Johnny on the Spot: Manziel to make debut as Als confirm starter

MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes confirmed Tuesday that Johnny Manziel will make his CFL regular season debut Friday night when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Percival Molson Stadium.

Manziel’s first CFL start comes barely a week after being acquired in a trade with the Tiger-Cats.

He did not see any playing time in his first game as a member of the Als in Montreal’s 44-23 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 7.

MORE ON MANZIEL IN MONTREAL
» Manziel at the helm of Alouettes’ offence ahead of Week 8
» O’Leary: New team, new challenges for Manziel
» Summer Blockbuster: The story behind the Manziel-to-Montreal trade
» All things Johnny Football on CFL.ca
» Buy Ticats at Als tickets

The former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback has yet to see any playing time since his pre-season action when he was still a member of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

With a 1-5 start, the Als have been busy making other moves, recently acquiring receiver Adarius Bowman and defensive back T.J. Heath. Bowman is expected to be in the team’s lineup this weekend while Heath arrived for his first practice on Tuesday.

In the Manziel deal, which unfolded on July 22, the Ticats received national defensive end Jamaal Westerman, international wide receiver Chris Williams and two first-round draft selections (2020, 2021) from the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for Manziel.

Along with Manziel, the Als added international offensive lineman Tony Washington and national offensive lineman Landon Rice.