On Monday, the Edmonton Elks made several transactions. First, they traded offensive lineman Colin Kelly to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a seventh-round pick in the 2023 CFL Draft.
Then, they released defensive backs Matt Elam and Ethan Makonzo from the active roster, along with quarterback Michael Beaudry, wide receiver Jalin Marshall, and defensive back Malik Sonnier from the practice. Meanwhile, linebacker Enock Makonzo and wide receiver Raphael Leonard have been moved to the active roster.
Colin Kelly (32-years-old) played two games for the Elks this season. The Longview, Washington, native played 50 games in Edmonton (2017-2019, 2022) and 26 games for the Ottawa Redblacks (2014-15).
Matt Elam (30-years-old) had ten tackles in three games for the Elks this season. Last year, he played for the Tucson Sugar Skulls (IFL) with 56 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and nine pass breakups in 12 games. The Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, native played for the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2018 with 31 tackles, three sacks, and one interception in nine games.
Ethan Makonzo (26-years-old) played two games for the Elks this year. He is the older brother of Ethan Makonzo. The Montreal Alouettes drafted Ethan in the sixth round (46th pick) in the 2021 CFL Draft from the University of Montreal.
Michael Beaudry (24-years-old) was on the Elks practice squad. At Idaho, he went 73-122 completions for 794-yards, three touchdowns, three interceptions, 25 carries for 97-yards, and one touchdown in four games in the spring season. Then, in the fall season, Beaudry was 115-179 for 1,299 yards, four touchdowns, six interceptions, and 27 carries for 68 yards in seven games.
Beaudry started his collegiate career at West Florida (2017-18), completing 268-489 for 3,224 yards, 29 touchdowns, 13 interceptions, 97 for 83-yards, and two touchdowns in 15 games. In 2017, he led West Florida to the D2 National Championship after going 10-4 for the season. He was named Second Team All-America honors.
After West Florida, Beaudry played one season (2019) at UConn, completing 53 of 83 passes for 503-yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, 21 carries for -73-yards, and one touchdown in five games before suffering an injury.
Jalin Marshall (26-years-old) played one game for the Elks with one catch for four yards. He spent two seasons in Hamilton (2019, 2021) with ten catches for 159 yards, one carry for eight yards, and one touchdown in eight games.
Before heading to the CFL, the Middletown, Ohio, native played three seasons at Ohio State (2013-15) with 69 catches for 924 yards and 11 touchdowns in 27 games.
Malik Sonnier (24-years-old) played one game for the Elks with three tackles. The Houston, Texas, native played two years at Midwestern State (2020-21) with 54 tackles, four interceptions, nine pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 12 games. In addition, Sonnier spent three seasons at Northwestern State (2017-19) with 57 tackles, two forced fumbles, one interception, and four pass breakups in 26 games.
Enock Makonzo (25-years-old) had four tackles against the BC Lions in the season opener. The fourth overall pick in 2022 from Coastal Carolina spent the last two games on the 1-game injured list with a knee injury. Makonzo played three seasons at Coastal Carolina (2019-21) with 150 tackles, two sacks, one pass breakup, five forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Raphael Leonard (25-years-old) played two seasons at Southern Illinois (2017-18) with 91 catches for 1,377 yards and 12 touchdowns. In 2016, caught 23 passes for 360 yards and seven touchdowns at East Mississippi Community College and caught one pass for eight yards for Florida Atlantic in 2015.
