The Montreal Alouettes have signed American defensive lineman Daniel Wise to a two-year contract.
The six-foot-three, 279-pound defender played 17 regular-season games with the Washington Commanders in 2021 and 2022, recording 11 tackles. He was also a member of the Dallas Cowboys, Arizona Cardinals, and Kansas City Chiefs, though he never dressed for a regular-season game with those teams.
The 30-year-old played for the Michigan Panthers in 2024 and was named All-UFL after recording 16 tackles, three tackles for loss, and 1.5 sacks over five games.
Collegiately, the native of Carrollton, Texas played at the University of Kansas. He recorded 150 tackles, 18 sacks, three pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble over 47 games with the team, earning three All-Big 12 selections.
Wise is the son of former CFL player Deatrich Wise and the brother of longtime NFL defensive lineman Deatrich Wise Jr.
The Alouettes also confirmed that American running back Aaron Shampklin has chosen to retire.
The five-foot-10, 195-pound ball-carrier signed with the team earlier this offseason after spending parts of four seasons in the NFL with the Dallas Cowboys, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, Pittsburgh Steelers, and Miami Dolphins. He rushed six times for 17 yards and returned four kickoffs for 101 yards in three games.
Shampklin spent five collegiate seasons at Harvard University, registering 402 carries for 2,251 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns in 29 games for the Crimson. He also added 29 catches for 296 yards and three touchdowns, becoming a two-time first-team All-Ivy League selection.
The Montreal Alouettes were relatively quiet in free agency, though they still added quarterback Dustin Crum, receiver Jerreth Sterns, and return specialist DeVonte Dedmon. The team also suffered some key losses, including Austin Mack (Edmonton Elks), linebacker Darnell Sankey (B.C. Lions), defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy (retirement), and return specialist James Letcher Jr. (Saskatchewan Roughriders).
The Alouettes hold the eighth overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, which is scheduled for Tuesday, April 28 at 7:00 p.m. EDT. All CFL training camps are scheduled to open on May 10. The team will play its first preseason game against the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday, May 22 and its first regular-season game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday, June 4.
In 2025, Montreal finished second in the East Division standings with a 10-8 record and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East Final before losing the 112th Grey Cup to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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From 3DownNation Reporters
