The Edmonton Elks released defensive lineman Marcus Willoughby and added offensive lineman Theren Churchill to the practice squad on Tuesday.
Marcus Willoughby is six foot three and weighs 253 pounds. The 24-year-old from Durham, North Carolina, was on the Elks’ practice squad after signing with them in November 2022. In addition, he played two preseason games with four tackles.
Before Edmonton, he signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent and later spent time on the New Orleans Saints practice squad.
Collegiately, Willoughby played four seasons at Elon University (2016-19) with 224 tackles (96 solo, 128 assists), 31 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in 43 games for the Phoenix. He was named 2018 Third Team All-CAA and Second Team All-CAA in 2019.
Theren Churchill is six foot six and weighs 295 pounds. The 28-year-old from Stettler, Alberta, was acquired by the Elks from the Toronto Argonauts on May 14th for a 2024 sixth-round pick. The pick can turn into a fifth-round pick had Churchill made the 45-man active roster for a minimum of nine games in the 2023 season.
Before Edmonton, Churchill played 11 games for the Argonauts in 2022, helping them win the Grey Cup. The Argonauts drafted Churchill in the first round (9th pick) in the 2020 CFL Draft. After the cancellation of the 2020 season, Churchill played ten games in his rookie season in 2021.
Churchill played 24 games in four seasons with the Edmonton Huskies (CJFL) playing right tackle. He earned a Prairie Football Conference All-Star Honors in 2016. Collegiately, Churchill played 25 games in three seasons at the University of Regina (2017-19) playing right tackle.
