Linebacker enjoying a career season on a defence that has carried Montreal to an 11-3-1 record, first place in the division and an opening-round playoff bye.
No defensive player has won the CFL’s most outstanding player award since B.C. linebacker Solomon Elimimian in 2014. In fact, only four non-quarterbacks have captured the award since 2007.
“Being a defensive guy we’re used to that treatment,” Beverette told The Gazette this week. “Everybody loves offence, touchdowns. But they should acknowledge the defence more and give us our credit. Defensive guys work hard and deserve the same kind of awards. But I don’t go into games thinking about that, my personal accolades.”
Beverette, 6-foot-1 and 204 pounds, is enjoying a career season on a defence that has carried the defending Grey Cup champions to an 11-3-1 record, first place in the division and an opening-round playoff bye.
Heading into this weekend’s games, Beverette has 89 defensive tackles, four sacks, four forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and interception. He has knocked down six passes, has eight tackles for losses and has been involved in a league-leading 121 defensive plays. Beverette also plays on special teams, where he has eight tackles.
“He has been outstanding since he’s been with us,” said safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy, last season’s division finalist as outstanding Canadian. “Put the film on and watch every play, how he’s running to the ball. But he’s not concerned about the award. None of us are.”
Beverette, now in his third season with Montreal, was primarily limited to special teams while with Hamilton before signing with the Alouettes as a free agent. But Montreal general manager Danny Maciocia saw something he liked when Beverette attended training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2018, where he made it to the final cutdown date.
“I saw a guy that obviously is athletically gifted and brings physicality to the game,” Maciocia said. “He can play defensive back, outside linebacker, strong safety … can come off the edge and beat a tackle one-on-one. He plays the game at one speed. He just has that gift and is able to make plays because of that tenacity.”
While the award still could go to a quarterback this season, few players at that position have dominated.
Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell has a league-leading 4,576 passing yards and 26 touchdowns, but plays for a 6-10 last-place team and has been intercepted 16 times. Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros, named the outstanding player in 2021 and ’22, has a more modest 3,756 passing yards and 16 touchdowns, but also has thrown 14 interceptions.
“I think we’ve fallen into that rut where we feel it has to happen at that position, but it doesn’t necessarily have to,” Maciocia said. “There’s been many years where we’ve seen some tremendous defensive performances from different players on different teams. Now, because there’s no (quarterback) that’s clearly dominating that position statistically, our antennas have gone up.
“This season isn’t the norm. It’s not something we’re used to seeing. Usually, there’s always a couple quarterbacks in a nine-team league … two or three that are going to stand out. There’s still a strong possibility the two finalists will be represented at that position … but this is abnormal.”
Here are other Montreal players who could receive recognition in their individual categories:
Defense
- Middle-linebacker Darnell Sankey has 94 defensive tackles, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, an interception and sack. He could easily be Montreal’s outstanding player nominee.
- Tackle Mustafa Johnson leads the Alouettes with six sacks, while frequently taking on two blockers.
- Defensive-back Dionté Ruffin has a team-leading five interceptions, including a 79-yarder returned for a touchdown.
Canadian
- Receiver Tyson Philpot would have been the team nominee, and likely division finalist, had he not suffered a season-ending foot injury on Aug. 10. Now, the nominee could be defensive-end Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund, who has generated a pass rush and been solid against the run. He has five sacks and a forced fumble.
Rookie
- Linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, selected ninth overall by the Alouettes this season, has five sacks and an interception.
- Linebacker Bryce Cosby has 55 defensive tackles, two interceptions, a fumble recovery and sack.
- Receiver Charleston Rambo is a deep threat capable of making contested catches. He has caught 54 passes for 773 yards, while scoring four touchdowns. The Alouettes don’t rely on his speed nearly enough.
Special teams
- Returner James Letcher Jr. has returned both a punt (100 yards) and field-goal attempt (128 yards) for touchdowns.
- Placekicker Jose Maltos has filled in admirably for the injured David Côté, converting 26 of 29 field-goal attempts, including a 53-yarder.
Offensive lineman
- Left guard Pier-Olivier Lestage is considered the most-consistent blocker.
Finally, Jason Maas almost certainly will be one of the three finalists for coach of the year, given the amount of injuries he has dealt with.