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Too slow. Not big or strong enough. Jovon Johnson has heard it all. He was the Canadian Football League’s outstanding defensive player in 2011, with Winnipeg, yet three years later, when he became a free agent, it proved to be a tough sell.

“I’ve always dealt with the critics. I’ve always had to prove myself — time and time again. I’ve always had to overcome many obstacles,” the newest Alouette said Thursday, during a telephone conversation from his winter home in Erie, Pa.

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He led the state in interceptions as a high school player, yet had only two college offers. Johnson chose Iowa and started as a true freshman.

“This is just the next obstacle,” he said. “I’m going to come in there with a chip on my shoulder.”

The Als signed the 32-year-old Johnson, a 5-foot-9, 189-pound cornerback, to a one-year contract on Tuesday, the opening-day of CFL free agency. He’ll receive a $90,000 salary, which included a modest signing bonus. He spent the last two seasons with the Ottawa Redblacks. Despite intercepting five passes while recovering four fumbles in 2015 — he was named an East Division all-star for the fifth time in his career — general manager Marcel Desjardins reportedly offered a modest $65,000 on a new contract for the field cornerback.