Training Camp Notebook: Defensive ends Sherman, Vaughns look to make name for themselves
Being an American rookie defensive end in the CFL is far from easy. Not only is there the added stress of playing on a wider field, but you also need to account for the yard between the offensive and defensive lines which is unique to Canadian Football.
“For Americans coming up here, you’re a yard off the ball with so much space,” defensive line coach Corvey Irvin said. “You’re already on the edge and there’s enough space as it is, but now you’re a yard off. You need to be explosive to cover enough ground to take that yard away and to successfully affect the quarterback.”
Rookie defensive ends M.J. Sherman and Byron Vaughns got their first taste of CFL football last Saturday during a preseason game against the Ottawa Redblacks. Both players flashed their ability on the field, and both are in the mix for a roster spot heading into the final week of camp.
“It’s an adjustment,” Vaughns said of his adaptation to the CFL. “My feet are still getting wet coming from America to Canada with the yard off the ball and the different rules. It felt good to get close to the quarterback. We might rush 50 times per game and get two sacks, so it felt good to hit the quarterback.”
Vaughns, who split his college career between Texas, Utah State and Baylor, got a good shot in on Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown just moments after beating veteran tackle Dino Boyd off the line of scrimmage.
The Fort Worth, Texas native has shown in training camp that he’s an explosive athlete who can be physical at the point of attack.
“I’m a wild man, that’s what they call me,” Vaughns, who got a rookie minicamp look with his hometown Dallas Cowboys last year, said. “I’m a lankier guy. You really don’t know what I’m going to do because I don’t know what I’m going to do until I get to you (on the field). I like to run, hit, and I love to play with a lot of energy.”
Sherman got to play more in the second half of Saturday’s clash against Ottawa and performed well. He admitted to getting his welcome to the CFL moment when he was playing on special teams early on, but he also showed some impressive ability on the defensive side of the ball.
MJ Sherman
“I feel good,” the two-time National Champion with the Georgia Bulldogs said after Monday’s practice. “It’s never as good as it seems and it’s never as bad as it seems. I came from the Matt Ruhle culture where we get one percent better every day. I think Saturday was my one percent and I think today was my one percent.”
After three years at Georgia, the Baltimore native and the Bulldogs mutually agreed to go their separate ways. Sherman ended up playing at Nebraska, which is the same school former Alouettes Dahrran Diedrick and Barron Miles attended. The 23-year-old ended up having the best season of his career in 2024 when he finished with 29 tackles, five tackles for loss, and three-and-a-half sacks with the Cornhuskers.
Sherman is thankful for this opportunity to play professional football, especially because he’s not ready to step away from the game just yet.
“It would mean everything to me (to make this team). I would have a job,” he said. “I’m not ready to work a 9-to-5 job. At the end of the day, I love football. I’m very passionate about football. You can ask the guys around here how much I love this game. This game was brought into my life when I was very young.
Both Vaughns and Sherman will get another opportunity to impress the Alouettes brass, as they should see plenty of playing time in the preseason finale in Ottawa on Friday night at TD Place.
The Alouettes will make their next and final round of cuts after the game, with the home opener coming Friday, June 6th against the Toronto Argonauts.
