CFL.ca’s Top of the Depth Chart series offers an early, speculative look at how each team’s roster could shape up, highlighting potential starters and key position battles ahead of training camp.
2025 saw plenty of new faces for the Edmonton Elks, with Ed Hervey taking over as general manager and Mark Kilam leaving Calgary to become head coach.
Unfortunately, the results stayed the same, as Edmonton missed the playoffs for a fifth straight year.
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OFFENCE
* denotes National
** denotes Global
QUARTERBACK
Cody Fajardo stepped in for a struggling Tre Ford and did his best to steady the ship on offence.
Fajardo is not the type of quarterback that will take you on a wild ride with elite athleticism or a big arm, but what he will do is get the job done and win more often than he loses. Fajardo is perfect for an organization looking to establish a winning identity because there is no football scenario he hasn’t lived through. Cody is your 2023 Grey Cup MVP, has been a part of winning and losing teams in Saskatchewan and has been a part of just about every different quarterback room you can think of.
OFFENSIVE LINE
I would caution against focusing solely on the fact that Brendan Bordner was benched last year by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at the end of 2025. Bordner has already started 29 games in his two-year CFL career and at just 26 years old the future is bright for Fajardo’s blindside protector.
Carter O’Donnell joined Edmonton in early September after several years in the NFL. I could go on about his positional flexibility but instead check out this fun interview he did with Michael Arcuri and the Elks website.
David Beard was named All-CFL as a centre for the 2024 Hamilton Tiger-Cats and was a member of the last Edmonton team to win the Grey Cup. Beard brings much-needed continuity for the middle of the line.
A rock for the Tiger-Cats line for the past half-decade, Coulter Woodmansey easily could start at centre for most teams in the league. A Pro Football Focus darling, Woodmansey should find himself as an All-CFL offensive lineman this year.
For any Elks fan still worried about the conclusion of Bordner’s season with Hamilton, just remember it was Jordan Murray who replaced him at left tackle for the Tiger-Cats. At six-foot-nine Jordan should be the tallest offensive lineman. Edmonton’s offensive line is so deep I haven’t even mentioned Mark Korte who is under contract through the 2027 season.
RECEIVER
Kaion Julien-Grant was the team’s leader in receiving yards (820) and touchdown receptions (seven), setting career highs across the board. Julien-Grant has a real chance to break 1,000 yards as he gets to work with Fajardo for a full training camp. For the skill position portion of this article, I am going to throw in the odd highlight from last year to get you excited for 2026. Remember this fun catch?
Austin Mack is the most fascinating player on the 2026 Elks. At his best he can raise the ceiling of the entire Edmonton offence and as long as he is healthy, Mack will be the go-to target for Fajardo. The question is can Mack return to his 2023 All-CFL form when he and Cody combined for 1,154 receiving yards in Montreal.
I’m curious what Brendan O’Leary-Orange looks like when he is not playing behind three 1,000-yard receivers like he did last year with Hamilton. Yes, putting up a career high 336 yards isn’t helping your fantasy league, but in signing with Edmonton, O’Leary-Orange has an opportunity to see a higher volume of targets. Here he is burning the Toronto Argonauts for an 87-yard score.
At six-foot-three and around 220 pounds, Joe Robustelli brings plenty of size and is another tantalizing target for Fajardo. We’ve seen Robustelli dominate a game, as evidenced by his 11-catch, 191-yard, one touchdown performance in Week 6 against Calgary. Just like with O’Leary-Orange, I wonder what his potential is with an expanded role.
Whenever you read that a player has the speed to “outrun angles,” this is what we mean. In his second year, Justin Rankin amassed over 1,700 total yards and 13 touchdowns, and no running back ripped off more 20-yard runs than Rankin.
Jacob Plamondon has appeared in 51 games for the Elks as he enters his fifth year with the team. He can also be used on the defensive line and contributes on special teams.
