2021 Edmonton Elks season

Canadian football season

2021 Edmonton Elks season

General manager| Brock Sunderland
Head coach| Jaime Elizondo
Home stadium| Commonwealth Stadium
Results
Record| 3–11
Division place| 5th, West
Playoffs| Did not qualify
Team MOP| James Wilder Jr.
Team MOC| Sean Whyte
Team MOR| Nyles Morgan
Uniform

* ← 2020 (EFT)
* Elks seasons
* 2022 →

The 2021 Edmonton Elks season was the 63rd season for the team in the Canadian Football League and their 72nd overall. This was the first season that the team competed under a new name, as the "Eskimos" moniker was retired in 2020, and the new name "Elks" was announced on June 1, 2021.[1]

The team failed to qualify for the playoffs for the first time since 2018 following a week 14 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on November 5, 2021.[2] The team also finished the season without a home win for the first time in the team's 72–year history following that same home loss to the Roughriders.[2]

This was the fourth season under general manager Brock Sunderland.[3] This would have been the first season under head coach Scott Milanovich, but he resigned from his position on January 25, 2021.[4] Instead, Jaime Elizondo was named as the 23rd head coach in the team's history on February 1, 2021.[5]

An 18-game season schedule was originally released on November 20, 2020, but it was announced on April 21, 2021 that the start of the season would likely be delayed until August and feature a 14-game schedule.[6][7] On June 15, 2021, the league released the revised 14-game schedule with regular season play beginning on August 5, 2021.[8]

## Offseason

[edit]

### CFL Global Draft

[edit]

The 2021 CFL Global Draft took place on April 15, 2021.[9][10] With the format being a snake draft, Edmonton selected second in the odd-numbered rounds and eighth in the even-numbered rounds.[9]

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | University/Club Team  | Nationality

|
|
|
|
|

1 | 2 | Steven Nielsen | OL | Eastern Michigan |  Denmark
2 | 17 | Misiona Aiolupotea-Pei | DL | Washington State |  New Zealand
3 | 20 | Tibo Debaillie | DL | Towson |  Belgium
4 | 35 | Matt Leo | DE | Iowa State |  Australia

### CFL National Draft

[edit]

The 2021 CFL Draft took place on May 4, 2021.[11] The team had six selections in the six-round snake draft and had the fifth pick in each of the rounds.[12][13]

Round  | Pick  | Player  | Position  | University Team  | Hometown

|
|
|
|
|

1 | 5 | Cole Nelson | DL | Alberta | Edmonton, AB
2 | 14 | Grant McDonald | LB | Calgary | Tsawwassen, BC
3 | 23 | Deonte Glover | RB | Shepherd | Inwood, WV
4 | 32 | Dominic Johnson | WR | Buffalo | Windsor, ON
5 | 41 | Peter Kourtis | OL | Saint Mary's | Toronto, ON
6 | 50 | Kenan Clarke | DB | Cornell | Pickering, ON

## Preseason

[edit]

Due to the shortening of the season, the CFL confirmed that pre-season games would not be played in 2021.[8]

### Planned schedule

[edit]

Week  | Game  | Date  | Kickoff  | Opponent  | TV  | Venue

|
|
|
|
|
|

A | Bye
B | 1 | Sat, May 29  | 2:00 p.m. MDT | vs. Calgary Stampeders | NA | Commonwealth Stadium
C | 2 | Fri, Jun 4  | 8:00 p.m. MDT  | at BC Lions | NA | BC Place

[14]

## Regular season

[edit]

### Season standings

[edit]

West Division

* view
* talk
* edit

Team  | GP | W | L | T | Pts | PF | PA | Div | Stk |
Winnipeg Blue Bombers | 14 | 11 | 3 | 0 | 22 | 351 | 187 | 8–1 | L2 | Details
Saskatchewan Roughriders | 14 | 9 | 5 | 0 | 18 | 290 | 285 | 5–4 | L1 | Details
Calgary Stampeders | 14 | 8 | 6 | 0 | 16 | 315 | 263 | 6–4 | W3 | Details
BC Lions | 14 | 5 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 313 | 351 | 2–7 | W1 | Details
Edmonton Elks | 14 | 3 | 11 | 0 | 6 | 246 | 377 | 2–7 | L1 | Details

### Season schedule

[edit]

