Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions
Article by Andrew Hoskins
The Edmonton Elks’ 2026 preseason opened in Langford, B.C., on Saturday against a less-experienced Lions squad. The good news is that it turned out as it should have, with the more veteran team taking a 34-16 win. The better news is that most of the game was played by the Elks’ depth players.
Here are my thoughts on the game.
Quarterbacks show growth
Cody Fajardo took the opening snaps and got a total of two series to knock the rust off. The veteran tried for some big plays against the young Lions’ secondary, but wasn’t able to connect. It did give him a few reps behind this new offensive line with live fire from the other team. I would expect the 34-year-old to get much more time next week to finish working out the timing.
One of the biggest moves made this past offseason was the release of Tre Ford and the signing of Taylor Powell at quarterback. It is only one preseason game, but the move looks to be the right one. The Eastern Michigan product went 13-of-14 passing and looked comfortable both in and outside the pocket. A beautiful touchdown pass to newcomer Austin Mack solidified what I have been seeing in camp; he is prepared to be the next guy, but will learn as he goes. The only blemish came on an interception that I thought receiver Jalon Calhoun could have fought a bit more for. A very promising start for the fourth-year pivot.
Both Cole Snyder and Zach Zebrowski saw time in the second half. Snyder navigated the pocket much better than last year. Zebrowski did a lot of handing off for the tight running back race, but connected on all three of his passes. Both had touchdown passes and protected the ball. The battle for their placement on the depth chart will be one to watch this coming week.
D-line depth
Edmonton left the majority of its starting defensive line back home for a rest. Jared Brinkman, Robbie Smith, all-star free agent Malik Carne, and the injured Noah Taylor were not part of Saturday’s clash. With Canadian Noah Curtis still recovering from a knee injury suffered last year, Jordan Williams has stepped into the tackle spot and has looked great throughout camp so far. The third-year lineman continued to impress with a lot of pressure and a knockdown on the line in less than a half of work. I think the Lions’ young offensive line was quite alright with him giving other people a shot.
The clear standout of the day, though, was Miami product Elijah Alston. He only produced two tackles, but one was for a loss, and he was consistently in the backfield. With Brandon Barlow going down with what appeared to be an Achilles injury, I expect the 24-year-old Alston to be in that backup/rotational end spot.
Homegrown catches
The Elks receiving corps got a decent makeover in the offseason with names like Austin Mack, Joe Robustelli and Brandon O’Leary-Orange joining via free agency. The biggest story of camp, though, has been the 21st overall pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, Carter Kettyle. Born in Grande Prairie, Kettyle grew up a Green and Gold fan. The Alberta Golden Bears product has been more than advertised, catching everything that comes his way. The first of many touchdowns was a 58-yard catch-and-run in the fourth quarter. I believe he will be on this roster, and it makes for a great local success story.
The other receiver that turned heads over the past two weeks is Texas native Joshua Cephus. The rookie caught all five of his targets on Saturday. Cephus is not a big YAC receiver, but an excellent second-down target that find a way to bring the catch down at the sticks. Another tall target at six-foot-two, I expect him to be around in the coming months.
Jalon Calhoun might be the biggest mystery to me on this training camp roster. He will catch a touchdown on one play, then get lost in the secondary on the next. The Duke product had a good game in the season finale last year, but with his smaller stature, Edmonton will need more from him in the return game or greater success downfield. He has some great speed, but is in a tough fight with some of the youngsters in camp.
Kicking it out of the park
Jake Julien will be a difference maker for the Elks again this year. The Canadian punter averaged 56 yards per kick in this game. The biggest thing I have noticed, though, is that his hang time has improved. In camp sessions, the 27-year-old was averaging 4.5-4.9 seconds of hangtime, giving his cover team more than ample time to get down the field. A master of his craft.
New Global kicker, Jesus Gomez, took the placekicking duties for this game. The Mexican kicker has quite the leg, nailing both of his field goals and putting a number of footballs onto or over the building outside of Starlight Stadium. The Arizona State product had a number of kickoffs that were low-arching, but still produced a 68-yard average on the day. At 22 years old, I can see him as the next project while they work with incumbent Vincent Blanchard.
Secondary backups
Last year, the Elks’ secondary was mostly newcomers learning a new defensive system. This year, the lineup seems to be pretty much locked in with Tyrell Ford, Kordell Jackson, Chelen Garnes and JJ Ross all in starting spots. Kobe Williams is the incumbent in the halfback spot, and I would expect that he stays there. Edmonton’s second pick in the 2026 draft, Benjamin Sangmuah, has been pressing for a spot, but did get injured in the preseason tilt. Seen later in a knee brace, I hope he’ll be healthy enough to contribute, as he is a promising young Canadian.
Jaaron Joseph had a tough day at the office with many of the Lions’ pass catchers getting open against him. His five tackles only show how often they went his way. He will need to step up in the next game to show he can stick. On the other side of that, Ladarius Tennison seemed to be around the ball whenever he was on the field. He has had flashes in practice, but stepped up in the game. Playing against some more depth in the home preseason game could go a long way for the Central Florida product to crack the squad.
Backfield battles
Everyone knows that the starter in the backfield will be Justin Rankin. The speedster led the CFL in big plays last year and plans to do so again. Javon Leake will also continue to double-dip as running back and kick returner. There is very little space for anyone else to be on the roster.
UBC product Isaiah Knight is making people find space. In his second year with Edmonton, his growth as a running back and pass blocker is obvious. A combined total of 64 yards on nine touches is a successful half in preseason.
Just to keep the competition going, Rushawn Baker powered his way to a 5.9 yards per carry average. ShunDerrick Powell added 13 yards rushing and 39 combined return yards on one kickoff and one punt return. There is talent in the backfield, and it’s a good problem to have.
Back to the Knothole
All the starters should be back in action, for the first few series anyway, this Friday when the Elks return to their original home of Clarke Park for their final preseason test. The Stampeders are in town and bound to bring a more veteran lineup for Edmonton to tackle. Not only will the atmosphere be nostalgic, but the Battle of Alberta will have a lot of jobs on the line.
