The Montreal Alouettes announced on Thursday that the club has signed import defensive tackle Alan-Michael Cash to a new three-year deal. Cash (6'2'', 292 lbs.), who will return for his third season in Montreal, appeared in a total of 24 games since his rookie outing with the Alouettes in 2012. Over that span, the defensive tackle started 23 games, totalling 50 defensive tackles with seven sacks. "Alan-Michael has the skill set to become one of the most dominant defensive lineman in the CFL," said Alouettes General Manager and Head Coach Jim Popp. "He had a slight setback last season, but was able to return and finish strong. Today's signing is a step in the right direction to keep the Alouettes defence near the top of most CFL statistical categories." After starting the first ten games of the 2013 regular season, the Richmond, VA native underwent surgery to have a bone chip removed from his elbow. He showcased his resilience four weeks later, returning to the starting lineup post-surgery and also suiting-up for the East Division Semi-Final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. A graduate of North Carolina State University, Cash has emerged as the club's prominent run-stopper, amassing 22 tackles, one sack and two knockdowns in 2013. He also finished second on the team with a career-high six sacks a season prior and 28 defensive tackles. He is expected to compete for a starting job with fellow defensive linemen John Bowman, Aaron Lavarias, Scott Paxson, Michael Klassen and Scooter Berry in 2014. The latter is scheduled to return from a season-ending Week 5 injury, when he was replaced by Moton Hopkins as a starting defensive tackle. Press release from the Montreal Alouettes 12/19/2013