The Elks initially had a schedule that featured 18 regular season games beginning on June 12 and ending on October 30.[6] However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Canada, the Canadian Football League delayed the start of the regular season to August 5, 2021 and the Elks began their 14-game season on August 7, 2021.[8]

On August 22, 2021, it was announced that the Elks had several players test positive for COVID-19, so the August 26, 2021 game was postponed with the rescheduled date to be declared once the Elks pass health and safety protocols.[15] The CFL announced on September 2, 2021 that the game was rescheduled for Tuesday, November 16, 2021, meaning that the Elks will play three games in just a seven-day span.[16]

Week  | Game  | Date  | Kickoff  | Opponent  | Results  | TV  | Venue  | Attendance  | Summary

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Score  | Record
1 | 1 | Sat, Aug 7  | 8:00 p.m. MDT | Ottawa Redblacks | L 12–16  | 0–1  | TSN/RDS2/ESPN2 | Commonwealth Stadium | 30,302  | Recap
2 | 2 | Sat, Aug 14  | 5:00 p.m. MDT  | Montreal Alouettes | L 13–30  | 0–2  | TSN/RDS | Commonwealth Stadium  | 25,116  | Recap
3 | 3 | Thurs, Aug 19  | 8:00 p.m. MDT  | @ BC Lions | W 21–16  | 1–2  | TSN/ESPN2  | BC Place | 12,500  | Recap
4 | Bye (originally scheduled for Thurs, Aug 26, at Toronto Argonauts; rescheduled to week 16)
5 | 4 | Mon, Sept 6 | 2:30 p.m. MDT  | @ Calgary Stampeders | W 32–20  | 2–2  | TSN/ESPNews | McMahon Stadium | 31,039  | Recap
6 | 5 | Sat, Sept 11  | 5:00 p.m. MDT  | Calgary Stampeders  | L 16–32  | 2–3  | TSN/RDS  | Commonwealth Stadium  | 33,493*  | Recap
7 | 6 | Sat, Sept 18  | 7:45 p.m. MDT  | Winnipeg Blue Bombers | L 22–37  | 2–4  | TSN  | Commonwealth Stadium  | 23,310  | Recap
8 | Bye
9 | 7 | Tues, Sept 28  | 5:30 p.m. MDT  | @ Ottawa Redblacks  | L 24–34  | 2–5  | TSN/RDS2  | TD Place Stadium | 12,108  | Recap
10 | 8 | Fri, Oct 8  | 6:30 p.m. MDT  | @ Winnipeg Blue Bombers  | L 3–30  | 2–6  | TSN/RDS2  | IG Field | 27,388  | Recap
11 | 9 | Fri, Oct 15  | 7:00 p.m. MDT  | Winnipeg Blue Bombers  | L 16–26  | 2–7  | TSN  | Commonwealth Stadium  | 24,276  | Recap
12 | Bye
13 | 10 | Fri, Oct 29  | 7:45 p.m. MDT  | Hamilton Tiger-Cats | L 23–39  | 2–8  | TSN  | Commonwealth Stadium  | 22,857  | Recap
14 | 11 | Fri, Nov 5  | 7:45 p.m. MDT  | Saskatchewan Roughriders | L 17–19  | 2–9  | TSN  | Commonwealth Stadium  | 24,115  | Recap
15 | 12 | Sat, Nov 13  | 2:00 p.m. MST  | @ Saskatchewan Roughriders  | L 24–29  | 2–10  | TSN/RDS  | Mosaic Stadium | 26,056  | Recap
16 | 13 | Tues, Nov 16  | 5:30 p.m. MST  | @ Toronto Argonauts | W 13–7  | 3–10  | TSN  | BMO Field | 6,247  | Recap
16 | 14 | Fri, Nov 19  | 8:30 p.m. MST  | @ BC Lions  | L 10–43  | 3–11  | TSN  | BC Place  | 12,500  | Recap

[17][18][19]

*Top attendance in CFL

## Team

[edit]

### Roster

[edit]

Edmonton Elks roster Quarterbacks

* \-- Nick Arbuckle
* 15 Taylor Cornelius
* 14 Dakota Prukop

Running backs

* 25 Walter Fletcher
* 32 James Wilder
*  5 Terry Williams

Fullbacks

* 27 Tanner Green
* 49 James Tuck

Receivers

* 82 Greg Ellingson
* 12 Mike Jones
* 11 Shai Ross
*  4 Tevaun Smith
* 88 Jalen Tolliver
* 83 Daniel Vandervoort
* 87 Derel Walker

