Receiver Eugene Lewis optimistic about Edmonton Elks' 2024 fortunes
Receiver Eugene Lewis can't wait to start earning quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson's trust.
The signing of Bethel-Thompson, a two-time Grey Cup champion, was Edmonton's biggest off-season move. The Elks have finished last in the West Division three consecutive years.
CFL training camps open next month.
"I know what a great quarterback can do," Lewis said. "Somebody with experience, somebody who's been through it and won championships and MBT has done that.
"To have another guy like that, another leader, another veteran, I think it's awesome."
Edmonton last made the playoffs in 2019 but has won a combined 11 regular-season games since then.
Elks head coach/GM Chris Jones also acquired Canadian receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. from Toronto. Gittens Jr. had 81 catches for 1,101 yards and five TDs in 2022 but played in just 10 games last year due to injury.
American defensive lineman Jake Ceresna (22 sacks the last two seasons) went to Toronto in the deal.
Edmonton also signed kicker Boris Bede (released by Toronto) and kick-returner Javon Leake (free agent, Argos). Leake was the CFL's top special-teams player last season.
Defensive backs Aaron Grymes and Ed Gainey, receiver Steven Dunbar, quarterback Taylor Cornelius and Canadian linebacker Adam Konar were among the veterans Edmonton released.
The six-foot-four, 220-pound Bethel-Thompson spent 2023 with the USFL's New Orleans Breakers. He threw for a league/career-high 4,731 yards in 2022 with 23 TDs and 15 interceptions as Toronto (11-7) finished atop the East Division.
After leading Toronto past Montreal in the East final, Bethel-Thompson started the Grey Cup versus Winnipeg. But he gave way to Chad Kelly in the fourth quarter after suffering a dislocated right thumb.
Kelly completed four-of-six passes for 43 yards but it was his 20-yard run on second-and-15 that set up A.J. Ouellette's five-yard TD run that put Toronto ahead 24-23. Canadian defensive lineman Robbie Smith clinched the one-point win, blocking Marc Liegghio's 47-yard field goal try with 54 seconds remaining.
Bethel-Thompson started 47-of-74 career regular-season games with Toronto (2017-19, 2021-22). He completed 66.8 per cent of his passes for 13,261 yards with 70 TDs and 49 interceptions.
Lewis gives Bethel-Thompson a big-play receiver. The six-foot-one, 208-pound Lewis was the East Division's top player in 2022 with Montreal, registering 91 catches for 1,303 yards and 10 TDs (all career highs).
Lewis had 48 receptions for 844 yards and three TDs in 12 games last season, his first with Edmonton.
"I love making big plays, I love it when a quarterback is ready to let it loose," Lewis said. "It's also that trust factor where the quarterback says, 'I trust that my guys are down there and will make the play better than the guy who's defending them.'
"I'm excited to make it easier for MBT so he doesn't always have to throw it perfectly. Just put it into an area for us and know we're going to go up and make a play."
Bethel-Thompson's arrival isn't good news for Canadian quarterback Tre Ford. The Niagara Falls, Ont., native led Edmonton to all four of its regular-season wins after starting 2023 behind Americans Cornelius and Jarret Doege.
Bethel-Thompson has expressed wanting to mentor the six-foot-one, 185-pound Ford, who captured the 2021 Hec Crighton Trophy at Waterloo as Canadian university football's top player. Edmonton drafted Ford eighth overall in 2022.
Lewis was with Montreal in 2021 when it acquired veteran Trevor Harris from Edmonton with starter Vernon Adams Jr. (shoulder) sidelined. Adams opened 2022 as the starter before ultimately being dealt to B.C. but Lewis felt Adams benefited from Harris's presence.
"You could see VA take a whole other step seeing the game the way Trevor was breaking it down," Lewis said. "I can see the same thing happening for Tre because he's the future of this league.
"I'm really excited for him to get that wisdom and advice from a guy like MBT."
Predictably, Lewis is optimistic about Edmonton's fortunes in 2024.
"I think even around the league, teams realize we're not going to be that 4-14 (club) we were these last couple of years," he said. "They know they're going to have to come beat us."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Princess Anne to take part in B.C. ceremony bringing new ship into Pacific fleet
Canada's first Arctic and Offshore Patrol Vessel will officially be brought into the Pacific fleet today and Princess Anne, the sister of King Charles, is scheduled to take part in its commissioning ceremony.
NEW Biscuits with possible plastic pieces, metal found in ground pork: Here are the recalls for this week
Here are the latest recalls Canadians should watch out for, according to Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Magnitude 4.8 earthquake recorded west of Vancouver Island
A 4.8-magnitude earthquake was reported west of Vancouver Island Thursday evening.
More than half of Canadians say freedom of speech is under threat, new poll suggests
A new poll suggests a majority of Canadians feel their right to freedom of speech is in danger.
How falling for a stranger she met on a beach led this woman to ditch the U.S. for the French Riviera
Niki Benjamin, from the U.S., had travelled to a paradise island to do some soul searching, and her life ended up going in a very different direction when her dog ran up to a stranger.
Britney Spears 'home and safe' after paramedics responded to an incident at the Chateau Marmont, source tells CNN
A source close to singer Britney Spears tells CNN that the pop star is 'home and safe' after she had a 'major fight' with her boyfriend on Wednesday night at the Chateau Marmont in West Hollywood.
Feds giving Toronto more than $104M to host 2026 FIFA World Cup
The federal government will provide Toronto just over $104 million in funding to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Police clear encampments as U.S. campus arrests exceed 2,300 amid pro-Palestinian protests
Police ordered pro-Palestinian protesters to clear out of a tent encampment at New York University early Friday, a move that follows weeks of demonstrations and police confrontations at college campuses nationwide that have resulted in more than 2,300 arrests.
Wally, the emotional support alligator once denied entry to a baseball game, is missing
Emotional support animal registrations in the United States reached 115,832 last year, by an industry group’s count. But in the eyes of reptile rescuer Joie Henney, there’s only one: 'Wally Gator.'