Edmonton Elks make several moves including signing punter Jake Julien

The Edmonton Elks signed former Ottawa Redblacks punter Jake Julien on Saturday. In addition, they released offensive lineman Jaylan Guthrie and defensive lineman Christian Rector, plus added 11 players to the practice squad.

Jake Julien is six foot two and weighs 190 pounds. The 24-year-old from Barrie, Ontario, attended the Ottawa Redblacks training camp. Before Ottawa, he tried out for the New England Patriots in 2022.

Collegiately, Julien played five seasons at Eastern Michigan (2017-21) with 221 punts for 9,726 yards (44 AVG) with a long of 78 yards, 19 touchbacks, 52 fair catches, 71 from inside the 20-yard line, 51 for 50-plus yards, and one blocked punt.

In addition, he had two kickoffs for 101 yards in 54 games for the Eagles. He tied Rich Hanschu (1979-80) for first in the EMU record books with a 43.4 career punting average and ranked eighth in EMU history with 7,383 yards punting.

Jaylan Guthrie is six foot three and weighs 315 pounds. The 28-year-old played one game for the Elks in 2022 on October 21^st against the B.C. Lions. Before Edmonton, the Calgary Stampeders drafted him in the fourth round (37^th pick) in the 2019 CFL Draft.

However, he spent the season on their practice squad before releasing him in July 2021 and later signed with the Ottawa Redblacks and played two games in 2021.

Collegiately, Guthrie played four seasons at the University of Guelph (2015-18). However, he missed the 2018 season with a shoulder injury. In addition, Guthrie completed 29 reps at 225 lbs. during the bench press at the Ontario regional combine.

Christian Rector is six foot four and weighs 270 pounds. The 26-year-old from South Pasadena, California, had 13 tackles and three sacks in eight games for the Elks in 2022. This will be his third season in Edmonton. The Elks signed Rector as a free agent in 2021. In his first season, Rector made 12 tackles, four sacks, and two forced fumbles in 11 games.

Collegiately, Rector played four seasons at USC (2016-19) with 107 tackles (56 solo, 51 assists), 22.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks, one interception, five pass breakups, three forced fumbles, and three fumble recoveries in 46 games for the Trojans.

In his final season, Rector had 19 tackles, one sack, one interception, and two pass breakups in ten games. He is a two-time AP All-Pac-12 second team (2017-18), and a CollegeFootballNews.com All-Pac-12 first team in 2017.

The following players were placed on the practice squad.