Jones makes moves to lift Edmonton Elks' fortunes
Signings beef up offence, defence but quarterback a question mark
Will the methods of Chris Jones work for a second time in Edmonton?
That is a major question facing the Edmonton Elks heading into the 2022 CFL season.
Jones returns to Edmonton as the general manager and head coach after leading the team to the 2015 Grey Cup championship.
The Elks are looking for Jones to lead them out of the mess that was the 2021 season. Edmonton was last in the CFL'S West Division with a 3-11 record and was winless at home for the first time in the franchise's 72-year history.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders were also coming off a three-win season — albeit over 18 games — when Jones took over in Regina, just nine days after guiding Edmonton to a Grey Cup victory.
Jones didn't lead the Riders to a Grey Cup, but the team improved each season before he departed in January of 2019 to join the NFL'S Cleveland Browns as a defensive assistant. He subsequently coached high school football in his hometown, South Pittsburg, Tenn., before joining the Toronto Argonauts staff during the 2021 season.
Now that Jones is back in Edmonton — reunited with longtime offensive co-ordinator Stephen Mcadoo — another question emerges: Who will throw the ball for the Elks?
Edmonton has six quarterbacks under contract, including Nick Arbuckle, Taylor Cornelius and J.T. Barrett. Arbuckle and Cornelius were both with the Elks in 2021, so incumbency might give them an advantage in the quarterback derby heading into training camp.
The Elk acquired Arbuckle from Toronto late in the 2021 season, but he never saw any game action with his new team as the Elks closed out the season with Cornelius and Dakota Prukop behind centre.
Barrett, who starred with the Ohio State Buckeyes, is an intriguing but unproven option. He is the university's leader in career passing yards (9,434), completions (769) and passing touchdowns (104). The latter total is also a Big Ten Conference record.
Jones, as is his way, plans on having a training-camp competition to sort out who will be the starting quarterback.
He is better known be a defensive guru and it was reflected in many of his off-season signings.
Jones jumped into the free-agent pool by signing ex-roughriders such as defensive back Ed Gainey, linebacker Deon Lacey, defensive end/ linebacker Tobi Antigha, and defensive linemen Jordan Reaves and Makana Henry. The signings are an indication that Jones was looking for players with experience in his defensive schemes.
Jones surprised the football community with the signing of another former Rider, Duron Carter, as a defensive back.
Carter was a two-time CFL allstar receiver, but over the 2017 and 2018 seasons dressed for six games as a cornerback when Jones was the head coach of the Green and White. Carter's playmaking skills proved to be transferable, as he made two interceptions and returned each of them for a touchdown.
Early in his second tenure with Edmonton, Jones also addressed the offensive line, acquiring left tackle Tony Washington from the Montreal Alouettes and signing free-agent guard David Foucault.
On the opening day of the CFL'S free-agent period, the Elks signed national offensive lineman Mark Korte. He is capable of playing any position along the offensive line, but is expected to line up at right guard as a replacement for the retired Matt O'donnell.
One player who will appreciate an emphasis on the offensive line is running back James Wilder Jr., who was one of the few bright spots with Edmonton in 2021, leading the team with 774 rushing yards.
Jones made a big splash in the free-agent pool by outbidding the B.C. Lions for receiver Kenny Lawler. A two-time Grey Cup champion with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Lawler reportedly turned down a two-year offer worth $250,000 per annum from the Lions and instead signed a one-year, $300,000 contract with the Elks.
The deal made Lawler the league's highest-paid receiver.
It's a gamble considering Lawler has only been in the CFL for two seasons. The Covid-19-shortened 2021 season was his best by far. He led the CFL in receiving yards (1,014) while playing in 13 of the Bombers' 14 regular-season games. He was the league's only 1,000-yard receiver.
Edmonton is counting on Derel Walker to regain his 1,000-yard form after a subpar 2021 season, in which he had 44 receptions for 531 yards and no touchdowns.
Jones is hedged his receiving bets with the signing of 34-yearold receiver Manny Arceneaux, who had been out of football since his stint with the Riders in 2019.
Among the departures was Greg Ellingson, who led the Elks in catches (47) and receiving yards (687) last year but had only one touchdown. He signed with the Blue Bombers.
The Elks should ultimately be better with Jones' emphasis on defence and a marginal improvement on offence.
But the progress may not be immediate due to the uncertainty at quarterback and the overall strength of the West Division.