Photo: Timothy Matwey/3DownNation. All rights reserved.
Millions of people across Canada are excited for the start of the 2026 CFL season but Noah Curtis might be the most delighted of all.
The six-foot-five, 302-pound defender underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee last June, forcing him to miss the entire season. It was a difficult year
“It’s probably one of the toughest years of my life. I’d never been in a position where I had to sit out a whole season. Mentally and physically, it was just a grind,” Curtis told the media on Wednesday.
“I remember calling my mom, my dad, my girl back home, just crying because I couldn’t play the game that I’ve been playing since I was four. It’s definitely a grind and a challenge, but I mean, as long as you put the work in, I’m so happy I’ve got great support staff … and I’m so thankful for them believing in me, giving me another chance to come back to the Elks and perform.”
The native of Riviera Beach, Fla. attended an open tryout with the Elks in 2023, where he learned he could qualify for Canadian citizenship through his Ontario-born mother. He was a fourth-round pick by Edmonton in that year’s draft and became a full-time starter in 2024, recording 21 defensive tackles and six sacks.
Curtis participated in practice on Wednesday, marking the first time he’s done contact work since the injury took place.
“I was so excited when they told me I could do limited team,” said Curtis. “First lick of contact, falling to the ground, bull-rushing the (offensive) linemen for the first time in a year. It felt really good.”
“It’s good to see him out there. It’s been a minute,” said head coach Mark Kilam. “There’s a huge process with (Curtis returning) both from our strength and conditioning with the return to sport, our training staff, getting him in on indy and walkthrough to start, and then we’ve kind of progressed to now getting him some real reps today.”
Curtis is one of two blue-chip Canadian defensive tackles on Edmonton’s roster who were unable to play in 2025.
Darien Newell, a second-round pick out of Queen’s, was suspended for the year after testing positive for nine banned substances at the CFL Combine. The three-time U Sports All-Canadian officially signed with the team earlier this month and will look to provide an improved punch along the interior of the defensive line.
“We’re very high on both those guys and they’ve gotta play catch up a little bit, but it’s good to see them out there,” said Kilam. “That’s a good combination of guys to have, but the focus for him is getting back out here, feeling what that feels like, practicing on our feet — all those kind of things that he hasn’t done in a long time.”
The injury was a lesson for Curtis, who will turn 28 this fall.
“I’ve gotta take care of myself a lot better than I have in past years,” he said. “I’m not that same kid from Florida in college that could just lace up the cleats and go to practice, I really got to start taking care of my body — that’s what I started doing last year with the injury.”
The Edmonton Elks opened training camp on May 10. Edmonton will play its first preseason game against the B.C. Lions on Saturday, May 23 and its second preseason game against the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, May 29. Final roster cuts are due on Saturday, May 30, after which the team will play its first regular-season game against the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday, June 6.
Calgary recently selected Rutgers linebacker Dariel Djabome with their first-round pick in the 2026 CFL Draft, adding a key piece to pair with fellow Canadian linebacker Joel Dublanko. The team’s other major offseason additions include receiver Austin Mack, offensive lineman Coulter Woodmansey, and defensive lineman Malik Carney.
In 2025, the Elks finished fifth in the West Division standings with a 7-11 record, missing the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
