CFL head coaches to take all their allotted time before making final roster decisions

CALGARY — Head coaches Jason Maas and Mark Kilam are going to go as long as they can before finalizing their Grey Cup rosters.

The Montreal Alouettes will face the Edmonton Elks in the CFL title game Sunday.

Both teams listed players on their starting lineups whose playing status wasn’t finalized. Montreal listed defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson as a game-time decision, as did Edmonton with offensive tackle Jordan Murray.

CFL teams have until 30 minutes before kickoff to finalize their rosters. And during their pre-game news conferences, both head coaches said they’d take all of the time they’re allowed had before determining if their players would play,

“We’re going to take it all the way to the 30-minute mark that we have with the hopes he’s capable of starting and finishing a game,” Mass, Montreal’s head coach, said of Johnson. “If he’s not then we’ll have a healthy body in there for him.”

Earlier on Sunday, the CFL presented Louise Des Roches with the Commissioner’s Award. It’s presented annually to an individual or group that has made an outstanding contribution to Canadian football.

Des Roches is a public official at Canada’s Department of National Defence. She serves as the chief of protocol and public relations operations on the strategic joint staff and has worked to have artists, athletes and executives visit Canadian troops serving globally.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 15, 2026.

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