Photo courtesy: Dale MacMillan/Edmonton Elks
The Green Bay Packers worked out Canadian linebacker Joel Dublanko on Tuesday, sources have confirmed to 3DownNation.
The 27-year-old recorded 80 defensive tackles, six special teams tackles, and two sacks over 18 regular-season games with the Edmonton Elks in 2025. He made 12 starts at weak-side linebacker.
Dublanko was the first overall pick in the 2024 CFL Draft. He recorded two defensive tackles and eight special teams tackles as a rookie. Though born in Aberdeen, Wash., Dublanko qualified for Canadian citizenship shortly before the draft through his father, who was born in Edmonton.
The six-foot-two, 231-pound defender played five collegiate seasons at the University of Cincinnati where he made 233 total tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, and one interception over 64 games. He was named first-team All-AAC in 2021 and served as a team captain.
Dublanko had stints with the New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks after going unselected in the 2022 NFL Draft, though he didn’t see any regular-season action. He played for the Philadelphia Stars in the United States Football League in 2023, making 27 total tackles and 0.5 sacks over seven games with four starts.
The CFL’s NFL workout window opened on November 17 and will close on February 10 at 12:01 p.m. EST. The window to sign with an NFL team will open on January 5 and end on February 10 at 12:01 p.m. ET.
NFL teams must ask CFL franchises for permission to work out players, but the request cannot be denied. CFL players can opt out of their agreements north of the border if an NFL team offers a contract, though the CFL team retains their exclusive rights for the remainder of the pre-existing contract.
The Edmonton Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings in 2025 with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season. Cody Fajardo started the team’s final 13 regular-season games and went 6-7, throwing for 3,408 yards, 14 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Tre Ford started the first five, going 1-4, and threw for 984 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions.
The Elks ranked ninth in net offence, ninth in net defence, and fifth with a turnover differential of plus-four. The club’s leading rusher was Justin Rankin with 1,013 yards, leading receiver was Kaion Julien-Grant with 820 yards, and leading tackler was Joel Dublanko with 80 tackles. Edmonton finished seventh in attendance with average crowds of 19,050, which was a 7.1 percent decrease from the previous year.