Elks load up at WR, sign Lewis, Dunbar Jr.

After being named the East's best player last season, Eugene Lewis is headed west and joining the Edmonton Elks.

"Eugene has elite ball skills and has shown great leadership the past few years as a top target in the CFL," Elks assistant general manager Geroy Simon said. "He’ll not only lead us on the field but also off. He's the exact type of guy we need for their organization." 

Lewis, a 29-year-old native of Norristown, Pa., is coming off his best season in the Canadian Football League as he caught a career-high 91 passes for a career-high 1,303 yards and 10 touchdowns. He was named the East Division's Most Outstanding Player for his efforts.

Earlier Tuesday, he penned a goodbye later to the Alouettes.

"When I got to Montreal in 2017, I didn't know what to expect," Lewis wrote. "Didn't even know If I was going to make the team coming in with only three days left of training camp. All I knew is I was going to give this city everything I had and grind each and every day. Six years later one thing I can promise is I gave everything I could. This city and fanbase embraced me in a special way and I will always be grateful of the great province of Quebec. There was so much change for me throughout these years whether it was coaches, teammates, upstairs office, trainers, Equipment staff, owners, presidents, GMs, etc.... But I wouldn't change anything.

"We helped change the culture of this organization for the better and no one can take that away. I want to thank all my coaches, teammates, Alouettes Organization, Als Nation, for supporting me all these years and helping me become the player I am today. There were so many Memories made that will live on forever and I will dearly miss the people of Montreal. The Alouettes will always be in my heart and I will never forget how much this community means to me. Making this decision was very difficult but sometimes you have to take a leap of faith and trust God."

Lewis' efforts this season helped lead the Alouettes to a 9-9 record and second in the Eastern Division in 2022. In the Eastern Semi-Final, Lewis racked up 98 yards on seven receptions in the Alouettes' 28-17 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The following week in the Eastern Final, Lewis hauled in five passes for 83 yards in the Alouettes' 34-27 loss to the Toronto Argonauts.

Lewis signed with the Alouettes in 2017 following a collegiate career spent at Penn State University (2012-15) and the University of Oklahoma (2016).

He played five seasons with the Alouettes (2017-19, 2021-22), appearing in 69 games. He caught 276 passes for 4,347 yards and 28 touchdowns.

Over the span of his time with the Als, Lewis was twice named a CFL All-Star (2021, 2022), was thrice an East Division All-Star (2019-22) and in the 2022 season.

Dunbar joins Elks

The Elks also added American wide receiver Steven Dunbar Jr., the club announced on Tuesday.

"Steven Dunbar is a big and physical wide receiver that we’ve had our eye on for a couple years now," said Geroy Simon, Elks assistant general manager. "We’re ecstatic to bring him to the Green and Gold."

Dunbar was named an East Division All-Star last season, his second with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, when he caught 72 passes for 1,000 yards and six touchdowns. In two seasons with the Ticats, the New Orleans native caught 116 passes for 1,630 yards and 10 touchdowns.

Elks sign former No. 1 pick St. John

The Elks also announced the signing of offensive lineman Josiah St. John.

The Toronto native was the No. 1 overall pick in 2016 and has played five season for the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

St. John, 30, returns to the Elks after a brief stint in 2019, suiting up for Edmonton in the 2019 East Final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

St. John has appeared in 47 regular-season games.