The Edmonton Elks’ reloaded receiving core is making its highly anticipated premiere at Commonwealth Stadium, when the Green and Gold host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the 2023 CFL season-opener for both teams.
Steven Dunbar, Eugene Lewis, and Kyran Moore signed with the Elks in the off-season, joining the likes of Manny Arceneaux and Dillon Mitchell to for a quintet of gifted pass-catchers that might just be the very best in the CFL.
Here’s a look at the top targets that Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius will have at his disposal in 2023:
Manny Arceneaux
Arceneaux returns for his second season with the Elks, after totalling 513 receiving yards on 39 catches in 12 games last year. The sage veteran of more than 150 CFL games provides experience that virtually no one can match.
A three-time CFL West All-Star, Arceneaux is the CFL’s active leader in receptions (617), receiving yards (8,931) and touchdown catches (59). The 35-year-old needs just 21 catches to overtake Andy Fantuz for 20th all-time in league history.
Steven Dunbar
Dunbar comes to Edmonton following a breakout campaign with the Hamilton Ti-Cats in 2022, when he was named a CFL East All-Star after ranking top 10 in the CFL for receptions (72), receiving yards (1,000) and touchdown receptions (six).
The 27-year-old brings an element of size and physicality to the Elks. At six-foot-three, Dunbar is Edmonton’s tallest wide receiver.
Eugene Lewis
The most buzzed-about player to come to Edmonton in a long time, Lewis appears at No. 2 on TSN’s list of the 2023 Top 50 CFL Players, which the national broadcast network released on Tuesday.
Lewis spent the first five seasons of his CFL career with the Montreal Alouettes and reached new heights of greatness in 2022 when the native Pennsylvanian was named the East Division’s Most Outstanding Player after catching 91 passes for 1,303 yards and leading the East Division with 10 touchdown receptions.
Dillon Mitchell
Mitchell was a revelation for the Elks in the second half of the 2022 season, quickly emerging Edmonton’s top big-play threat after joining the Green and Gold in late July. From Week 12 to Week 18 last season, Mitchell reeled off six consecutive games with a reception of at least 44 yards.
Dillon Mitchell gives the Elks the lead with a 77-yard touchdown! #CFL pic.twitter.com/o9Y8tfvIAJ
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 17, 2022
The former Oregon standout possesses explosiveness that he used to great effect in his first eight CFL games last season, when he made 30 catches for 637 yards, including four that went for a touchdown. Immediately following the season, the Elks extended Mitchell through 2025.
Kyran Moore
Moore played his previous four CFL regular seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, catching a total of 210 passes for 2,351 yards with 10 touchdowns in 46 appearances.
The versatile Moore can also bolster Edmonton’s return game, as the 26-year-old has amassed well over 800 career return yards from punts and kickoffs. He brought back two punts for a touchdown as a rookie in 2018.
Arceneaux, Dunbar, Lewis, Mitchell and Moore combined for 268 receptions and 3,748 receiving yards last season. Now they bring their considerable talents together to be part of an aerial attack that just might be the Greatest Show on the 110-Yard Turf.
THE COUNTDOWN TO KICKOFF IS ON
The 2023 CFL season is rapidly approaching. Be there Sunday, June 11 at Commonwealth Stadium when the Edmonton Elks open the season against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It’s the start of a summer full of family, fun and football. Being part of the action has never been more affordable, with tickets starting at just $15. Click here to get your tickets to the Home Opener and be part of the tradition.
Elks Football…Our Team. Our City.