Opportunity has knocked three times for Lwal Uguak in the NFL and, on each occasion, the door has been abruptly closed.
Nonetheless, after returning to the CFL, the Alouettes rush-end says he has no regrets. And at 24, in only his second pro season, Uguak isn’t prepared to say he won’t take another crack at a potential NFL career should a team show interest.
The Edmonton native said his latest experience with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was worth it.
“Nobody wants to be in a position where they’re taking this risk, this opportunity and come back empty-handed,” Uguak told The Gazette by telephone Wednesday night. “To learn from some of the best in all of pro football, sometimes that’s priceless, especially at this point in my career. There are things I’ll carry for a long time and there’s no price tag on the information you can get.
“I’ve won the Grey Cup. I’ve had some success in my short career. I think I made a positive decision. I was prepared to take the risk and be OK with the outcome, good or bad. Of course there’s nothing to show for it, but you have this dream as a kid.”
Selected seventh overall by the Als in the 2023 Canadian college draft, Uguak signed with the Bucs last winter after failing to make it out of rookie mini camp last year with both the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons. But his stint at Tampa Bay was the closest the 6-foot-5, 271-pounder came to making an NFL roster.
In three exhibition games with the Bucs, Uguak had two tackles, a sack and knocked down a pass. Nonetheless he was waived late last month after suffering a shoulder injury and would have returned to Montreal sooner but had to negotiate an injury settlement with Tampa Bay.
Rob Fry, his Canadian-based agent, said he also doesn’t regret the decision to have Uguak sign in the NFL.
“When you have an opportunity to play at the highest level, it’s something you don’t take for granted,” Fry said. “You see how hard guys work for it, how few have the opportunity to play in the NFL. When you get the opportunity, you swing for it. We’d do it 100 times over.”
Although Uguak practised for the first time Wednesday after taking a red-eye flight to Montreal, he said he’s prepared to play Saturday afternoon at Ottawa. And the Als could certainly use his presence.
The team has 24 sacks through 13 games, ahead of only Calgary and Winnipeg. Uguak’s return should result in that total increasing as his rookie production significantly improved during his rookie season. In 18 games he had 16 tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble. All of his sacks were registered late in the season.
Uguak might have saved his best performance for the Grey Cup, where his second half devastating tackle on Winnipeg tailback Brady Oliveira appeared to spark the Als, who rallied for a late comeback victory.
“I’m very excited to be back in Montreal,” Uguak said. “I know there was some anticipation of this. I definitely feel like I’m at home right away. I have no doubt in my mind this is something we can use as motivation to get another spark for the rest of the season on defence.
“I’m extremely happy to be in Montreal, whether that’s long-term or short-term. I definitely feel like I’ve become a better player and see the game from a different angle. I learned how I can use my leverage and angles to my advantage. I was making plays but things still didn’t go my way. At least I know how it felt to go and put the work in on the field. It’s OK that it didn’t go my way.”
While the Als won’t declare their roster until Friday morning, head coach Jason Maas is happy for this late-season defensive reinforcement.
“It’s a huge deal to have him back in the building,” Maas said. “We were excited about his performance last year. We know he got better in the off-season, working down south.”
Meanwhile, safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy, who missed last week’s game with a concussion, practised on Wednesday but was more limited on Thursday. His presence in the game might require a game-time decision.