; it's the defense's job to stop him from doing it, not his hamstring,” Mays said. “Whoever is there for them, whoever is there for us, there will be a lot of people there – I'm sure tons that you guys don't even know about.”
Alexander did not play in any regular season meetings between the two teams in 2025, as each team won once against the other on the road. However, Mays and his defense saw him in the game twice.
The first came in Week 8 last year in a 20-16 win after entering the game early in the third quarter in Montreal. Alexander completed 15 of 18 passes for 178 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in 30 minutes after the Als trailed 16-3 at halftime.
His first career start against the Roughriders came in Week 11 of 2024 at Mosaic Stadium. He completed 22 of 33 passes for 285 yards with one touchdown, while rushing four times for 33 yards and the game-winner late in the fourth quarter, leading Montreal to a 27–24 victory.
The five-foot-11, 210-pound QB currently has a perfect 13-0 record in his CFL career as a starting cornerback.