DEFENCE
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DEFENSIVE LINE
Malik Carney was the perfect free agent signing for an Edmonton defence that was second last in sacks. Carney put up a career-high eight sacks with the Grey Cup-winning Roughriders, and his presence should make life easier for his fellow linemen.
One of the toughest stories to kick off 2025 was the season-ending ACL injury for Noah Curtis. In his first two years, Curtis played in 35 of 36 games. After a solid rookie season Curtis put up six sacks in 2024 playing either as a rush end or defensive tackle. From a pass-rushing perspective, this team has a real chance to bounce back from a poor 2025 if Curtis is healthy.
Jared Brinkman is an important piece for Edmonton’s run defence. The Elks signed him this winter to a contract extension after the two-time Grey Cup champion put together his most productive season playing 16 games, and registering 23 tackles to go along with two sacks.
Noah Taylor went from a depth lineman in 2024 to a full-time starter, appearing in every game and tying for the team lead in sacks. All signs are pointing to a breakout 2026 with the addition of Carney taking away much of the attention on the offensive line.
LINEBACKER
Joel Dublanko, the Elks’ first overall pick in the 2024 CFL Canadian Draft, put together an excellent second season with 80 tackles and two sacks while playing in every regular season game.
One of the keys to the Elks making it back into the post-season will be the health of their middle linebacker. As a rookie in 2024, Nick Anderson led the league in tackles making both the All-CFL team and being named the league’s Most Outstanding Rookie. Injuries derailed so much of that positive momentum as Anderson was limited to seven games.
Edmonton is on a roll when it comes to rookie linebackers as it was Kenneth Logan Jr. who shined at this position last year. Despite not being a part of the team in the preseason, Kenneth worked himself into a starting job by Week 4, was a massive contributor on special teams, and put up 47 tackles, three sacks, and three interceptions.
DEFENSIVE BACK
Fun Edmonton secondary fact, J.J. Ross finished the year higher on the Pro Football Focus cornerback rankings than his All-CFL defensive back teammate Tyrell Ford. To be fair it was only two spots higher. Bigger picture Kilam’s defence is set at this critical position.
The definition of steady, Kobe Williams hasn’t missed a game in his past three seasons averaging over 50 tackles in that time span.
The Elks nominee for the Most Outstanding Rookie, Chelen Garnes was third on the team in tackles with 62 as he divided his time between free safety and linebacker. Considering the talent at linebacker with Anderson back and healthy, it feels like a good bet we see Chelen spending more time with the defensive backs.
Kordell Jackson finished second in interceptions in 2024 and then this past year he ranked second in tackles while also getting his first two career sacks, one interception and led the team with 11 passes defended.
In a secondary filled with great players, Tyrell Ford stands at the top. An All-CFL corner in 2024 with seven interceptions, Ford collected two more in 2025 while setting a career-high in tackles. An improved pass rush could boost his interception totals but that also depends on how often quarterbacks decide to test him.
SPECIAL TEAMS
| Kicker/Punter | Long Snapper | Returner |
| Vincent Blanchard*/Jake Julien* | Luke Burton-Krahn* | Javon Leake |
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** denotes Global
KICKER
Another fun Elks fact, Vincent Blanchard was just one of three kickers in the league last year under the age of 33 to attempt a field goal. At 27 years old I imagine all the other kickers refer to him as “kid.”
PUNTER
I want to apologize to Jake Julien; I forgot he set a CFL record in 2024 with a punting average of 54.0 yards. That is a ridiculous number and needs to be highlighted. He returned to the team in late summer and has been extended through the 2027 season.
LONG SNAPPER
Doesn’t the name “Luke Burton-Krahn” just scream long snapper? Beyond being a part of the game’s most unsung roles for 18 games Luke also chipped in with seven special teams tackles.
RETURNER
Javon Leake led the league with 2,424 all-purpose yards, was named the team’s Most Outstanding Special Teams Player. Yeah not much else to add. The guy is a walking home run threat.
