THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL -- De'Audra Dix wondered if his CFL career was over when he left the Montreal Alouettes after training camp rather than be assigned to the team's practice roster.

But after defensive back Jerald Brown suffered a possible season-ending broken ankle in the club's first regular-season game, the Alouettes turned to a familiar face.

Dix will be back in the lineup when the Alouettes take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina on Saturday.

"It was a difficult situation for everyone, but it wasn't difficult for me to come back,'' the third-year Alouettes cornerback said Wednesday.  "This is the place I've played since I started in the CFL.

"They welcomed me back with open arms and once I was back it was like I never left.''

Coach Marc Trestman said Brown had surgery Tuesday and there is a possibility he will return for the final month of the season.

"I won't say it's likely or unlikely. We do have hope,'' Trestman said.

The injury undid one of the key changes the club made after signing free agent Dwight Anderson from Calgary. He moved in at wide side defensive back, bumping Billy Parker to cornerback and nudging Dix out of the starting lineup.

It was hoped the new setup would lead to fewer big plays by opponents for a team that was seventh in the eight-team league in pass defence last season.

But early in the first quarter of the first game, Brown was taken off the field on a cart. Dix was watching the game as a spectator.

"A lot of things went through my head,'' said 27-year-old Dix.

"It was kind of crazy because me and Jerald had just had breakfast that morning.

"To see him go down with an injury ... my first concern was whether he was OK. But unfortunately he got hurt and I came back and it was like I never left.''

It also touched off a double switch, as Parker has now moved into Brown's spot at strong side defensive back and Dix will take over where Parker's was at wide side cornerback.

If there's any concern about going back to Dix, who some felt was being exploited by rival offences last year, no one was saying it.

"Dix was in our plans the whole time, we just couldn't put him on the roster,'' said general manager Jim Popp. "We wanted to put him on the practice roster and he didn't want to. But now he's back.''

Popp said he was not looking for another defensive back. He has Greg Layburn on the practice roster and Canadian Paul Waldu is also on the team, although neither is expected to dress against Saskatchewan.

When Brown was injured, Canadian rookie Jeff Hecht, a linebacker from St. Mary's University, had to step in at DB and he did what Trestman called a "serviceable'' job.

"De'Audra has taken over from where he left off,'' said Trestman. "He had a very good camp.

"He knew the situation coming in and he was part of what we were doing. He had some personal and family reasons for what he did. I wished him well when he left. It's a lesson for all of us that you don't want to burn bridges on either side because it can come back to haunt you.

"We wanted Dix on the team from the beginning. It's unfortunate that we have him back under these circumstances, but we're glad to have him back.''

The Alouettes have also lost backup defensive tackle Jeff Robertshaw for the long term with a foot injury. He will also require surgery, Trestman said.

In Regina, the Alouettes will face the team they beat by close margins in the last two Grey Cup games. The Roughriders opened the season with a shock 42-28 loss at home to the Edmonton Eskimos.

"They may not have played the way they wanted to last week, but we expect their best effort this week,'' said Parker. "They've got a lot of pride on that team, good leaders, so I expect them to put a better effort out and we'll have to be ready.''

Meanwhile, linebacker Shea Emry said there was no news on his 2009 Grey Cup ring, which was stolen from his car in Vancouver the day before he left for training camp.

"There are people back working in Vancouver to try and find it, but it's kind of lost in the abyss right now,'' said Emry, who signed a three-year contract extension last week.

"Maybe in three years we'll find it on Craigslist in Mexico or somewhere like that.''