[IMPORTANT: Make this 4 times longer with much more detail]
CFL.ca Staff As the 2025 season approaches, CFL.ca is here to catch you up with the 5 Things To Know series. Each article will look at key storylines facing each team this season, while examining off-season movement and where your team might stand in 2025. EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks are gearing up for a dynamic 2025 season. The Green and Gold have made significant changes to their front office, coaching staff and roster as they prepare to push for a playoff spot in the West Division. RELATED » Buy tickets for the 2025 season » 5 Things to Know for 2025: BC Lions » View the 2025 CFL Schedule » Subscribe to the CFL’s official YouTube channel » Subscribe to the CFL’s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates New general manager and vice president of football operations Ed Hervey and head coach Mark Kilam are the men tasked with leading the Elks back to the post-season in 2025. Meanwhile, defensive back Tyrell Ford re-joins his brother and quarterback Tre Ford for the first time since their college days, creating a dynamic tandem of playmakers on both sides of the ball. Here are five things to know about the Edmonton Elks heading into 2025. NEW BOSSES IN TOWN Edmonton brought in a new head coach to steer the ship in former Calgary Stampeders special teams coordinator and assistant head coach Mark Kilam, while also bringing back Hervey, who was the team’s general manager for their last Grey Cup title in 2015. Kilam brings a ton of experience to Edmonton after spending two decades in Calgary with the Stampeders as one of the most highly respected coaches in the Canadian Football League. His special teams background gives him a leg up in being able to look at the roster as a whole, something he’ll be required to do on a daily basis for the Elks. Edmonton also announced they have brought in former BC Lions offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic to lead the offence. Maksymic had great success with the Leos over the last few seasons with an explosive aerial offence led by Vernon Adams Jr. and now hopes he can bring that same success to a Tre Ford-led unit. On the defensive side of things, the team hired former Elks linebacker and 2012 CFL’s Most Outstanding Defensive Player J.C. Sherritt . The 36-year-old joins the Elks defensive coordinator and linebackers coach after working on a Saskatchewan Roughriders unit that forced a league-high 49 turnovers and boasted the top-ranked rush defence. WEAPONS EVERYWHERE To help Sherritt succeed in his first year as the Elks defensive coordinator, Hervey and the Elks made important off-season moves to bolster their defence. In addition to Ford, the team also brought back All-CFL defensive lineman Jake Ceresna and signed Robbie Smith , Royce Metchie and Jared Brinkman . Talk about a revamp. Ceresna, Smith, Metchie and Brinkman were all part of the Toronto Argonauts unit that won the 111th Grey Cup, while Ford finished second in interceptions with seven and was named to the All-CFL team. That group joins a pair of 100-tackle linebackers Nyles Morgan and 2024 Most Outstanding Rookie Nick Anderson to assemble a formidable unit on paper. NOT JUST ABOUT DEFENCE The Elks also made a few additions on the offensive side of the ball, signing receivers Kaion Julien-Grant and Steven Dunbar Jr. , while also bringing in All-CFL offensive lineman David Beard . However, arguably the biggest moves when it comes to offence were the extensions signed by Ford and running back Javon Leake . Edmonton secured that the No. 1 and No. 15 top players on CFL.ca’s Top 30 pending free agents list were not going anywhere, locking in two of the most explosive weapons in the CFL. Add that to receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. and 2024 breakout running back Justin Rankin and you have the makings of a dangerous offence. The Elks finished second in total yards and first in rushing yards in 2024 and there’s no reason – at least on paper – to believe they are going to slow down any time soon. SOLID QUARTERBACK ROOM Ford’s extension goes beyond just keeping him in Edmonton for the foreseeable future. The team is officially handing over the reigns to the dynamic National pivot, who enters the season as the unquestioned starter for the first time in his career. Not only that, the team also traded quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson to the Montreal Alouettes in exchange for the 110th Grey Cup’s Most Valuable Player Cody Fajardo , who provides a lot of experience to the quarterback room. “We believe in the importance of depth at the quarterback position and having two dependable options behind centre in the Canadian Football League,” Hervey said at the time of the trade . “Cody is an accomplished CFL quarterback who will bring valuable experience to our locker room and organization.” “We believe Cody can help this team and push Tre Ford to be the most successful quarterback he can be.” CANADIAN TALENT The Elks have made it a priority to add a bevy of talented Canadian players to almost every important position. Tre and Tyrell Ford lead as QB1 and CB1, respectively, while Kurleigh Gittens Jr. comes in as WR1. Metchie, Smith, Julien-Grant and Beard are all National additions that should play important roles on both sides of the ball. With the 2025 CFL Draft less than a month away, the Elks still have more options to add even more Canadian talent to their roster. Get all the top stories from across the league delivered to your inbox.
