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Ottawa Citizen

Alouettes' Swiss Army knife Régis Cibasu hopes to carve up Roughriders

By the time Régis Cibasu left Université de Montréal, he was the Carabins' all-time leading receiver. He had already been named the conference's outstanding rookie in 2014 and was the Vanier Cup's most valuable player that same season. Article content Cibasu was one of two CIS players invited to the 2018 East-West Shrine game for NCAA draft-eligible prospects, and there were reportedly six to eight NFL teams that had him on their radar, although only Washington sent a representative to his pro day workout in Lachine. Article content Article content While the NFL didn't factor into his future after a rookie mini-camp invitation from the Chicago Bears, and although he was drafted by Toronto in the third round (20th overall) in 2018, Cibasu has been nothing more than a supporting actor in the CFL, scratching and clawing for playing time. Article content 'I'm still proud,' Cibasu, who has been with the Alouettes since 2021, told The Gazette this week after a practice at Stade Hébert. 'Obviously, we always want to be in the top discussion, be a star. But it's the pro level. Everybody's good here. I'm actually blessed to be part of this beautiful team. I think we have a shot to win this year. Article content Article content 'It depends what you want in life. Do you still want to play football professionally? You have to make sacrifices. It is hard because you still want to compete. Sometimes you're on the sidelines, but it's always for the good of the team. Here, we have a good team, a good culture. I'll do whatever they ask me to do to be on this team. When they need me to be ready, I'll be ready. You don't win by yourself. You win with a team.' Article content Article content With Tyson Philpot (knee) missing a third consecutive game Saturday night when the Als host the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Cibasu has been receiving plenty of playing time. In last Thursday's comeback victory at Calgary, the 31-year-old caught two passes for 41 yards. That included a 25-yard reception in the second quarter, one play before McLeod Bethel-Thompson's touchdown to Cole Spieker. Article content Cibasu has been called the Als' Swiss Army knife because of the many other positions he has played, including tight end, fullback and kickoff returner. Article content 'It's great to see what he's doing for us,' said Als receivers coach Mike Lionello. 'He's a big body that's athletic. The way he can move at his size is amazing. Physically, he's so long he can dominate people just with his body. And his effort is relentless. I'm very happy with him.' Article content Lionello had Cibasu under his wing with the Argonauts as a rookie in 2019 and said the learning curve that season was steep. 'But nobody works harder than him. I can't wait to watch him play on Saturday. Kick some ass out there.'