After a painfully long 6 months, the Canadian Football League has finally returned. Painful, a word that could be used to describe the first Preseason game of the 2025 EE Season if you're an Elks fan.

Now before we get into this game, we need to remember that the Elks brought a roster chalk-full of rookies, jobbers and backups, and rarely did you see a regular season starter. Afterall, Preseason games are for coaches to assess and develop multiple facets of their team's game. In this instance, Head Coach Mark Kilam has a great example of "What Went Wrong".

The game opened up with Vernon Adams Jr. leading his Stampeders down the field for a touchdown, and with this being Calgary's second Preseason game, already you could see the chemistry building on the turf.

For the Elks, chemistry was evident when QB Cody Fajardo made WR Zach Mathis his favourite target, finding him multiple times in the first quarter. The Elks couldn't seem to keep a drive alive however, in the first and throughout most of the game, often leaving fate to special teams. Cody Fajardo would finish his quarter with 7 out of 8 completions made for 57 yards. The Elks would finish the quarter with one point from an endzone punt. For the Calgary Stampeders, this game was about finalizing their roster.

For the Edmonton Elks the game was about evaluating the bottom end of the roster, so our focus today is on the players that made a noticable impact on the game.

WR ZACH MATHIS

In 2024, former GM and Head Coach of the Elks, Chris Jones, spent the 2025 1st Round Pick in the CFL Supplemental Draft. In doing so, the Elks picked up WR Zach Mathis, who managed to make some plays by the end of the 2024 season. Fast forward to present day and he's fighting his way to a bigger role for 2025. From scrimmages to Game Day, he's been making catches and a case to earn more looks come June 7th. In Saturday Night's game, he made 4 catches on 4 targets for 32 yards.

WR JJ LAAP

Coming from the NFL, JJ Laap has been an intriguing name since his signing with the Edmonton Elks. In his Preseason debut JJ Laap made 4 of 6 receptions for 47 yards, one of which was a spectacular diving catch at the edge of the turf. Expect to see more of Laap in Preseason Game 2.

LB JOEL DUBLANKO

With 3 defensive tackles and one interception, Joel Dublanko entered the game as the Player To Watch, and rightfully so. Entering his second year in the CFL, the former Cincinnati Bearcat was chosen 1st Overall in the 2024 CFL Draft. Dublanko looks to step up his game for the 2025 season, with hopes of an elevated role on the roster.

DB DEMETRIES FORD

What's better than one Ford? Two. And what's better than two Fords? Well, the Edmonton Elks just might find out on Friday. Demetries Ford managed 3 tackles, a sack and an interception in an otherwise ugly game, giving him a shot at cracking the roster. If he can pull off a repeat performance, we just may see 3 Fords on the roster come June 9th.

QB COLE SNYDER

Coming from the Eastern Michigian University, Cole Snyder was only given a quarter to make magic happen and managed to find some on the final drive. While he only posted 5 completions on 9 attempts for 76 yards, the last drive of the game was also the most exciting. Snyder managed to scramble and show a similar play style to the Elks' starting pivot, Tre Ford. The battle for QB3 is on between Snyder and McElvain, a storyline fans can get excited for on Friday.

WR KEARIS JACKSON

Kearis Jackson was the top wide reciever in Saturday's game with 4 receptions on 6 targets. While he wasn't able to score a major, he did seem to be everywhere on Saturday night. Expect to see some more looks for Jackson on Friday at Commonwealth Stadium.

Even though the 4-31 loss is reason to panic, fans of the Double E do need to remember that this game was purely for player and personnel evaluation. The score may not mean much, but the results of each phase, player and coach matter greatly. Storylines are aplenty between the quarterbacks, kickers, and final roster spots that are sitting vacant. Friday's game at Commonwealth will be the biggest test for rookies, jobbers and hopefuls alike as the Elks look to finalize their roster for an exciting 2025 season.

Keep your eyes peeled on Shotgun Sports Network as we bring you closer to the 2025 CFL Season!