After an organizational overhaul in 2025 that included everyone from the president to the kicker, the Edmonton Elks will look to build on what was a solid end to last season in 2026.
President and CEO Chris Morris and vice-president and general manager Ed Hervey were brought in to run operations, while head coach Mark Kilam, offensive coordinator Jordan Maksymic, and defensive coordinator J.C. Sherritt were brought in on the coaching front.
Overall, the changes helped turn out about .500 ball over the final 13 games of the season, which, believe it or not, is one of the team’s best stretches of play post-pandemic (18-50 over the previous four seasons).
Now with a strong foundation established and some big free-agent acquisitions in the fold, the Elks will look to make the playoffs for the first time post-pandemic in 2026.
Offence
It was no secret that things improved last season after quarterback Cody Fajardo got inserted into the starting lineup. After a 1-4 start, the veteran was given the nod and guided Edmonton to a 6-7 record to finish the season as the Elks’ starter. Fajardo added more than 65 yards through the air and over 20 net offensive yards per game in his starts compared to Tre Ford’s to start the year.
Regardless, it was still an offence that finished dead last in offensive points per game (21.9) and net offence per game (314.7), while also finishing second to last in passing yards per game (244.0) by year’s end.
Fajardo will have a better offensive line in front of him in 2026, after Hervey and co. made a significant investment up front in free agency. Fajardo took the most sacks by any quarterback (also partly because of Fajardo) while the Elks allowed the second most sacks as a team (52). That prompted Hervey to pick not one, not two, but three offensive linemen from his former Tiger-Cats club in tackles Brendan Bordner and Jordan Murray, as well as Canadian interior linemen Coulter Woodmansey.
Bordner and Murray both finished in the top 10 in pressure rate allowed last season, while Bordner, in particular, has been a sneaky standout over the past two seasons in Hamilton, only allowing 45 total pressures across 1,182 pass blocking snaps over the past two seasons (3.8 per cent pressure rate). While Woodmansey, who’s regarded as a better run blocker, also only allowed 68 pressures in over 2,000 pass blocking snaps across the past three seasons.
Joining him on the interior is last year’s mid-season acquisition, Carter O’Donnell. After five years in the NFL after coming out of Morris’ Alberta Golden Bear program, O’Donnell was one of the best guards in the league in his 240-plus snaps to end the year. Nationals in guard Mark Korte and centre David Beard have been some of the most consistent guys from their respective positions over the past three years, as well as to round out the line.
Overall, the Elks have at least seven linemen who could easily start in the CFL, making for now one of the deepest units in the league.
This could mean only more good things for Justin Rankin, who was the true engine of the offence in 2025. The 28-year-old was the CFL’s premier explosive play threat in 2025, leading the league in big plays (17), missed tackles forced (52), and total yards from scrimmage (1,726).
Rankin did it as a runner and pass catcher, leading the league in 20-plus yard touchdowns with 12 (no other player reached double digits) and receiving yards among backs (713). All of this was good enough to earn him an extension through 2027, as he is the perfect back next to the conservative and low-average depth of target quarterback that Fajardo is.
Running the ball and playing through Rankin should still be the motto, after Edmonton posted the fourth-best average yards per rush (5.2) and fifth-most rushing yards per game (98.1) in 2025. Maksymic called the fourth-highest rate of run plays in the league last season (34.7 per cent), but there is now some more pop in the receiver room.
Canadians in Kaion Julien-Grant (who saw career highs across the board in 2025), Brendan O’Leary-Orange, Zach Mathis, and rookie Carter Kettyle provide great complementary options, as does American free agent acquisition Joe Robustelli, but the headliner is Austin Mack.
The 6-foot-2, 215-pound target moved on from the Montreal Alouettes after being limited to just 12 games last season, but he has experience playing with Fajardo. Mack’s best season as a pro came when Fajardo was throwing him the ball, registering 78 receptions for 1,154 yards and four touchdowns with Montreal in 2023, earning All-CFL honours along the way.
Overall, turning the ball over the least number of times (27) and posting the second most big plays (52) in 2025 is great, but the team struggled to move the ball and convert on second down without those explosives. The home-run ability powered by Rankin is fantastic to have, and now with an improved offensive line and more ability in the receiving core, they have theoretically added more balance, consistency, and a floor to the offence from game-to-game and down-to-down.
Defence
It’s virtually the same group returning that had a strong finish for defensive coordinator Sherritt’s unit in 2025.
First nine games in 2025:
29.0 points allowed
403.0 net offence allowed
7.00 average yards per play allowed
13 turnovers forced
Final nine games in 2025:
25.4 points allowed
376.2 net offence allowed
6.68 average yards per play allowed
18 turnovers forced
Up front, the team said goodbye to Jake Ceresna in the middle after he was limited to just 11 games, while American Brandon Barlow and Canadian Darien Newell are out for the year with Achilles tears.
The team made a big-time move on the edge this offseason by adding Malik Carney after a phenomenal season with the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The 30-year-old has ascended into one of the premier pass rushers north of the border, with his 14.9 pressure rate topping the CFL in 2025, while his 62 pressures (fourth), eight sacks (fifth), and 39 tackles (fourth among defensive linemen) were top marks as well.
The Canadian contingent features Robbie Smith and Noah Curtis, both of whom will have to stay healthy. The former was limited to just 10 games last season due to various ailments, while the latter missed 2025 with a torn ACL.
Rounding out the defensive line are Americans Noah Taylor, who filled in nicely on the strong side while the pair of Canadians were out, and defensive tackles Jordan Williams and Jared Brinkman, the latter of whom is one of the best run stuffers in the league and had a great first year in Edmonton.
At linebacker, 2024 rookie of the year Nick Anderson, 2024 first-overall pick Joel Dublanko, 2026 third overall pick Dariel Djabome, and American Brock Mogensen should handle most of the duties. The 26-year-old Anderson was limited to just seven games last season due to a groin injury, but it opened the door for Dublanko and Mogensen to both play, and play solidly at that, especially in the run.
Overall, it’s a front seven that did a nice job in the run in 2025, allowing the fourth fewest rushing yards per game (101.7), but it’s a group that only recorded 24 sacks, the third worst mark. The addition of Carney should help in that regard, and if the run defence can remain solid or even improve, that would be good news for Edmonton.
The back end remains the same from 2025, with Canadian Tyrell Ford and J.J. Ross on the corners, Kordell Jackson and Kobe Williams at halfback, and Americans Chelan Garnes and Kenneth Logan Jr. rotating at safety and nickel.
Ford brings speed on the strong side, while Ross offers size and stickiness on the boundary. The rest fly around on the interior, especially Jackson, who does everything from his weak-side halfback spot and is big in the run game.
Despite the mediocre run defence, the Elks still finished with the most net offence allowed (389.6), passing yards allowed (296.4) and second to last in completion percentage allowed (71.5). A lack of pass rush and less-than-ideal coverage from the linebackers played a big part in that, too.
The team hasn’t lost much in terms of impact from 2025 and has only gotten better. With the organization now stabilized after the flip last season, the Elks now have continuity heading into 2026 and have a real shot to make the playoffs for just the second time in nearly a decade.
