Damien Alford to dress for Calgary Stampeders against Winnipeg

Photo courtesy: Calgary Stampeders

It didn’t take long for Damien Alford to crack the active roster with the Calgary Stampeders, as he’ll dress against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday night just two days after rejoining the team following an NFL stint. Calgary released its official depth chart on Thursday morning.

The 25-year-old played two regular-season games against the Blue Bombers in 2025 and dominated, making four catches for 101 yards and three touchdowns. He finished the year with 20 receptions for 407 yards and five scores.

The six-foot-five, 224-pound target signed with the New Orleans Saints in January but was waived last month. The receiver told the media on Wednesday there was a chance he could dress this week despite having such a short timeline leading into the game. He was the first overall pick in the 2025 CFL Draft.

Alford will dress in a depth role behind field-side wide receiver Clark Barnes, though slotback Dejon Brissett is listed as a game-time decision. Brissett was limited in practice on Wednesday due to a hamstring injury and was listed as questionable on Calgary’s official injury report.

The Stampeders have also made two changes in their secondary, as Jaydon Grant and Ben Labrosse are listed as starters.

Grant missed the team’s last three games due to an ankle injury and has returned to his spot at field-side halfback, where he made 10 defensive tackles over three games to start the year. Labrosse, the team’s first-round pick in the 2024 CFL Draft, will start at field-side cornerback in place of Adrian Greene, who has been placed on the one-game injured list with an eye injury.

Rookie defensive back Ashton Miller-Melancon has been promoted from the practice roster, while veteran offensive lineman Tomas Jack-Kurdyla has been moved to the reserve roster.

The Calgary Stampeders (2-4) will visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-2) at Princess Auto Stadium on Friday, July 24 with kickoff scheduled for 8:30 p.m. EDT. The Stampeders lost to the Montreal Alouettes in a failed comeback bid this past week, while the Blue Bombers defeated the Ottawa Redblacks in overtime.

The weather forecast in Winnipeg calls for a high of 29 degrees and a 60 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS2 in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 770 CHQR in Calgary or 680 CJOB in Winnipeg.

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