A few weeks ago, Rakeem Cato‘s position on the Montreal Alouettes depth chart was uncertain, as he was almost on his way out of Montreal. The highly sought-after Vernon Adams Jr. and the Canadian talent Brandon Bridge were poised to duke it out to be the understudy of the starting QB, Kevin Glenn, but Cato fought for his position on the Alouettes depth chart, where he will be slotted right behind Glenn.
Rakeem Cato Wins Second Spot On Montreal Alouttes Depth Chart
Cato came in out of the blue last season after the first two quarterbacks on the Alouettes depth chart both went down with injuries in week one. He seemed promising at first with a few big games, but succumbed to bad play and an injury, leading to head coach and general manager Jim Popp trading for Glenn late last season.
The future did not look bright for Cato when the veteran Glenn ended the battle for the number one job heading into the 2016 season. When the Alouettes started training camp with nearly ten quarterbacks on the roster, many speculated that Cato could have been traded or even cut before the pre-season started. It didn’t help his cause when he nearly showed up late to camp after losing his passport.
Proving his Worth
Thankfully for the Marshall product, Popp let Cato prove his worth in the two pre-season games, as he showed the coaching staff why he fought his way up the depth chart last season. With a focused minded, he went 5/6 for 46 yards and a touchdown against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and went 3/5 for 20 yards and generated a drive that led to a one-yard TD run by Tajh Boyd against the Toronto Argonauts.
Cato, a Liberty City, Florida native, has overcome personal battles and even missed time last season to due family reasons, but has remained focused on football. His mind is solely on the Alouettes in 2016 and it shows in his game. He is displaying all the skills that got him to this point; an accurate arm, mobility and quickness on his feet, and the ability to throw the deep ball when needed. He looks more confident than he did a year ago when he was a rookie still wet behind his ears, earning his stripes in the CFL, and lacking consistency.
Cato Outplayed Adams, Bridge
Some surprising aspects of the Alouettes training camp has been the poor play of Adams and the lack of play from Bridge. Adams was surprisingly passed over at the NFL Draft before his CFL rights were traded from the B.C. Lions to the Alouettes. Much was expected from him but he went a poor 1/4 for 7 yards and an interception in his first pre-season game. He improved a week later, going 3/4 for 28 yards, and he threw touchdown pass to B.J. Cunningham, but fumbled the ball that led to the only Argonauts TD.
Adams’ story could be an interesting one to follow this season. There is no questioning his potential, but will he be mentally prepared for the CFL? Or will his focus solely be on making it big in the NFL? Will he get any starts this season as the third-stringer? Only time will tell for the Oregon product.
Bridge flashed his Canadian talent a bit last season, but Popp glued him to the bench despite the constant rotation of quarterbacks. It seems like once again Bridge will be in Popp’s doghouse. He went a respectable 2/3 for 16 yards in pre-season week one but did not get a single snap last week. How can the young phenom prove himself if he is always on the sidelines?
Future Opportunity
With limited play from Adams and Bridge, the opportunity opened up for Cato to earn the back-up role on the Alouettes depth chart. He ran away with it and will be ready to step up to the challenge when Popp needs him.
In an ideal world, Glenn will carry this team through a winning season, and Cato will remain on the bench. Realistically, the Alouettes are a rebuilding team, and Popp will need to give some starts to Cato, Adams and Bridge later in the season. Cato’s opportunity to become the quarterback of the future for this team is now, and he cannot mess it up.
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