Landry: Locksley becoming a multi-purpose threat in Elks offence

Don Landry

CFL.ca

@CFLLandry

All Kai Locksley ever wanted to do was play quarterback and, you know, really he still does. But that doesn’t mean the Edmonton rookie is disappointed to be lining up as a receiver for the Elks.

In fact, he is embracing the opportunity in a big bear hug because Kai Locksley loves, loves, loves to play football.

“Since I was young, I knew this was my calling,” says Locksley. “I love the game.”

He won’t be in the Elks’ line-up when the team plays host to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Friday night, a tweaked hamstring – injured during warm-ups last week in Montreal – has kept Locksley out of practices in the week leading up to the game.

If he and the Elks are fortunate, his time on the sideline will be short. The 25-year-old native of Fort Washington, Maryland has been quickly becoming an important, multi-purpose threat for the team, barging into the line of scrimmage as a short-yardage and goal line quarterback (he has five rushing touchdowns this season), and being a pretty quick study when it comes to learning how to be a slot receiver in the CFL.

It’s not exactly how he saw things shaping up.

“I would definitely say this year has been a bunch of curveballs and surprises,” says Locksley. “But you know, it’s been all positive things because at the end of the day if they want me on the field and helping the offence, helping the team, those are things I’m interested in.”

Last week’s game against the Alouettes was a very good next step for Locksley, who hauled in four catches on five targets for 48 yards, while muscling into the end zone on two short touchdown runs. Additionally, he showed gritty determination in returning to the field time and time again after leaving in some obvious pain; some of it caused by the hamstring, some of it by the pounding he took on a previously injured shoulder. “If something’s not blatantly broken, I’m gonna try to finish the game,” he says.

In signing with Edmonton last January, Locksley had one thing in mind and one thing only; competing for the starting quarterback’s job with the Elks, whom he knew had a wide-open training camp picture when it came to the position. After trying out with the Miami Dolphins as a receiver in 2021, Locksley felt he had a good shot at getting back to being what he’d been at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) and that was a star quarterback.

“Coming into training camp, I pretty much did all exclusive quarterback training,” says Locksley, “so I kind of put the receiver stuff on the back burner.”

He felt he had a strong camp and Chris Jones obviously agreed, although the Elks’ head coach was seeing a broader picture when it came to the deployment of the athletic newcomer.

In a pre-season game against Calgary, Locksley went 9-for-13 for 124 yards and threw one interception. He also lined up as a receiver in that game and caught two balls for 21 yards. Jones – who has a habit of asking his players to open their minds to playing their positions in a different way and sometimes playing another position entirely – was impressed with the rookie’s overall talent and abilities. He told Locksley he would use him at pivot in some packages, but that he also wanted the young quarterback to get the ball in space as a receiver, in order to let his athleticism shine.

This was not completely new to Locksley.

Kai Locksley has lined up at both quarterback and receiver this season with Edmonton (GoElks.com)

In high school, Locksley says, he backed up an all-star senior at quarterback during his first year and ended up getting some reps at both receiver and at safety (I wonder if Jones knows about that).

So, with his high school experience behind him, as well as the Dolphins restricting him entirely to trying out as a receiver, Locksley was not shocked when the Elks asked him to diversify his on-field portfolio. At first the Elks had him had wideout and he had at least some familiarity with that. But then, he was moved to the slot, where he seems to be emerging, but not without growing pains and hard work.

The move to slot has Locksley feeling challenged, and he says he relishes the opportunity to improve as fast as he can. “It’s a whole different mechanism and game within itself,” he notes of playing inside.

In order to level up his game, Locksley is getting every bit of information he can from Elks’ receivers coach Markus Howell, having one-on-one conversations whenever possible, every day. “He knows exactly what he’s talking about,” says Locksley of Howell, who played 11 seasons in the CFL and has been coaching ever since his retirement in 2010.

Howell, Locksley says, is not shy about pointing out mistakes even when a catch has been made, and the young quarterback/receiver thinks that’s just fine. “I love that,” he says.

“I’m trying to get as polished and particular, and (get) as much criticism as I possibly can get,” says Locksley. “Because I’m the type of guy, that, if I’m on the field, I want it to be perfect. So if I’m a yard short, or the split isn’t exactly where it needs to be, or I didn’t attack the right level, I want to be coached on it and I want to be coached hard. Whatever it possibly takes to be the greatest I possibly can be.”

In looking for receiver tutoring, Locksley is blessed by having not only Howell to go to, but also Elks’ assistant general manager Geroy Simon, the CFL’s all-time leading receiver. Locksley seeks him out now and again for “little things that he sees I can do here and there.”

Then there are his compatriots in the Elks’ receiving corps, like Derel Walker, Kenny Lawler and Manny Arceneaux. “All three of those guys are like my big brothers and I lean on them, and ask them questions pretty much every day,” says Locksley.

Locksley was a little stubborn in his younger years, he admits, insisting that he would be a quarterback even when asked to dip his toes into the receivers and defensive backs pools. That was just a slight detour, is all. A quarterback was what he was going to be. Now, with the opportunities being presented to him in Edmonton, he finds he is more open-minded as to how the future can unfold.

It’s all about playing pro football.

“I waited a long time to get this opportunity and get put in this situation,” he says, sounding determined. “Now I just want to maximize that as great as I possibly can. I just wanted to get my first season playing professional, you know? Whatever it took, I was gonna ride with that so I could display my abilities.”

And about being a starting quarterback one day?

“I’m young,” says Locksley. “So, there’s time.”

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