Rookie Charleston Rambo battles his way onto Alouettes' roster

“He’s incredibly fast, has a quick twitch, but he competes physically, too. He’ll go in there and block your butt off,” receivers coach Mike Lionello says.

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Rookie American receiver Charleston Rambo arrived late to training camp. But not only did he make the Alouettes roster, he dislodged Tevin Jones, a free-agent addition from Saskatchewan, in the process.

And now he’s wearing number 14 — Jones’s number throughout camp.

What Rambo accomplished in three weeks isn’t easy to do. Imagine what else is possible for the native of Cedar Hill, Tex., now that the regular season is starting Thursday night in Winnipeg in a Grey Cup rematch against the Blue Bombers.

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“I just came in, honed in on all the details, the different rules out here, obviously the waggle and the different details that come in on the play,” Rambo said Tuesday after practice at Stade Hébert in St-Léonard. “The first thing is the playbook, talking to my coaches, my quarterbacks. Anything they could give me I needed because I’m new here.

“Coming from Dallas, it’s kind of different,” the 24-year-old added. “There are guys that play football, but we really play football in Texas. I had to come in 100 per cent confident, being me. That’s all I can do. Bringing the power and strength in my body to hone in and complete my mission.”

While Rambo undoubtedly will be paid less than Jones would have been, he fought and won his way onto the roster based on his camp workouts and production in exhibition games. Against Toronto, Rambo caught four passes for 71 yards. Last Friday against Ottawa, he caught three passes for 67 yards.

Although listed at only 177 pounds, the 6-foot-1 Rambo is a playmaker and will add speed to the Als’ offence. He played collegiately at Oklahoma and Miami before brief NFL stints with Carolina and Philadelphia. He was waived/injured by the Eagles before receiving an injury settlement and didn’t sign with Montreal until May 13, two days into camp.

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In 29 games with the Sooners, Rambo caught 76 passes for 1,180 yards while scoring nine touchdowns. He caught a 49-yard touchdown pass in the 2019 Orange Bowl against Alabama before transferring to Miami in ’21. With the Hurricanes, Rambo caught 79 passes for 1,172 yards, adding seven TDs. He was a second-team all-ACC member.

“It was impressive to watch what Rambo did in the games,” Als receivers coach Mike Lionello said. “The lights weren’t too big. You look at that second game and, yeah, he only had three catches, but one was incredible and he also caused three pass interference penalties. You watch that. You watch the way he competes and mentally he’s on point, too. It has been very impressive.

“He’s incredibly fast, has a quick twitch, but he competes physically, too. He’ll go in there and block your butt off. He’ll get back for the next play and go. He made how many plays down the field those two games? To watch the potential, what he can become in this league, is pretty fun. Rambo came in as a rookie … learned everything as quick as he could and when the opportunity came, he seized it. You have to give him all the credit in the world.”

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Rambo is deeply religious but also supremely confident. He said he slept well Friday night, knowing the final cuts were coming Saturday and didn’t worry about what might have been. He said he’s thankful that management believes and trusts him enough to put him in this position. Staying healthy through three weeks of camp worked to his favour, along with making plays.

Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley once said of Rambo: “The kid can really run. He’s got nice hands and an intriguing skill set.”

Rambo said he also takes pride in his route-running. He believes he has big-play ability and will be able to stretch the field for quarterback Cody Fajardo. Rambo also believes he can get open on every play. The wider and longer Canadian field should play to his strengths.

“I’m always confident,” Rambo said. “I don’t worry about too much. Me versus anybody, I’ll take me. It’s always me. This is Game 1 of the season. I want to put my best foot forward, go out and show that I’m ready for anything. I know the team is behind my back.”

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