On Monday, the Montreal Alouettes made several changes to their roster. First, they signed RB/Returner Martese Jackson, OL Kwabena Asare, and LB Reshard Cliett. These players were placed on the suspended list to complete COVID-19 protocols.
The Alouettes released LS Zach Greenberg, DB Jermaine Pounder, WR Rashad Ross, and QB Austin Simmons to make room for these players.
Martese Jackson is a 29-year-old from Ashville, North Carolina. He played three seasons at Florida Atlantic University after transferring from Fort Scott Community College. He played in 21 games for the Owls and had 71 carries for 278 yards, one touchdown, and five carries for 38 yards.
After college, Jackson signed with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2016 but was released during training camp. He joined the Montreal Alouettes shortly after his release.
In 2017, he signed with the Toronto Argonauts. He played 27 games in two seasons and had 23 carries for 103 yards, 23 catches for 174 yards, and one touchdown. He had two punt returns for touchdowns and one missed field goal returned for a touchdown on special teams. Jackson was part of the Argonauts’ 2017 Grey Cup championship team.
Martese Jackson was traded on September 10th, 2018, to the Edmonton Eskimos. He spent the rest of 2018 and 2019 with them. He played in twelve games with three carries for 25 yards, one touchdown, and eight catches for 67-yards.
Kwabena Asare is a 29-year-old from Brampton, Ontario. He played college football at Carleton University. In 2016, he was selected for the East-West Bowl. The Edmonton Eskimos drafted him in the sixth round of the 2017 CFL Draft. He spent three years with the Eskimos before being released in July 2021.
LB Reshard Cliett is a 29-year-old from Thomasville, Georgia. He played for four years at the University of South Florida. Cliett played in 42 games with 139 tackles and nine sacks; seven passes defended, one forced fumble, and one recovery.
After college, he was a sixth-round pick by the Houston Texans in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, he didn’t play for the Texans due to a knee injury. After the Texans, he had stints with the Broncos, Jets, Cardinals, Titans, Chiefs, and Vikings. In 2020, he played for the Dallas Renegades of the XFL before the league shut down. Reshard Cliett played in one game for the Argonauts this year.
Zach Greenberg is a 24-year-old from Winnipeg, Manitoba. He played college football at the University of Minnesota Crookston and was on special teams for the Golden Eagles. He signed a one-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in 2019 but was released. In April of this year, he joined the Edmonton Elks but was released after they signed LS Chad Rempel. He signed with the Alouettes earlier this month.
Jermaine Pounder is a 26-year-old from Rochester, New York. He played college football at St. Francis University. In four years with the Red Flash, he played in 35 games with 34 tackles, 18 passes defended, and two interceptions. In 2019, Ponder had tryouts with the Houston Texans, Cleveland Browns, Indianapolis Colts, and Pittsburgh Steelers. In 2020, he played one game for the Seattle Dragons of the XFL.
Rashad Ross is a 31-year-old from Vallejo, California. He played college football at Arizona State University for two seasons. Before transferring to ASU, he spent two years at Butte Community College. While at ASU, Ross played 26 games with 55 catches for 864 yards and seven touchdowns. He went undrafted in the 2013 NFL Draft and signed with the Tennessee Titans.
After spending two years on the practice with the Titans, Chiefs, and Redskins, he made his NFL debut with the Washington Redskins in 2014. He played 15 games with eight catches for 184 yards and one touchdown. Ross also played special teams with 33 returns for 790 yards and one touchdown. The Redskins released him in December 2015.
Then, Ross signed with the Detroit Lions. He played in five games with one catch for eight yards. After the Lions, he tried out for the 49ers, Bills, and Cardinals.
In 2019, he joined the Arizona Hotshots of the AAF. He led the league in receiving 36 catches for 583-yards and seven touchdowns. Once the league suspended operations, he went to the Carolina Panthers but was released in training camp.
In 2020, Ross signed with DC Defenders of the XFL. He had twelve catches for 193-yards and one touchdown before the XFL suspended operations five games into the season.
Austin Simmons is a 25-year-old from Council Bluffs, Iowa. He played college football at South Dakota. In four years with the Coyotes, Simmons played in 38 games with 585 completions for 6,487 yards, 52 touchdowns, 22 interceptions, and 309 carries for 1,044 yards and eleven touchdowns. Simmons went undrafted in the 2020 NFL Draft
The Montreal Alouettes host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday, October 30th, at 7 pm on ESPN+.
