The Edmonton Elks re-signed offensive lineman Brett Boyko to a two-year contract extension through the 2025 season and signed defensive back Donnie Lewis Jr. on Wednesday.
Brett Boyko is six foot seven and weighs 305 pounds. The 31-year-old from Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, appeared in 14 games for the Elks in 2023, starting 13 at right tackle. Before Edmonton, Boyko played eight games with the Orlando Guardians (XFL) in 2023.
Boyko was drafted by the B.C. Lions in the second round (14th pick) in the 2015 CFL Draft but did not sign with them. Instead, he signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2015 and made the practice squad. Then, Boyko played one game in three seasons with the San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers. In 2019, he played eight games with the San Diego Fleet (AAF).
After San Diego, Boyko signed with the B.C. Lions in 2019 and played 15 games, of which five were starts. Then, he signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in 2021 and made eight starts in eight games.
Collegiately, Boyko played 43 games in five seasons at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (2010-14) in which he earned Second Team All-Mountain West Conference in his senior year, and was a four-time Academic All-Mountain West honoree.
Donnie Lewis Jr. is six foot and weighs 190 pounds. The 27-year-old from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats practice squad late in the 2023 season. Before Hamilton, Lewis Jr. made ten tackles (8 solo, 2 assists), one interception, and two pass breakups in five games for the Birmingham Stallions (USFL) in 2023. The Stallions released Lewis Jr. on June 6, 2023.
The Cleveland Browns drafted Lewis Jr. in the seventh round (221st pick) of the 2019 NFL Draft. He spent two seasons on their practice squad. Later, Lewis Jr. spent time with the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos. He signed with the Stallions as a free agent on January 14, 2023.
Collegiately, Lewis Jr. played four seasons at Tulane University (2015-18) with 161 tackles (128 solo, 33 assists), 7.5 tackles for loss, half a sack, eight interceptions for 79 yards, one touchdown, 48 pass breakups, one fumble recovery, and one blocked kick in 46 games for the Mean Green.
