MEDIA RELEASE | Elks announce 2026 Team Awards

EDMONTON - The Edmonton Elks 2026 team awards were announced Thursday, as the CFL unveiled the nominees from all nine CFL clubs.

Quarterback Cody Fajardo leads the way as the Club's Most Outstanding Player nominee. He is joined by two repeat winners and two unanimous winners. David Beard (Outstanding Offensive Lineman) and Joel Dublanko (Outstanding Canadian) have captured their respective categories in back-to-back seasons for the Green and Gold, while Vincent Blanchard (Outstanding Special Teams), and TJ Luther (Outstanding Rookie) were both unanimous choices for team honours.

Big-time free agent addition Malik Carney is the Elks Most Outstanding Defensive Player nominee after a dominating season that has seen the defender collect a team-high 11 sacks (second in the CFL) and a league-leading four forced fumbles.

Members of the Edmonton Football Reporters of Canada (FRC), along with Elks Head Coach Mark Kilam submitted their votes in the six categories.

In a change for 2026, three award finalists will be announced in each category, with winners being revealed through special surprise presentations captured for online distribution during the Grey Cup Playoffs.

ELKS 2026 TEAM AWARD WINNERS

As selected by the Edmonton chapter of the FRC and Head Coach Mark Kilam

Player | QB – Cody Fajardo

The Elks quarterback has continued to age like a fine wine, with his age-34 season representing the most prolific year of his Canadian Football League career. Fajardo has led the Elks to a 13-4 record — the top record in the West Division and the Double E's best record since the 2015 season. The QB has also been stuffing the stat sheet, courtesy of a career-best 4,788 passing yards and 33 total touchdowns. The veteran has shown he has plenty of gas in the tank on the ground as well, with his 517 rushing yards and eight touchdowns his most since the 2019 season in Saskatchewan — ​ a season where he captured West Division MOP honours.

Defensive Player | DL - Malik Carney

Malik Carney has certainly lived up to his billing as a defender teams have to gameplan around. The pass rusher has been a revelation on the Elks defensive line, recording a team best 11 sacks — good for second in the CFL. Carney has made impact plays at big moments all season long, with a league-best four forced fumbles and two recoveries.

His most impressive performance came in Week 19 in Hamilton, where Carney racked up six tackles, a forced fumble, and tied a Double E franchise record with four sacks.

Offensive Lineman | OL – David Beard

David Beard continued to be an anchoring piece on the Elks offensive line, helping pave the way for the CFL's number one rated rushing attack in yards-per game (126.3), 20+ yard carries (20), and 10+ yard carries (66) — while still being above average in pass protection with the third-fewest sacks allowed (33).

Special Teams | K - Vincent Blanchard

Vincent Blanchard has emerged as one of the CFL's premier place kickers in 2026, connecting on a CFL best 54 of 58 field goals (93.1 per cent), while also adding 42 converts. His 204 points through 17 games is tied with Sean Fleming for the third-highest scoring season in Double E history, and a four-point game in Saskatchewan would give him sole possession of second place behind Jerry Kauric's 224 points in 1989. Blanchard set a CFL record with nine field goals made in the Elks Week 17 victory over Hamilton.

Canadian | LB – Joel Dublanko

The first-overall pick in the 2024 CFL Draft continues to be one of the top National defenders in all of Canadian football, with his second consecutive nomination as the Elks Most Outstanding Canadian. Dublanko enters Week 21 as the Elks leader in total tackles this season with 79, but he has also made impact plays all season with two sacks, five tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, five passes defended, and an interception.

Rookie | WR – TJ Luther

TJ Luther is the Elks nominee for Most Outstanding Rookie after an abbreviated campaign that saw the receiver dress in 11 games thus far for the Green and Gold. The 26-year-old earned the trust of veteran QB Cody Fajardo and became a reliable outlet for the pivot to the tune of 52 receptions for 649 yards and three touchdowns. Luther's biggest performance of the season came in Week 8 in Saskatchewan, where he hauled in 10 receptions for 157 yards in the Elks thrilling last-minute victory over the Roughriders.