{"id":477382,"date":"2026-02-15T23:20:09","date_gmt":"2026-02-15T23:20:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/477382\/"},"modified":"2026-02-15T23:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T23:20:09","slug":"a-level-of-nasty-we-need-revitalized-edmonton-elks-offensive-line-giving-mark-kilam-chills","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/477382\/","title":{"rendered":"‘A level of nasty we need’: revitalized Edmonton Elks offensive line giving Mark Kilam ‘chills’"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks.<\/p>\n

Mark Kilam\u2019s flowing locks are much too luscious to have ever been touched by grease, but just like Danny Zuko, the Edmonton Elks head coach has chills, and they\u2019re multiplying.<\/p>\n

In his case, the one that he wanted was help along the offensive line, and the Green and Gold got it in spades during CFL free agency.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think we got a level of nasty on the o-line that we need and we want. I just got chills saying that, because that\u2019s how we want to build this thing,\u201d Kilam said when introducing the team\u2019s new addition<\/a>. \u201cYou combine them with the guys that are coming back, training camp is going to be ultra competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n

Three offensive linemen were among the Elks\u2019 eight announced signings, addressing a group that allowed the second-most sacks in the CFL last season with 52. The team shelled out major dollars to make Coulter Woodmansey, the lone starting calibre Canadian available on the market, the highest-paid player at his position<\/a>, while also bringing his teammates Jordan Murray<\/a> and Brendan Bordner<\/a>.<\/p>\n

All three of the additions came via the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, making them extremely familiar to general manager Ed Hervey. The 52-year-old decision-maker oversaw each player when he worked for the Tabbies and played a role in bringing Bordner to the CFL.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe felt that we needed to address the offensive line in areas to add more depth, more competition,\u201d Hervey told the Edmonton media<\/a>. \u201cThere\u2019s a sense of commitment from this group that we\u2019re bringing in.\u201d<\/p>\n

While tough questions were dodged amidst a celebratory press conference on Wednesday<\/a>, the acquisitions weren\u2019t without casualties. Starting left tackle Martez Ivey, who was a West Division all-star in 2024 before struggling last season, was released by the Elks in the aftermath<\/a>, though his departure won\u2019t cost the Elks a dime due to the lack of offseason money in his contract.<\/p>\n

It now seems clear that Murray and Bordner will battle it out for the starting left tackle job in training camp, just as they did last season with the Ticats. Each was benched for the other at some point during the season, either due to injury or performance, with Murray finishing on top.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to try to put the guys in as many situations as we can, as many reps as we can, where they can show who they are, so we can make our best team Week 1,\u201d Kilam asserted.<\/p>\n

Edmonton has options elsewhere on the line as well, with positional flexibility across the board. Incumbents David Beard and Mark Korte, as well as Woodmansey, all have experience at centre, though the latter two are likely best suited at guard.<\/p>\n

Carter O\u2019Donnell, who stepped in at right guard late last year after returning home from the NFL<\/a>, has the ability to play right tackle and could be an upgrade over fellow Canadian Brett Boyko, allowing the Elks to keep four National starters up front. That spot could just as easily be given to an American, with Bordner and Murray going to opposite sides or returnees Greg Eiland and Mark Evans II stepping up.<\/p>\n

While Edmonton is staying mum about exactly where any one of their players will be deployed, they have a clear plan internally about how to structure their roster.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s rolling the dice and living on chance. Everything is calculated in what we do here,\u201d Hervey insisted when asked if the ratio could be figured out later.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe build a team with the expectation that you check the roster, and you make certain that you have your strongest National players that you can get, and then you draft them. With respect to how this league is, you\u2019ve got to make sure you can maintain (Canadians talent). You\u2019ve got to develop them. You have to do all those different things.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even before any rookie acquisitions or draft picks, the Elks are shaping up to be a dramatically improved team in the trenches. According to Kilam, the power they supply could be electrifying.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to be a physical football team. Do you see the size of these dudes we brought in over here?\u201d he raved. \u201cYou go across the board at every position, I think that it\u2019s kind of a non-negotiable on our football team. That\u2019s who we\u2019re going to be.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Photo courtesy: Edmonton Elks. Mark Kilam\u2019s flowing locks are much too luscious to have ever been touched by…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":477383,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[166835,166836,181495,49,48,7028,521,522,520,181496,13417,23752,77213,527,181502,2002,13416,192279,28543,82],"class_list":{"0":"post-477382","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cfl","8":"tag-3down","9":"tag-3downnation","10":"tag-brendan-bordner","11":"tag-ca","12":"tag-canada","13":"tag-canadian","14":"tag-canadian-football-league","15":"tag-canadianfootballleague","16":"tag-cfl","17":"tag-coulter-woodmansey","18":"tag-ed-hervey","19":"tag-edmonton","20":"tag-elks","21":"tag-football","22":"tag-jordan-murray","23":"tag-league","24":"tag-mark-kilam","25":"tag-martez-ivey","26":"tag-offensive-line","27":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477382","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=477382"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/477382\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/477383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=477382"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=477382"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=477382"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}