EDMONTON, AB – Who will be the newest members of the Edmonton Elks?
CFL Free Agency is quickly approaching, with the frenzy set to begin at 10:00 a.m. MT on Feb. 13. The Green and Gold find themselves in a solid position entering the silly season, with the fewest remaining free agents in the Canadian Football League.
Free Agency represents a chance for teams to find that final piece of the puzzle, or a game changer that helps elevate a franchise. Last year for the Elks, the big prize was the East Division’s Most Outstanding Player in Geno Lewis. This year? You’ll have to wait and see.
To prime EE fans for the week to come, GoElks.com has compiled a list of all the players currently under contract with the club, those whose contracts will expire on Feb. 13, and a list of the top CFL free agents at each position.
For the first part in the series, we’ll take a look at the trenches and the offensive line.
Players currently under contract: Brett Boyko, Patrick Davis, David Foucault, Antonio Garcia, Phillip Grohovac, Martez Ivey, Tomas Jack-Kurdyla, Mark Korte.
Pending free agents: Josiah St. John, Samuel Thomassin.
CFL Top 30 Free Agents: Jermarcus Hardrick (26) Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Brandon Revenberg (15) Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Darius Ciraco (11) Toronto Argonauts
WHO’S IN, WHO’S OUT & WHO’S AVAILABLE?
At the outset of free agency, the Elks are currently expected to return their entire offensive line from the 2023 season. The unit of Martez Ivey, David Foucault, Mark Korte, Tomas Jack-Kudyla, and Brett Boyko really settled into their own in the latter half of the season and . The Elks offence featured the CFL’s third-best rushing attack with 2,224 yards on the ground (123.6 per game) and the O-line helped bolster an offence that averaged 26.3 points per game in the final 10 contests of the season.
Continuity on the O-line played a huge factor in the team’s offensive success in the season’s second half, with the same starting five featuring in all but one of the Elks final 12 contests. General Manager & Head coach Chris Jones ensured that continuity prior to the start of free agency, having already signed Boyko and Jack-Kurdyla to extensions in January.
Currently backing up that unit is national OL Philip Grahovac – the 20th overall selection in the 2023 CFL draft who suited up for 11 games with the Green and Gold last season — and national OL Patrick Davis, who plied his trade at Syracuse University before becoming the 28th overall pick in the 2021 CFL Draft by the Montreal Alouettes. The final piece of the puzzle is NFL veteran offensive lineman Antonio Garcia, who was signed to the Green and Gold back on Jan. 24. The 6-foot-7 tackle was a member of the Elks in 2022, starting a pair of pre-season games, and was formerly a third-round pick of the New England Patriots back in 2017.
The Elks only have two pending free agents on the O-line in former first-overall pick Josiah St. John and 28-year-old Samuel Thomassin out of Laval.
When it comes to CFL top 30 free agents, there are no more options left on the board. Hamilton’s Brandon Revenberg re-upped with the Tiger-Cats prior to the CFL Communication window, while National center Darius Ciraco also signed an extension to stay out East with the Toronto Argonauts. The major name to reportedly make a move is long-time Winnipeg Blue Bombers right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick who is expected to sign with the prairie rival Saskatchewan Roughriders once Free Agency begins.