The Edmonton Elks have placed star running back James Wilder Jr. on the six-game injured list.
Wilder has been nagged by a shoulder injury for the past two weeks. He was a limited participant in practice Tuesday before suiting up fully on Wednesday but has been ruled out for the foreseeable future nonetheless.
The 30-year-old running back was a bright spot for the Elks in an otherwise miserable 2021 season, coming out of retirement to record 142 carries for 770 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 28 passes for 226 yards and one touchdown.
Through three games in 2022, Wilder has posted 28 carries for 124 yards and nine catches for 90 more.
According to the Elks depth chart, the former CFL Most Outstanding Rookie will be replaced by rookie Sherman Badie. The Louisiana native played four seasons at Tulane University, rushing for 1,517 yards and nine touchdowns in 44 games. Badie also spent time with the Arizona Cardinals in 2018 and Memphis of the XFL in 2020.
The team has listed returner Charles Nelson as Badie’s backup. The former Oregon receiver was named the team’s starting safety a week ago but gave way to Canadian Scott Hutter for much of the contest.
