Second-year quarterback Troy Williams is leading the Edmonton Elks backup competition.
After general manager Brock Sunderland elected to move on from veteran Logan Kilgore, the job behind Trevor Harris became open entering 2021 CFL training camp.
“Troy Williams he’s got acceptional arm talent, very mobile, learning the system, still processing through some things, but he can make plays on the run. He breaks contain and can turn a scramble into a 40-yard, 50-yard gain — great mobility,” head coach Jaime Elizondo said in a post-practice press conference.
“The two guys behind him, Taylor Cornelius and Drew Anderson, there’s things that they gotta work on a little bit more. Individually, one of them has got to take more of a command at that spot, be a little bit more vocal, demonstrative.”
Williams earned a roster spot with the Elks in 2019. He appeared in his first CFL game during Week 18 in 2019, rushing nine times for 18 yards as the short yardage quarterback. In Week 21, the University of Utah product went one-of-three passing for 15 yards with one interception while rushing twice for eight yards.
Under Elizondo in the XFL with the Tampa Bay Vipers, Cornelius completed 63 percent of his passes for 858 yards with four touchdowns and six interception in five starts. He also rushed 17 times for 114 yards and three touchdowns.
Anderson spent the 2019 season with the Arizona Cardinals. He played three NFL pre-season games that year, completing 18-of-32 pass attempts (56.2 percent) for 206 yards with two touchdowns and one interception while carrying the ball three times for 42 yards.
“Usually when you come into camp, you have a good two, a drop-off at the three spot, and a fourth guy that is throwing so that the other three don’t get overloaded — all three guys have talent, ” Elizondo said.
“They’re big, they’re tall, they’ve got strong arms — it’s going to be a heckuva battle. Ultimately, the guy that can move the team down the field consistently is going to be the guy.”
