August 29, 2022

Early Returns: PR Mitchell makes impact in home debut

Before he’d even played his first CFL game with the Edmonton Elks, Dillon Mitchell was being mentioned in the same breath as the greatest returner in franchise and arguably league history, Henry “Gizmo” Williams.

Two games into his three-down career, the 25-year-old wide receiver hasn’t done anything to dissuade such lofty comparisons.

In his Elks’ home debut, a 25-18 loss to the Ottawa RedBlacks at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, Mitchell had the longest punt return by an Edmonton player in five years, when in the fourth quarter he brought back a punt 33 yards to the Ottawa 43-yard line.

Trailing 25-10 at the time, the Elks were in desperate need of something big, and Mitchell’s clutch return put his team in Ottawa territory, leading to a Green and Gold touchdown that cut Ottawa’s lead to one possession with 5:26 remaining.

Though Edmonton’s rally ultimately fell short with a turnover on downs in the final minute, the Elks might not have even been in position to drive for the tying score were it not for Mitchell’s impressive run that shifted momentum and jolted the Elks to life.

“Knowing that I can change the game with a special teams play, that’s truly what I’m trying to do at the end of the day,” Mitchell said during a post-game interview on 630 CHED, radio flagship of the Elks. The six-foot-one speedster totalled 59 yards on six punt returns, and also caught a pair of passes from Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius, including a 45-yard catch and run in the first quarter that at the time was Cornelius’ second-longest completion of the season.

“Especially now with me getting a chance to play offense I know I can create a spark for the team, and I just want to be a spark that allows our team to know, ‘Ok, we can do this.’”

A 2019 NFL draft pick of the Minnesota Vikings, Mitchell signed with the Elks on July 29 and suited up for the first time in a 30-12 Week 11 victory over the RedBlacks at TD Place Stadium, where he ripped off a spectacular 54-yard punt return. Though the return was wiped out due to a penalty, Mitchell nonetheless made an immediate impression with his game-breaking explosiveness.

The 2015 season was when an EE player last returned a kick or punt for a touchdown, but based on the early returns, it may not be long before Mitchell takes one to the house.

“I feel a lot more comfortable back there, doing what I can do and showing the team what I can do,” Mitchell said on CHED.

“In the first week I was getting my jitters out, and I feel like I still went out there and did well. But as far as the team now, I feel like everybody knows not only that I can play but they want me to be that spark for the team and that s what I want to be.”