The Edmonton Elks opened main camp at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday as veterans and rookies, returnees and newcomers took the field together for the first time in 2022.
There was Green and Gold everywhere you looked, with around 100 players going through a three-hour practice led by head coach and general manager Chris Jones and his staff. And even if they were a little gassed after going through their first reps in months, the fatigue was no match for their enthusiasm.
“From the very first thing, they were calling the formation, getting in and out of the huddle offensively and we were bouncing from drill to drill,” said Jones. “I didn’t have to cancel any of the periods so that was a good thing.”
All eyes will be focused under centre, with six quarterbacks battling for an opportunity in camp. That includes Nick Arbuckle, Mike Beaudry, Taylor Cornelius, Tre Ford, Cardale Jones, and Kal Locksley.
“I thought all of them did something to make you raise your eyebrows and there’s a couple of them that can really run which adds an element to what we’re working with … it’s a good group and we do have a bunch of them so it will be interesting once we do all of the analytics and charting,” Jones said.
While veterans certainly have the edge over rookies in terms of experience, the rook got the jumpstart on the vets after going through three days of rookie camp Wednesday through Friday. After impressing coaches, a great number of prospects from rookie camp were invited to main camp.
“We wouldn’t have kept them if we didn’t think they could (play).” Jones said. “A couple of them can play multiple positions so it will be interesting to see when it all plays out.”
Camp continues Monday at Commonwealth Stadium. Visit Training Camp Central for complete coverage.