Offensive linemen

* 57 David Beard
* 60 Tomas Jack-Kurdyla
* 64 Tyler Higby
* 61 Steven Nielsen
* 66 Matt O'Donnell
* 58 Justin Renfrow
* 56 Kyle Saxelid

|  | Defensive linemen

*  9 Mathieu Betts
* 93 Kwaku Boateng DE
* 95 Thomas Costigan
* 96 Mike Moore
* 91 Cole Nelson
* 99 Christian Rector

Linebackers

* 44 Keishawn Bierria
* 33 Grant McDonald
* 10 Derrick Moncrief
* 45 Nyles Morgan
* 13 Shaydon Philip
* 31 Malik Tyne

Defensive backs

* 36 Aaron Grymes
* 28 Jordan Hoover S
*  2 Jonathon Mincy
*  0 Jonathan Rose
*  8 Trumaine Washington
* 29 Darius Williams
* 37 Josh Woodman

Special teams

* 48 Martin Bédard LS
* 70 Hugh O'Neill K
* 46 Chad Rempel LS
*  6 Sean Whyte K

|  |  |  | 1-Game Injured List

* 94 Jake Ceresna DL
* 35 Maxime Rouyer LB
*  3 Antonio Simmons DL

6-Game Injured List

* 38 Dotun Aketepe DB
* \-- Nate Anderson DL
* 42 Malik Clements LB
* 68 D'Antne Demery OL
* 80 Armanti Edwards WR
* 20 Scott Hutter DB
* 67 Colin Kelly OL
* 55 SirVincent Rogers OL

|  | Practice roster

* 23 Bruce Anderson RB
* 19 Eric Blake DB
* 26 Bryan Blunt LB
* 30 Dante Brown K
* 90 Chris Casher DL
* 16 Case Cookus QB
* 54 Tibo Debaillie DL
* 81 Earnest Edwards WR
* 69 Chris Gangarossa OL
* 22 Afolabi Laguda DB
* 24 Nafees Lyon DB
* 62 Emanuel McGirt OL
* 92 Chris Nelson DL
* 18 Chris Osei-Kusi WR
* 97 Alain Pae DL
* 89 Diego Viamontes WR
* 26 Herb Waters DB
* 65 De'Ondre Wesley OL

Suspended

* \-- Curtis Akins LB
* \-- Darrell Brown OL
* \-- Tarean Folston RB
* \-- J.J. Jones WR
* \-- Peter Kourtis OL
* \-- David Perkins DL
* \-- Debione Renfro DB
* \-- Albert Smalls DB

|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|

Italics indicate American player • Bold indicates Global player • 45 Active, 9 Injured, 17 Practice, 8 Suspended
Roster updated 2021-10-18 • Depth chart • Transactions • More CFL rosters

### Coaching staff

[edit]

Edmonton Elks staff

* v
* t
* e

| Front Office

* Owner – Larry Thompson
* President and CEO – Chris Morris
* General Manager – Ed Hervey
* Senior Assistant General Manager – Spencer Zimmerman
* Direct of U.S. Scouting – Spencer Boehm
* Direct of Canadian Scouting – Rich Massaro
* Direct of Football Operations – Nick Pelletier

Head Coach

* Head Coach – Mark Kilam
* Assistant Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator – Jordan Maksymic

Offensive coaches

* Offensive Line and Run Game Coordinator – Stephen Sorrells
* Running Backs and Offensive Assistant – Trysten Dyce
* Receivers – Jason Tucker

|   |  |

Defensive coaches

* Defensive Coordinator and Linebackers – J. C. Sherritt
* Defensive Backs – Aaron Grymes
* Defensive Assistant – Demetrious Maxie
* Defensive Quality Control – Danny Nesbitt

Special teams coach

* Special Teams Coordinator – Demetrious Maxie
* Special Teams Assistant – Des Catellier

Strength and Conditioning

* Strength and Conditioning Coach – Alex Salterio

→ Coaching staff
→ More CFL staffs

## References

[edit]

