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The optics, at first sight, appear somewhat surprising. If most of the Alouettes’ success last season was generated by their defence, and with all their starters returning, why would the team add depth to the secondary?

“You can never have enough people,” general manager Jim Popp told the Montreal Gazette on Friday. “You have to have answers in case something happens. We don’t know who’s going to make the team from one season to the next. We don’t control how guys work out. We don’t know what they’re going to be like when they come back.”

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Earlier in the day, the Als announced the signing of two veteran import cornerbacks — Chris Thompson and Rod Williams. Both are Canadian Football League veterans and both were signed to one-year contracts.

“Especially with injuries, you never know when they’re going to occur,” Popp said. “You need to have other players ready to go. You need someone ready to step up to the plate. If I can get a veteran player for relatively lower money … and it’s good for the cap, it’s no different than bringing a new guy to the league earning lower money. But (the veteran’s) going to know and understand things a lot quicker than a rookie.