The Edmonton Elks have signed Canadian punter Jake Julien.
The 26-year-old signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the offseason after working out for at least six NFL teams. He was waived by the team earlier this month.
The native of Barrie, Ont. had a standout season with the Elks in 2024 when he led the CFL in gross punting average (54.0 yards) and net punting average (40.0 yards). He broke the league’s single-season gross punting record set by Jon Ryan in 2005 and tied for the league lead with eight punts inside the 10-yard line. He also recorded 15 singles, including a memorable game-winner in overtime.
The six-foot-two, 217-pound specialist was originally selected by the Ottawa Redblacks in the fourth round of the 2021 CFL Draft. He chose to return to school for his final year of eligibility at Eastern Michigan University and signed with the New England Patriots as an undrafted free agent in 2022, though he was released in training camp.
Julien played five collegiate seasons for the Eagles, punting 221 times in 54 games and averaging 44 yards per attempt. He pinned opponents inside their 20-yard line 71 times in his career with 51 punts traveling over 50 yards and was named second-team All-Mid-American Conference as a senior.
The Elks have also signed American receivers Ayir Asante and Jalon Calhoun.
Asante participated in training camp with the Ottawa Redblacks earlier this year but didn’t see any regular-season action with the team. The five-foot-ten, 181-pound target had a preseason stint with the New York Giants in 2024 and caught 18 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns at the University of Wyoming in 2023.
Calhoun had a stint on Edmonton’s training camp earlier this year. The five-foot-eleven, 191-pound target played collegiately at Duke University where he made 253 receptions for 3,026 yards and 17 touchdowns over five collegiate seasons. He also had a stint with the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent.
The Edmonton Elks (4-6) will visit the Calgary Stampeders (7-3) at McMahon Stadium on Monday, September 1 with kickoff slated for 6:00 p.m. EDT. The Elks are riding a three-game winning streak, while the Stampeders beat up Saskatchewan last week to sweep the season series.
The weather forecast in Calgary calls for a high of 27 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud. The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 880 CHED in Edmonton and 770 CHQR in Calgary.
