After last week’s beatdown from the hands of the BC Lions, the Edmonton Elks will begin week 2 at home vs one of their prairie rivals in hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders for their 2022 home opener.

Edmonton will look to erase the past 2 meetings vs. Saskatchewan last season in which they had lost on both occasions.

Recent Transaction

The Edmonton Elks activated Caleb Holley to the active roster.  

Edmonton will be looking for Caleb Holley to regain some of that depth form as he did when playing with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2016 and 2017 respectively.  During his stay in Saskatchewan in 2016, Caleb Holley contributed to the team’s offense with 11 games played, 56 receptions, and 655 receiving yards, followed by 2 touchdowns.  His play continued in the 2017 season in which Caleb Holley produced 608 yards receiving, with 5 touchdowns, and 39 receptions, in 13 games played.  Although his numbers dipped significantly in the last couple of seasons, Caleb Holley has worked his way back to the active roster.        

Depth Chart

Week 2 vs. Saskatchewan (June 18):

The Edmonton Elks will have 3 players listed as healthy scratches such as QB, Taylor Cornelius, RB Martese Jackson, and DL Louis Claudell.  OL Thomas Jack-Kurdyla was originally a healthy scratch and has now been slotted in at RG with OL Mark Korte currently listed on the 1-game injured list.

Defense

One of the biggest blows to the Edmonton Elks is DB Aaron Grymes who is currently listed on the 6-game injured list. However, LB / DB Tobi Antigha will be slotted into the roster to bolster the defense.  However, it will be vital for the Edmonton Elks front 7 to create some pressure on QB Cody Fajardo.  There is no doubt about what happened last week vs. the BC Lions in which they were never able to set a defensive tone and challenge the BC Lions offensive line.  The task will be more evident for DL Thomas Costigan, DL Makana Henry, DL Claudell Louis, DL Jake Ceresna, LB Adam Konar, LB Brady Sheldon, and LB Mathew Elam who will shift from DB to the SAM linebacker.   

Offense

On the offense, it is imperative for the offensive line to be consistent in creating time for the QB Nick Arbuckle to engineer some offense.  The offensive line collapsed instantly from the snap of the ball on too many occasions last which lead to a lot of 2-and-outs, and turnovers.  This feat will be challenging for the offensive line which will have their hand full in trying to contain LB / DL Larry Dean, LB Darnell Sankey, LB Derrick Moncrief, and LC Leonard just to name a few.

Other News

Odell Willis retires with the green and gold yesterday.  Odell Willis made his mark throughout his career in the CFL.  He ends his career with a total of 101 sacks which he was instrumental in 2011 with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Swaggerville Defense in which he called himself the “Mayor of Swaggerville.  While with Edmonton from 2013 -1017, he was later called the “Mayor of Commonwealth”.  Always a threat on the field, Odell Willis retires in a city that embraced his character and leadership while playing in the City of Champions. 

Stay with CFL News Hub for the 2022 season.