The Edmonton Elks signed seven players, including American defensive end Zach Zebrowski, American wide receivers Justin McGriff, JJ Jones and Justin Lockhart, Canadian wide receivers Colby Hurford and Jackson Taczynski, and Canadian offensive lineman Domenico Piazza.
Zebrowski joined the Elks in September and spent the rest of the season on the practice squad. The six-foot-two, 208-pound passer was a two-time tournament winner. The Harlon Hill Trophy, the NCAA Division II equivalent of the Heisman Trophy, during a game at the University of Central Missouri. Previous recipients of the award include Chicago Bears quarterback Tyson Bagent and former NFL running backs Danny Woodhead and Joyque Bell.
The Decatur, Ill. native completed 68.3 percent of his passes for 9,938 yards, 102 touchdowns and 17 interceptions over 25 games. Mules is 20-5 as a starter. He also rushed for 1,165 yards and 12 scores.
McGriff joined the team's practice squad in October. The six-foot-six, 215-pound target participated in training camps with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 2023 and 2024, although late-season injuries kept him from playing regularly. The Tampa, Fla. native caught four passes for 58 yards in a 2023 preseason game against the Toronto Argonauts while playing primarily in the first-team offense.
Jones spent some time on Edmonton's practice squad in the fall. The six-foot-two, 200-pound target played collegiately at the University of North Carolina, where he had 110 receptions for 1,794 yards and 11 touchdowns in 47 games.
Lockhart played 51 collegiate games at Nevada and San Jose State, making 156 receptions for 2,305 yards and 10 touchdowns. In 2024, the six-foot-two, 200-pound Los Angeles native led the Mountain West Conference with 18.5 yards per reception. Earlier this year, he signed with the Kansas City Chiefs as an undrafted free agent but did not make the team's final roster.
Herford was selected in the seventh round of the 2025 CFL Draft out of the University of Alberta. Native of Redwater, Alta. had 127 catches for 1,850 yards and 14 touchdowns in 42 collegiate games with the Golden Bears.
Taczynski attended training camp with the Elks earlier this year, where he transitioned from quarterback to wide receiver. He is six feet four inches tall and weighs 215 pounds and is a native of Winnipeg, Maine. Played 43 varsity games at the University of Manitoba, throwing for 6,190 yards, 36 touchdowns and 21 interceptions, while rushing for 1,867 yards and 28 scores.
Piazza was selected in the fifth round of the 2025 CFL Draft out of McGill University, where he returned for his final collegiate season. The six-foot-two, 298-pound native of Mercier, Quebec. was named a U Sports All-Canadian second team this year along with the Redbirds. He played 40 varsity games for McGill, starting at left tackle, left guard and center.
The Edmonton Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7–11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Cody Fajardo started the team's final 13 regular-season games and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the top five with a 1-4 record and threw for 984 yards with five touchdowns and three interceptions.
The Moose ranked ninth in net offense, ninth in net defense and fifth with a plus-four turnover margin. The club's leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, the leading receiver was Kion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and the leading tackler was Joel Dublanco with 80 tackles. Edmonton ranked seventh in attendance with an average attendance of 19,050, down 7.1 per cent from the previous year.
