Montreal Alouettes sign Brody McKnight, what does this do to their kicking situation?

On Sunday evening the Montreal Alouettes announced the signing of kicker Brody McKnight, who was their first round selection in the 2011 CFL Draft.

The timing is somewhat surprising considering the season is only two weeks old, and presently there is no issue with incumbent kicker, Sean Whyte.

For Whyte, it is a situation that he is all too familiar with. In 2011, he constantly looked over his  shoulder with kicker Sandro DeAngelis waiting in the wings. However, Whyte never wilted under pressure. DeAngelis never saw the football field and was released after season.

The difference in this scenario McKnight is a former first round selection who garnered some NFL interest. But from all indications he was not able to earn an invitation to attend training camp.

For the Alouettes to sign him they must have felt they needed to protect themselves just in-case Whyte could get hurt or have a potential slump.

Furthermore, even though DeAngelis was on the practice roster for the 2011 season, the organization knew very well that no team would sign him considering his age and past on-field performance.

But could the Alouettes risk putting McKnight on their practice roster? Considering he is a young kicker, another CFL team could pry him away. If he does dress, this would result a lost non-import body at a different position.

There is no denying that the Alouettes have an abundance of talent in their lineup, but could there be a scenario where they would trade a player to address a potential issue at a different position? 

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