EDMONTON — The Edmonton Elks have signed six players in the first wave of CFL Free Agency, the club announced Tuesday. All six became free agents on February 11.
The group of signees includes National safety Royce Metchie on a two-year deal — and National wide receiver Kaion Julien-Grant, American defensive back Emmanuel Rugamba, American defensive back Kobe Williams, National offensive lineman Gregor Mackellar, and National wide receiver Tyson Middlemost on one-year deals.
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Metchie (five-foot-11, 203 pounds) has been one of the most consistent safeties in the CFL over his six-season career, which has been split evenly between Calgary and Toronto at three seasons a piece. The 28-year-old finished the 2024 season as one of the top tacklers in the league, ranking 10th among all defenders with 87 total tackles.
In his CFL career, the Guelph product has suited up for 79 games, recording 310 defensive tackles, eight interceptions, and five forced fumbles as the last line of defence. Metchie is also a three-time Grey Cup champion, having won in 2018 as a member of the Stampeders, and in 2022 and 2024 with the Argonauts.
The Canadian has strong football ties in his family, with his younger brother being former Alabama product and current Houston Texans wide receiver John Metchie III.
Julien-Grant (six-foot, 210 pounds) joins the Elks after spending the last five seasons with the Montreal Alouettes.
A Toronto, Ontario native, Julien-Grant was originally a second-round pick (13th overall) by the Als in the 2019 CFL Draft. The 28-year-old has shown his explosive ability as a playmaker during his young career, recording a season-long receptions of at least 50 yards in every year he has been a starter – with a career long of 70 yards.
Last year in Montreal, Julien-Grant appeared in 12 games for Alouettes where he hauled in 46 passes on 64 targets for 486 yards and one touchdown. The St. Francis Xavier product emerged as a threat in 2023, catching 37 passes for 512 yards in nine games with new Elks quarterback Cody Fajardo facilitating the offence.
For his CFL career, Julien-Grant has registered 128 receptions for 1,656 yards and four touchdowns.
The Elks added 2023 West Division All-CFL LB Emmanuel Rugamba (Jimmy Jeong CFL.ca)
Rugamba (five-foot-11, 192 pounds) joins Edmonton with a West Division All-CFL pedigree (2023) as a member of the BC Lions. The 26-year-old spent the previous three seasons on the West Coast, where he notched 179 total tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions in 44 career games with the Lions.
Born in Zambia, but of Rwandan descent, Rugamba was the first Rwandan to sign a contract with an NFL team when he joined the Cleveland Browns in 2021. Prior to his pro career, Rugamba played his college football with the University of Iowa (2015-2017) and Miami of Ohio University (2018-2020). As a member of the Miami Redhawks, Rugamba suited up for 16 games and recorded 96 total tackles, four tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, and 11 passes defended. He was named the MAC Championship Defensive Player of the Game in Miami’s 26-21 victory over Central Michigan.
Williams (five-foot-nine, 174 pounds) joins the Elks secondary after a four-year career with the Calgary Stampeders. The 26-year-old is fresh off a career-best season where he finished fourth on the Stamps in defensive tackles with 60 in 18 games, while registering one interception and one forced fumble.
In all, Williams dressed in 48 games for Calgary where he recorded 140 total tackles, three interceptions, one sack, and three forced fumbles. The Long Beach, California native played the majority of this college football at Arizona State (2017-2019) after transferring to the Sun Devils from Long Beach City College. While at Arizona State, Williams dressed for 38 games and recorded 143 total tackles, 6.5 tackles-for-loss, two interceptions, and 25 passes defended.
MacKellar (six-foot-five, 310 pounds) adds to the Elks National depth on the offensive line. The 26-year-old spent the last three seasons with the Toronto Argonauts, winning two Grey Cups with the Double Blue since being drafted in the first round (6th overall) back in 2022. The Timberlea, Nova Scotia product spent his college career at St. Francis Xavier where he suited up for the X-Men from 2018 to 2021.
As a pro, MacKellar has dressed for 43 CFL games.
Middlemost (six-foot-one, 205 pounds) has served as a core special teamer over his four Canadian Football League seasons – all spent with the Calgary Stampeders. The 27-year-old wide receiver suited up for 46 games with the Stamps, hauling in eight receptions for 87 yards, while recording 29 special teams tackles. The Dundas, Ontario native was a fourth-round pick (34th overall) in the 2020 CFL Draft after spending four seasons with the McMaster Marauders.