The Montreal Alouettes have signed former first-round CFL draft pick Anthony Bennett.
The six-foot-one, 229-pound defender was a first-round pick of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 2023 CFL Draft. He played 18 regular-season games with the team as a rookie and recorded eight defensive tackles and three special teams tackles but was released before the start of the 2024 season.
Bennett spent five years at Florida Atlantic University before transferring to the University of Regina in 2021. He played two seasons with the Rams and was a standout in 2022, recording 38 total tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, nine sacks, one interception, and one fumble recovery. He was named a Canada West all-star and a first-team All-Canadian.
The 28-year-old was born in Weston, Fla. but qualified for Canadian citizenship through his mother, who was born and raised in Regina, Sask.
Bennett’s older brother, Andrew, played two seasons with the Alouettes prior to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. His father, Charles, was a seventh-round pick of the Chicago Bears in the 1985 NFL Draft, his cousin, Michael, was a first-round pick of the Minnesota Vikings in the 2001 NFL Draft, and his uncle, Tony, was a first-round pick of the Green Bay Packers in the 1990 NFL Draft.
The Montreal Alouettes finished first in the East Division in 2024 with a record of 12-5-1 but lost the East Final to the Toronto Argonauts. The team will open its 2025 regular season by hosting the Argonauts at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday, June 6 with kickoff slated for 7:30 p.m. EDT.
