Edmonton Elks going all-in on quarterback Taylor Cornelius this season

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What a difference one year has made for Taylor Cornelius.

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The previous time he attended an Edmonton Elks training camp, he came in as the incumbent starting quarterback after taking over following the unceremonious departure of Trevor Harris. But that didn’t stop Cornelius from getting bumped by a new coaching staff all the way down to fourth on the depth chart behind Nick Arbuckle and rookies Tre Ford and Kai Locksley.

To his credit, Cornelius went from not even being dressing for games on the sideline, to working his way right back to the top as he once again entered training camp as the starter this time around.

And it’s a spot he doesn’t plan on moving out of anytime soon.

“There was just a comfort level, being able to come in and know the playbook in and out, I’ve been in this system for a year now,” Cornelius said. “And obviously too, the excitement of getting some of the guys that we brought in in free agency and knowing the talent that we had here last year towards the end of the season, we’re excited and we’re ready to go.”

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While he’s got all the tools of a prototypical quarterback — a six-foot-five, 230-pound frame that has no right to move as fast as it does, and a cannon of an arm that can put the ball anywhere on the field — Cornelius’s budding pro career has been anything but typical.

Following a stint in XFL 2.0, he followed a coach up to Canada in 2021. And instead of spending his first couple years studying under a veteran starter, Cornelius found himself thrust into the role after just half a season. And before he could build any sort of momentum heading into his first CFL off-season, it was time to adjust to an entirely different coaching staff altogether.

So, it’s been a baptism by fire while Cornelius learns as he goes, up to this point. At some point, all the growing pains have to become developments and the only real question is: How much farther can he take these Elks?

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To answer that question, it’s worth examining some of the bigger pieces that have been placed around him.

And it doesn’t get any bigger than receiver Eugene Lewis, the reigning Most Outstanding Player nominee from the East Division that came over in free agency from the Montreal Alouettes after posting 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns on 91 receptions last year.

“He’s been great, he’s picked up the playbook well,” Cornelius said. “The on-the-field stuff, we knew what he could do and he didn’t disappoint today, for sure.

“He’s established himself, we feel like, as a leader just being able to come in right away and lead some guys, especially in the receiver room. He just is a good guy, a great culture guy and guys just kind of come to him.”

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While the Elks made Lewis the league’s top-paid non-quarterback at a salary of $320,000, it is Cornelius who signed a contract extension in September that will pay him in the neighbourhood of $400,000 this year.

That’s a far cry from the $65,000 league-minimum the quarterback entered the league making on the way to a 1-7 record as a starter in 2021. His record currently sits at 4-16, but the club has obviously put pen to paper when it comes to their expectations this year.

And it has already been a monumental one, at least, as far as his off-field endeavours are concerned.

“I got married in March, went on a honeymoon after that. We’ve been loving it,” Cornelius said. “An exciting off-season, for sure.”

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In and out

On Wednesday, the Elks announced the release of WR Raphael Leonard. The 25-year-old Southern Illinois product was switched to the defensive side of scrimmage last season, earning five tackles in five games … The club has also released a pair of University of Alberta Golden Bears products in OL Peter Kozushka and DL Riley Szafranski … OL Martez Ivey, who started 15 games at tackle last year in his first season with the Elks, had passport issues and has yet to report to training camp, along with LB Kevin Francis, who is involved in a contract dispute with the club. “He unfortunately was upset and so we’ve just got to move on and worry about the guys that are here,” head coach and GM Chris Jones said. “He’s an awfully good player and we would certainly like to have him” … The Elks brought in Stettler’s Theren Churchill from the Toronto Argonauts in exchange for a conditional 2024 draft pick. The offensive lineman out of the University of Regina was drafted in the first round (ninth overall) in 2020. “The thing that I like is the fact that he’s local. He’s from an hour away and lives here in Edmonton,” Jones said. “We’re trying to make sure that we’re doing as good a job as we can to make sure that we’re turning over all the rocks for the local guys.”

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On Twitter: @GerryModdejonge

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