Approximately one hour and 20 minutes after CFL free-agency opened at 10 a.m. in Edmonton, the Elks made their biggest splash official.
Receiver Eugene Lewis signed a two-year deal with the Elks worth a reported $300,000 per season.
Lewis finished third in the CFL in receiving yards with just over 1,300 touchdowns — with 10 last season with the Montreal Alouettes — and was the Eastern Division nominee for Most Outstanding Player.
Lewis says he expected he was going to receive plenty of interest from teams. He chose to be patient — the Elks are the right fit.
“I know the things I have done over the last couple of years. It was just teams trying to figure out what they thought I was worth,” Lewis said. “It was a little bit of a waiting game but it was a situation where I just had to be patient. One thing about the Elks though and the way they made me feel from the very beginning with how much they appreciated my game. I was going through some things with my family (last week) and for the Elks to be there for me the whole time, it was beautiful.”
Jones says he’s watched Lewis from a far the last couple of seasons, and has marveled at his skill-set. Jones says Lewis will also bring in a leadership aspect and high character.
“He and I had a lot of conversations when the (negotiating window) opened,” Jones said. “We talked a lot about what we needed him to bring to our football team. We still have a lot of young players and in the need of some direction. So we went out and that’s who we’re trying to bring in players with a little bit of game behind their name.”
Earlier in the day, the Elks signed receiver Kyran Moore.
Moore played his first four CFL seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
In 2019, Moore enjoyed his best season recording 996 yards and scoring six touchdowns.
In 2022, Moore played just seven games after suffering a serious knee injury during the 2021 season.
Moore has proven to be useful in the return game, averaging 28.2 yard average on kick-off return for his career and 11.5 yards on punt returns scoring two career touchdowns.
The Elks added their third receiver of the day, signing receiver Steven Dunbar Jr.
Dunbar recorded his first 1,000-yard season and scored six touchdowns in his second season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on his way to being named a 2022 Eastern Division All-Star. Dunbar has recorded 1,630 yards and 10 touchdowns in 29 games in his CFL career.
The Elks added to their offensive line on Tuesday with the signing of Canadian Josiah St. John.
St. John was the first overall pick in the 2016 CFL Draft by the Saskatchewan Roughriders with Chris Jones as their head coach and general manager. St. John has appeared in 47 games, making 13 starts over his six-year CFL career.
He spent a very short time in Edmonton during the 2019 season as he was signed to the practice roster in November and dressed in the Eastern Final in a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The Elks addressed their special teams by signing veteran Canadian linebacker Kevin Francis.
Francis has played six CFL seasons starting in 2016 with the Saskatchewan Roughriders and later playing for the Ottawa Redblacks and the B.C. Lions.
Francis is known for his work on special teams, he led the FL last season in special teams tackles with 22 while playing for the Lions. Francis has a career 61 special team tackles over 82 games.
Jones says he is likely finished with who’s left on the CFL free-agent list which means veteran receiver Derel Walker will not return after spending the last two seasons and six seasons total with Edmonton. Jones will still bring in some rookies to training camp, which begins in mid-May.
The Elks on Tuesday spent around $650,000 on their receiving core. They also spent a good amount on their own free-agents and on players who were released earlier this off-season in defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy and defensive end A.C. Leonard.
Jones says there will have to be some maneuvering with the roster so the Elks are compliant with the salary cap which is set for $5.51 million. Several players have already agreed to restructured contracts including kicker Sergio Castillo and defensive back Aaron Grymes.
Elks assistant general manager Geroy Simon says the team will always be aggressive with their spending but will adhere to the salary cap.
“The salary cap is what it is but we will always spend to the cap,” Simon says. “Obviously, we can’t go over but, in this business you have to be aggressive but we are just going to stay under the cap.”
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