The Edmonton Elks made a huge splash on the second day of CFL free agency.
Edmonton announced Wednesday that it had signed five veteran CFL players: defensive back Tyrell Ford, defensive linemen Jake Ceresna, Robbie Smith and Jared Brinkman, and offensive lineman David Beard. Ford, Smith, and Beard are all Canadian.
The moves are significant for a franchise that's not made the CFL playoffs since 2019. GM Ed Hervey, now in his second stint with the Elks, first served as general manager from 2013 to 2016, winning a Grey Cup in 2015.
Ford reunites with his twin brother, Tre — Edmonton's starting quarterback — after the two played together at the University of Waterloo. Tyrell Ford had 51 tackles and seven interceptions — one off the league lead — last season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Ceresna returns to Edmonton after helping Toronto win a Grey Cup last season. The six-foot-four 295-pound Ceresna spent four seasons with the Elks (2018, 2021-23) before being dealt to the Argos.
Ceresna was a CFL all-star for the second time last year after finishing in a five-way tie for the league lead in sacks (eight).
Beard also rejoins the Elks following two-plus seasons with Hamilton. The native Albertan spent his first seven CFL campaigns with Edmonton (2015-19, 21-22), winning a Grey Cup as a rookie, before being traded to the Tiger-Cats in September 2022.
Smith heads to Edmonton following five seasons in Toronto. The six-foot-one, 245-pound Brampton, Ont., native's blocked field goal preserved the Argos' 2022 Grey Cup win over Winnipeg and he's recorded 126 tackles and 20 sacks over 72 career CFL contests.
Brinkman recorded 31 tackles, four sacks and a forced fumble in 22 regular-season games over three seasons with Toronto.
Prolific receivers Kenny Lawler and Eugene Lewis also changed uniforms Wednesday. The veteran players signed two-year deals with Hamilton and the Ottawa Redblacks, respectively.
Lawler, 30, joins the Ticats following CFL stints with Winnipeg (2019, 2021, 2023-24) and Edmonton (2022). Last season, Lawler had 41 catches for 662 yards and four touchdowns as the Blue Bombers made a fifth straight Grey Cup appearance.
Lawler also helped Winnipeg capture CFL championship wins over Hamilton in 2019 and '21 The six-foot-one, 180-pound Lawler has 256 catches for 4,108 yards and 25 TDs in 63 career CFL regular-season games.
Lewis, a three-time CFL all-star, returns to the East Division following two seasons with the Edmonton Elks. The 31-year-old began his career in Canada with Montreal (2017-19, 2021-23) and was the conference's outstanding player in 2022.
The six-foot, 200-pound Lewis had 74 catches for 1,070 yards and a league-best 10 TDs playing in all 18 regular-season games last year. He'll open '25 needing TD catches in his first two games to tie Hall of Famer Terry Evanshen’s CFL mark for consecutive matches with a touchdown grab (10).
Hamilton also signed veteran defensive back Reggie Stubblefield to a three-year deal and defensive lineman TyJuan Garbutt to a two-year contract. Both are American.
Stubblefield, 26, spent the last two seasons with Montreal, registering 42 tackles, five special-teams tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble in 14 regular-season contests. The 25-year-old Garbutt recorded 19 tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and had a defensive TD in 12 regular-season games last year with Winnipeg.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders bolstered their offensive lineman by signing Canadian centre Sean McEwen. The six-foot-two, 295-pound Calgary native is a three-time CFL all-star who played previously with Toronto (2016-19) and the Stampeders (2021-24), winning a Grey Cup in 2017.
Winnipeg again kicked things off by agreeing to terms on a one-year contract with American quarterback Shea Patterson. The six-foot, 212-pound Patterson enters his fourth CFL season, having also spent time with Montreal (2021) and Saskatchewan (2023-24).
Patterson appeared in 18 regular-season games last year with Saskatchewan, winning two of six starts. That included a 19-9 home victory over Winnipeg where he threw for 261 yards and a touchdown and ran for 35 yards.
Patterson completed 131 of 217 passes (60.4 per cent) for 1,655 yards with six TDs and five interceptions last season while rushing 38 times for 134 yards and a team-leading seven touchdowns.
Calgary signed Canadian defensive Godfrey Onyeka, who spent the last four seasons with Saskatchewan, and American defensive lineman Miles Brown, who played for Saskatchewan in the last three campaigns. The Stampeders also re-signed American offensive lineman Kyle Saxelid, who started three of five games with the club in 2024.
The six-foot-one 200-pound Onyeka appeared in 18 regular-season games with Saskatchewan, posting 10 special-teams tackles. He began his CFL career with Edmonton (2018-19).
The six-foot-two, 320-pound Brown registered 56 tackles (six for loss), eight sacks, two fumble recoveries and a forced fumble in 41 regular-season games with Saskatchewan.
Calgary also released veteran American defensive back Demerio Houston, who is reportedly facing a misdemeanour domestic violence charge in North Carolina. Houston had a team-high 74 tackles, five interceptions, one sack and a forced fumble in 15 games last season, his first with the Stampeders.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 12, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
