The Edmonton Elks signed wide receivers Jaylen Hall and Zane Pope to the practice squad on Sunday. To make room for them, the Elks released quarterback Khalil Tate, defensive linemen Olivier Charles-Pierre and Darel Middleton, and linebacker Mike Dubuisson from the practice squad.
Jaylen Hall is six foot three and weighs 180 pounds. The 24-year-old from Macomb, Michigan, attended minicamp with the Philadelphia Eagles. In 2022, he played one season at Western Kentucky 53 catches for 759 yards, six touchdowns, two carries for 19 yards, nine punt returns for 106 yards, and one touchdown in 11 games for the Hilltoppers.
Before Western Kentucky, Hall played four seasons at Western Michigan (2018-21) with 85 catches for 1,532 yards and 14 touchdowns in 43 games for the Broncos.
Zane Pope is six foot two and weighs 195 pounds. The 24-year-old from Moorpark, California, played four seasons at Fresno State (2018-19, 2021-22) with 109 catches for 1,496 yards, eight touchdowns, two carries for three yards, and five punt returns for 26 yards in 37 games for the Bulldogs. He was named Phil Steele Fourth Team All-Mountain West selection in 2022.
Khalil Tate is six foot and weighs 215 pounds. The 24-year-old from Inglewood, California, played one preseason game for the Elks against the Calgary Stampeders completing 4 of 5 passes (80%) for 42 yards, and two carries for 12 yards before he was released on May 29th. The Elks brought him back on June 27th and placed him on the practice squad.
Tate initially signed with the Elks in January of 2022 before being released and later signed with the Toronto Argonauts. In addition, Tate signed with the Philadelphia Eagles as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Collegiately, Tate played four seasons at the University of Arizona (2016-19) completing 459 of 772 (59.5%) passes for 6,318 yards, 57 touchdowns, 31 interceptions, 366 carries for 2,285 yards, and 18 touchdowns in 40 games for the Wildcats.
Khalil Tate became the first player in PAC-12 history to win the Offensive Player of the Week four times. In addition, Tate was a 2017 Maxwell Award Finalist, 2017 Manning Award Finalist, and 2017 Davey O’Brien Award Semifinalist.
Olivier Charles-Pierre is six foot one and weighs 375 pounds. The 29-year-old from Laval, Quebec, played one season at Incarnate Word with 37 tackles (11 solo, 26 assists), 7.5 tackles for loss, one sack, and one forced fumble in 13 games for the Cardinals.
Before Incarnate Word, Charles-Pierre played two seasons at New Mexico Military Institute (2017-18) with 32 tackles (20 solo, 12 assists) and 5.5 tackles for loss in ten games for the Colts. He was named a preseason Junior College All-American by GridironRR.com in 2018.
Then, Charlies-Pierre transferred to Houston (2019-21) with 23 tackles (10 solo, 13 assists), three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and one fumble recovery in 24 games for the Cougars.
Darel Middleton is six foot seven and weighs 305 pounds. The 26-year-old from Knoxville, Tennessee, signed with the Elks on May 5, 2023.
Collegiately, Middleton played one season at East Mississippi Community College in 2018 with 29 tackles (14 solo, 15 assists), seven tackles for loss, one sack, and one pass breakup in ten games for the Lions.
He helped the Lions to an undefeated season that resulted in them winning the 2018 NJCAA National Championship over Garden City Community College by the final score of 10-9.
Then, he transferred to the University of Tennessee (2019-20) with 43 tackles (20 solo, 23 assists), 3.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, two pass breakups, one forced fumble, and one blocked kick in 22 games for the Volunteers. In 2021, Middleton went to West Virginia with two tackles and one sack in three games before leaving the team.
After West Virginia, he transferred to Bethel University in 2022 with 19 tackles (10 solo, 9 assists), 7.5 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, one fumble recovery, and three pass breakups in ten games for the Wildcats.
Mike Dubuisson is six foot three and weighs 220 pounds. The 31-year-old from Montreal, Quebec, played one game for the Elks in 2023 against Saskatchewan with two tackles (1 DT, 1 ST). In 2022, he played sixteen games for the Elks with three tackles. He was in his second stint with Edmonton.
The Elks (then Eskimos) drafted Dubuisson in the 2014 CFL Supplemental Draft. He played three seasons for the Edmonton Eskimos with four tackles, 14 special teams tackles, one interception, and one forced fumble in 53 games.
In 2017, Dubuisson signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders with four tackles in two games. After Saskatchewan, he signed with the B.C. Lions but was released during training camp.
Collegiately, he played for the University of Montreal in 2011 with 21 tackles (19 solo, 4 assists), one tackle for loss, one fumble recovery, four interceptions for 112 yards, and four pass breakups in six games for the Carabins. In 2013, Dubuisson played for the University of Windsor with 37 tackles (33 solo, 8 assists), two tackles for loss, one sack, two interceptions for 18 yards, and six pass breakups in eight games for the Lancers.
