Zach Collaros is one big step closer to returning to game action for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

The team’s starting quarterback, who has been out since tearing an ACL last September was back on the practice field on Monday as the Ticats began preparations for their game in Montreal against the Alouettes on Friday.

Ticats head coach Kent Austin told reporters Collaros will not play on Friday — Jeremiah Masoli is expected to remain the starter.

“It’s good to have (Collaros) back out there working,” Austin said. “He has a great presence about him, as you all know. We’ll just see how it goes. He’s got to work back into it and they’ve got to evaluate how he feels and all the protocols that we follow.”

Austin did not reveal the team’s projected timeline for Collaros, but he’s clearly getting closer to a return. The Ticats traded another quarterback, Jake Waters, to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday.

“There’s a tentative (timeline),” Austin said. “I don’t want to talk about it because if there are some issues that may delay it, I’ve kind of set an expectation and that’s not good. I don’t want to do that with him or anyone else on the team. We’ll see how the next week goes in practice and go from there.”

Collaros said it was fun to return to practice.

“When it’s taken away from you like that and you can’t do anything but sit around and do rehab, it gets very monotonous and boring,” he said. “I’d be lying to you if I said it wasn’t boring. I just missed the competitive nature of the game.”

Collaros is wearing a knee brace and said he will continue to do so when he enters a game.

“I wouldn’t really call it an adjustment anymore, it’s kind of just second nature to me,” he said. “I feel like I need to have it on because that’s what the surgeon told me and that’s what everyone is telling me. I’m pretty used to it. Obviously in a perfect world I wouldn’t have it on, but it is what it is.”

The trip to Montreal is the start of a four-game road swing for the Ticats (1-2), who have lost two in a row after winning their season opener in Toronto against the Argonauts. Hamilton’s next game is July 23 in Edmonton against the Eskimos.