1. ^ @elks (June 1, 2021). "New Name. Same Game" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
2. ^ a b "Elks go winless at home this season, fall to Riders". TSN. November 5, 2021.
3. ^ "Eskimos part ways with head coach Jason Maas". cfl.ca. November 21, 2020.
4. ^ "Milanovich resigns as Edmonton's head coach". CFL.ca. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
5. ^ "EE Football Team names Jaime Elizondo as head coach". Edmonton Elks. February 1, 2021. Retrieved February 1, 2021.
6. ^ a b "Divisional games take centre stage in unique 2021 schedule". Canadian Football League. November 20, 2020.
7. ^ "CFL Announces Plans To Return-to-play For 2021 Season". Canadian Football League. April 21, 2021.
8. ^ a b c "Circle your calendars: CFL releases 2021 schedule". Canadian Football League. June 15, 2021.
9. ^ a b "CFL calendar busy with free agency, virtual combines, drafts". Canadian Football League. February 4, 2021. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
10. ^ "2021 Global Draft tracker". Canadian Football League. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
11. ^ "CFL announces date for 2021 CFL National Draft". cfl.ca. Canadian Football League. March 30, 2021. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
12. ^ "2021 CFL Draft to feature some significant changes". CFL.ca. November 5, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
13. ^ "Ti-Cats snag first selection as CFL reveals 2021 order". CFL.ca. November 21, 2020. Retrieved November 21, 2020.
14. ^ "2021 Schedule". Edmonton Elks. Retrieved June 2, 2021.
15. ^ "CFL Statement on the Elks-Argonauts game on Thursday". Canadian Football League. August 8, 2021.
16. ^ "Postponed Elks-Argos game rescheduled to Nov. 16". Canadian Football League. September 2, 2021.
17. ^ "2021 Schedule". Canadian Football League. Retrieved June 14, 2021.
18. ^ "Nos émissions" (in French). Réseau des sports. Retrieved August 3, 2021.
19. ^ "ESPN, Upcoming". ESPN. Retrieved August 3, 2021.

## External links

[edit]

* Official website

* v
* t
* e

2021 CFL season by team

« 2020

2022 »

West Division|

* BC
* Calgary
* Edmonton
* Saskatchewan
* Winnipeg

East Division|

* Hamilton
* Montreal
* Ottawa
* Toronto

See also|

* 2021 CFL National Draft
* 2021 CFL Global Draft
* 108th Grey Cup

* v
* t
* e

Edmonton Elks

* Founded in 1949
* Based in Edmonton, Alberta

Franchise|

* Franchise
* Records
* Players
* Seasons
* Head coaches
* Starting quarterbacks

Stadiums|

* Clarke Stadium
* Commonwealth Stadium

Lore|

* Labour Day Classic
* Battle of Alberta
* 70th Grey Cup

Important figures|

* Danny Bass
* Leroy Blugh
* Johnny Bright
* Hugh Campbell
* Tommy Joe Coffey
* Rod Connop
* Dave Cutler
* Eric Duggan
* Ron "Swampdog" Estay
* Dave "Doctor Death" Fennell
* Brian Fryer
* Larry Highbaugh
* Hank Ilesic
* Brian Kelly
* Danny Kepley
* Norm Kimball
* Normie "The China Clipper" Kwong
* Moe Lieberman
* Neil Lumsden
* George McGowan
* Rollie Miles
* Ken Montgomery
* Warren Moon
* Frank Morris
* Roger Nelson
* Jackie "Ole Spaghetti Legs" Parker
* Willie "The Terminator" Pless
* Tom Scott
* Terry Vaughn
* Tom Wilkinson
* Henry "Gizmo" Williams

Key personnel|

* Owners: Larry Thompson
* President: Chris Morris
* General Manager: Ed Hervey
* Head Coach: Mark Kilam

Grey Cup
championships (14)|

* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1975
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1987
* 1993
* 2003
* 2005
* 2015

West Division
championships (23)|

* 1952
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1960
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1986
* 1987
* 1990
* 1993
* 1996
* 2002
* 2003
* 2005
* 2015

Current league
affiliations|

* League: Canadian Football League
* Division: West

* v
* t
* e

Edmonton Elks seasons

* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

* Bold indicates Grey Cup victory

*[NA]: Not announced
*[GP]: Games Played
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[T]: Ties
*[Pts]: Points
*[PF]: Points For
*[PA]: Points Against (Total points allowed)
*[Div]: Win–Loss record within their division
*[Stk]: Current Winning or Losing Streak
*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template