The Montreal Alouettes have made a trade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to acquire veteran defensive lineman Julian Howsare and a seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a fifth-round draft pick, it was announced Tuesday. Howsare, a two-time East All-Star, has spent seven of his nine CFL seasons with the Tiger-Cats since signing with the team in 2018. The 34-year-old American has four sacks and 32 tackles in 15 games this season, with one tackle for a loss. The Tiger-Cats (4-10) were eliminated from playoff contention with an overtime loss to the Edmonton Elks on Saturday and recoup some value on a veteran with the CFL’s trade deadline approaching on Wednesday. Howsare has a chance to bolster an Alouettes squad that ranks atop the CFL standings at 11-3 but has faltered defensively recently. Montreal has allowed 25 points or more in four consecutive outings, including 48 in a loss against the BC Lions in Week 15 and 44 in a loss against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 13. “Julian Howsare has meant a great deal to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, both as a player and as a person,” said Orlondo Steinauer, president of football operations in a release. “Across two stints with our organization, Julian gave us everything we asked of him and more and was a true professional in every sense of the word. We have tremendous respect for Julian and know he’s going to do great things in his next chapter. Thank you, Julian.” In 133 career CFL games with the Tiger-Cats and Calgary Stampeders over eight seasons, Howsare has 277 tackles, five forced fumbles and 49 quarterback sacks.
