Alouettes win bidding war for LB Henoc Muamba, but can he help playoff push?

The Henoc Muamba sweepstakes are finally over. Muamba, the first-overall CFL draft pick in 2011, was cut by the NFL's Indianapolis Colts on Sept. 5, and has been evaluating a return to the CFL since then. Numerous teams were reportedly making bids for him, including the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (who initially drafted him and had him play for them from 2011-13), B.C. Lions, Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Edmonton Eskimos, and Saskatchewan Roughriders, but TSN's Dave Naylor broke the news Thursday that Muamba has chosen the Montreal Alouettes:

The Canadian Press later confirmed the story, writing that Muamba has signed. So, will this move work out for Montreal? Well, the 26-year-old Muamba has great potential, and he's been successful in the CFL before. He started as a special-teams player in 2011, making 15 special teams tackles during the Bombers' run to the Grey Cup (where he faced brother Cauchy and the B.C. Lions), then worked his way into their regular lineup in 2012 (finishing with 65 defensive tackles, three sacks and 20 special teams tackles) and particularly came into his own in 2013, making 106 defensive tackles (plus 18 special teams tackles) and earning nods as the club's top player, top defensive player and top Canadian player, plus the top Canadian player in the whole East Division. That led to his departure for the NFL, and he showed some promise with the Colts in 2014, but wasn't able to really establish himself in their lineup. He's certainly shown he can play well in the CFL before, though, and his ratio-buster status as a Canadian linebacker makes him very valuable, which is why we saw this bidding war.

The question is if Muamba will prove to be worth the price, though. According to Paul Wiecek of The Winnipeg Free Press, he was asking for a $100,000 signing bonus and a contract worth $250,000 per year, which would make him the CFL's highest-paid defensive player. By contrast, B.C. linebacker Solomon Elimimian broke the league tackles record last season and was named the CFL league's most outstanding player, the first-ever full-time defensive player to win that award, and the contract he signed in the offseason was $700,000 over three years ($233,000 per year). Muamba's a talented player, and his Canadian passport makes him even more valuable than Elimimian from a ratio standpoint, but he hasn't played quite at that elite level in the CFL in the past. It may be even more difficult for him now that he's coming in during the season, to a new team and a new defensive scheme, without the benefit of a training camp, and with him spending one and a half seasons away from Canadian football.

Still, if the Alouettes have the cap space, this may not be a bad gamble for them. Muamba's often been used at middle linebacker, and Montreal star MLB Bear Woods (the East's top defensive player in 2014) was hurt in early July and is gone for the season. Kyler Ellsworth was a good replacement for a while, but he suffered a bad ankle injury earlier this month, forcing the Als to turn to Canadian Nic Shortill. Shortill's been okay so far, but Muamba has more CFL experience and perhaps more upside, and having two Canadian linebackers is always a good thing (as one can step in if the other's injured without forcing a ratio adjustment). Montreal also probably has more money to play with than most clubs, as quarterbacks Jonathan Crompton and Rakeem Cato (the new starter) aren't on big contracts. The Alouettes are in a fight for their playoff lives as well; they're last in the East with a 5-6 record, and although they'd have a postseason berth if the season ended today (they'd cross over to the West), they don't have any cushion there over the 4-8 Lions and 4-9 Blue Bombers (as a tie goes to the team from that division).

Muamba certainly has plenty of skill, and if he's able to pick up Montreal's defensive scheme quickly, starting him could also help the Alouettes' ratio. We'll see if he proves to be a good investment, but he is someone who's shown a lot of potential, and Montreal's a team currently in need of a good middle linebacker. Thus, this might be a worthwhile gamble. We'll see if Muamba's worth the price, but it's hard to blame the Alouettes for rolling the dice.