After missing the entire CFL regular season with an injury last year, Edmonton Elks wide receiver Gavin Cobb set some personal goals for the 2023 season: Dress for every game, start a game, and have a 100-yard receiving game.
He’s almost halfway to achieving his first goal, and the second will be realized tonight (July 29) as Cobb makes his first CFL career start when the Elks host the BC Lions at Commonwealth Stadium.
“To me it really just means that hard work does pay off,” Cobb says. “Hard work, consistency, dedication. I didn’t take any days off this offseason coming back from that injury. I put in all the work to mare sure I could get back to where I wanted to be.”
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Cobb has suited up for all seven Elks regular season games thus far, but it’s only in the last couple weeks that he’s started to see the field.
When Edmonton hosted the Hamilton Ti-Cats on July 13, Cobb got his hands on the ball for the first times, as he returned four kickoffs for 103 yards, becoming just the second Green and Gold player since 2010 to average over 25 yards per kickoff return in a game.
Then on July 20 against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Cobb caught the first target of his career, an 11-yard reception that gave Edmonton a key first down in the third quarter at IG Field. He also had a 20-yard kick return.
Shoutout @CobbGavin on his first career reception. Many more to come! pic.twitter.com/Bu896vX1Mo
— Brian Swane (@BrianSwane) July 21, 2023
“At the start of the year I was just trying to be patient, waiting for my opportunity, but continually working trying to better than I was yesterday,” Cobb adds. “I think that’s what it all comes down to: trying to be better than you were yesterday.”
Cobb put the CFL on notice in Week 6, when he fielded a kickoff at the Elks’ nine yard line, and took the ball all the way to their 50, an explosive effort that made him just the third Green and Gold player since 2017 with a kick return of more than 40 yards.
“It reminded me of who I am,” the 25-year-old says of the biggest play of his CFL career so far. When he was a student-athlete on the University of Manitoba football team in 2021, Cobb earned unanimous Canada West All-Star selection at the kick return position.
“As football players, something we’ve always got to stay true to is remembering who you are, because we’re all here for a reason, we’re all great football players,” continues Cobb, who was acquired by the Elks with the 30th overall pick of the 2022 CFL Draft.
Could Cobb reach his remaining goal, of having a 100-yard receiving performance, against the Lions too? He’d rather the Elks achieve their goal of getting a win.
“Personal goals come with team success,” he says.
Go western when the Elks battle the division rival BC Lions on Country Night, Saturday, July 29 at Commonwealth Stadium. Being part of the action has never been more affordable, with tickets starting at just $15. Click here to get your tickets now and be part of the tradition.
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