Rookie import receiver Jordan Veasy turning heads at Alouettes' camp

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ST-JÉROME — At age 29 and at his first Alouettes training camp, rookie import receiver Jordan Veasy is an anomaly.

And, after bouncing around numerous NFL teams seeking an opportunity — he played two games for the Houston Texans in 2021 — Veasy admitted he had to check his ego at the door when he arrived at Complexe Sportif Claude-Beaulieu, hoping to continue his dream of playing professional football.

“It’s definitely something that you have to come to terms with,” Veasy told The Gazette recently. “It comes back to the love of the game. I haven’t done (twice-daily practices) since high school. It’s definitely a culture shock when you think about that. But what is it that you want? What do you want to get out of this? I know what I want.

“Doing this and going this route can align me with everything that’s ahead of me that I plan to do.”

With the departure of Kaion Julien-Grant, who signed with Edmonton as a free agent, the Als likely will utilize only one Canadian starting receiver — Tyson Philpot — although others will make the roster to provide depth and play on special teams.

And while it’s never easy for an American rookie receiver to crack a CFL team’s roster, especially with only two exhibition games played, that’s precisely the route Austin Mack, Cole Spieker, Tyler Snead and Charleston Rambo took with the Als. It can be done, and Veasy hopes to follow that scenario.

The 6-foot-3, 221-pound native of Gadsden, Ala., has been impressing management virtually every workout with his speed and reliable hands. But now, he must continue that into Saturday afternoon’s exhibition game against Ottawa at Molson Stadium (4 p.m., CFL+, RDS, 98.5 FM) to ensure he survives into the final week of camp.

“He’s a big target that can run and get in and out of cuts,” general manager Danny Maciocia said. “He’s a fluid route runner with good hands that has the ability to make contested catches.”

Veasy knows what’s at stake.

“I feel like I have every tool to dominate at this level, inside and outside,” said Veasy, who didn’t sign with Montreal until May 5 and was on B.C.’s negotiation list in 2018. “That’s my plan to show it every game.

“It can be tough for any guy who’s not invested in all phases. I have no problem playing special teams if asked. I’m a guy who prides myself on being smart and prepared, so I know and understand every position and do what’s asked of me. I can play inside, outside. It’s definitely hard for anyone who’s boxed in and trying to do one thing. But I feel like I’m versatile and can be a playmaker. I have special things.”

Veasy spent two seasons at Cal University, where he had 63 receptions for 797 yards and nine touchdowns over 24 games, including 13 starts. That included at least one catch in each of his final 19 games.

The undrafted free agent signed with the Tennessee Titans in 2018 and has had stints with Jacksonville, Indianapolis, Buffalo, Washington and Las Vegas as well. A highly-publicized November 2019 workout with quarterback Colin Kaepernick at Georgia Tech helped Veasy land a spot on Washington’s practice roster, he believes.

The two met when Veasy was at Cal and Kaepernick was playing for the San Francisco 49ers. Both were taking a class about Black representation in popular culture. Kaepernick gained national attention for kneeling during the national anthem before games in protest of police brutality and racial inequality in the U.S. He hasn’t played since 2016.

“You’d think, with the moving and being in different places, there was no success,” said Veasy, who also was with XFL Seattle and San Antonio. “But if I didn’t have any success in all those places, I wouldn’t be doing this. I know I can play and it’s more about the opportunity. This is a business. There’s politics that come into play. The success of it is what keeps me going.”

At 29, Veasy realizes he’s closer to the end than the beginning of his career. But he also believes he has many productive seasons still ahead and won’t allow his birth certificate to dictate his future.

“For me personally, just my entire career, it has been now or never being an undrafted guy,” he said. “I always had to earn it. As far as the age thing, being a different age, I’m a different athlete, too. At 29 I feel great. You can see it from me running around out here. I don’t look and play like a 29-year-old.

“I feel great and it’s always now or never for me. You always want to play that way. Go out there, win a job and do my job.”