Things didn’t go exactly the way Mark Kilam was hoping they would in 2025.

In his first year as head coach of the Edmonton Elks, Kilam’s group stumbled to a 1-6 start that put them behind the eight ball the rest of the way. And despite following that with a 6-3 run in late summer and into the fall, the Elks missed the playoffs for a fifth straight season.

But optimism is high in the Alberta capital entering Kilam’s second year.

“I feel like as a team, you know, we figured out who we wanted to be and what our identity was and how to play to that identity toward the back half of the season,” Kilam told CFL.ca at CFL Winter Meetings in Calgary earlier this month.

“We started in a hole, so we were in the chase pack for the majority of the year, but we embraced that mentality. But it’s on us to have a great off-season and training camp so we can start faster this year.”

Here are three reasons Kilam and the Elks are poised to take a step forward in 2026.

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ONE YEAR IN THE BOOKS

 

After almost two decades climbing the ranks with the Calgary Stampeders, Kilam landed his well-earned first head coaching job in December 2024. And admittedly, there was a steep learning curve as he got settled in a new city with new surroundings, staff, and duties.

But that’s all in the rear view as Kilam enters year two.

“Now I can focus on the other things,” Kilam admitted. “I can focus on how I want to make training camp better. I can focus on how I can shape the staff through our Zoom meetings in the off-season.

“You know, what’s our messages going to be? How are we going to take that next step? How are we going to start faster? Those are the things I can focus on now versus just trying to put it all together in year one.”

As we’ve seen for many coaches in the past, that first year at the helm can largely consist of establishing things like culture, identity, and non-negotiables. It can also take time for new systems to be driven home, of which Edmonton introduced three in 2025. With much of that foundation in place now, the Elks are in a good spot to continue building.

CERTAINTY AT QUARTERBACK

 

Last season began with Tre Ford at quarterback with the Elks committed to giving the 2022 first-round pick an opportunity as a starter. But after a 1-4 start, Edmonton gave the ball to Cody Fajardo in late July and never looked back.

In the process, Fajardo started 13 games and threw for 3,408 yards and 14 touchdowns, while his 73.2 per cent accuracy rate was second only to Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris.

“It’s no secret our offence looked a lot different when he took control,” Kilam said. “And it wasn’t just that. It was in practice, it was in the meeting room, and it was just the overall effect of his leadership and his veteran presence that really elevated the guys on offence. We couldn’t be more thrilled he’s back.”

Indeed, Fajardo signed a one-year extension in early December, which means the Elks will have certainty at quarterback entering training camp. With how Fajardo helped right the ship last year, it’s abundantly clear he’s Kilam’s guy for 2026.

“I feel like just on a personal level, I really resonate with him because the guy plays with a chip on his shoulder,” said Kilam. “I mean, the guy was a special teams player at one point in his career. I was coaching against him on the punt team.

“That’s just who he is. He’s smart, he makes smart decisions. He does play with emotion, and he has a fire to him, which I like. Having him in place as the number one quarterback right from the jump of training camp, I think that’s going to be good for the football team.”

A STRONG SECONDARY IN PLACE

 

Flying under the radar last year was Edmonton’s strong work in the defensive backfield. While the Elks didn’t finish high in a lot of raw statistical categories on defence, the underlying numbers told a slightly different story.

For instance, corners J.J. Ross and Tyrell Ford finished fourth and sixth at their position as ranked by Pro Football Focus. Kilam knows having bookends like that already under contract for 2026 is a great starting point for a backfield that took huge strides last year.

“You can go across the secondary because we had some injuries and we forced guys to play some really challenging positions,” said the head coach. “We were intermixing them and we’ve got a lot of experience with those young guys together.

“We knew who Tyrell was but J.J. missed out on the active roster early in the year. But he kept making plays in practice and kept showing up and we kept encouraging him. Everybody saw what he was doing, and then finally, when he got that opportunity, he ran with it. That’s a credit to him and he’s just scratching the surface of who he can be as a football player.”