\u00bb Justin Rankin runs wild, Elks defeat REDBLACKS to close out Week 1<\/a>
\u00bb Bombers edge Stamps in season-opening thriller<\/a>
\u00bb Als open 2026 CFL season with overtime win over Ticats<\/a>
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So, after a pair of walk-off finishes and some standout individual performances, here they are in no particular order.<\/p>\n
One of head coach Mark Kilam\u2019s off-season goals was to avoid an uphill climb due to a slow start. As such, it was great to see Edmonton start the year on a winning note as they look to return to the playoffs for the first time in six seasons. Led by Justin Rankin\u2019s 196 offensive yards, the Elks looked solid with the ball, while the names you\u2019d expect came to play on defence including Nick Anderson<\/a>, Malik Carney<\/a>, and Joel Dublanko.<\/p>\n Welcome to Winnipeg, Jake Ceresna. One of the biggest free agent signings of the winter made his presence felt in a big way Friday night. Ceresna finished his Bombers debut with three sacks and five defensive tackles while forming quite the duo with Willie Jefferson. We all know how disruptive Ceresna can be, which could be a huge boost for a Winnipeg line that didn\u2019t apply as much pressure as they\u2019d have liked last year.<\/p>\n Davis Alexander<\/a> is a gamer. And it\u2019s not like that\u2019s a surprise, but he underlined it again as the Alouettes got the season going with a 30-27 overtime win in Hamilton. I love watching Alexander hang tough in the pocket as much as I enjoy seeing him extend plays with his deceiving footspeed. And when it was all said and done, Alexander put together Week 1\u2019s\u00a0best quarterback performance with 336 yards, two touchdowns, and a sparkling 113.5 rating.<\/p>\n The Stampeders didn\u2019t hassle Zach Collaros<\/a> as much as they\u2019d like in their 30-28 loss to Winnipeg, but help is on the way. With Folarin Orimolade and Jaylon Hutchings likely to play in Week 3 (Calgary has a bye this week), this defensive line is poised to be one of the league\u2019s best. As it was, Clarence Hicks<\/a> picked up his first sack of the season and should be that much more impactful once Hutchings and Orimolade are ready to go.<\/p>\n The entire league knows Hamilton\u2019s bread and butter is their passing game. And even with that in mind, it\u2019s still fun to watch them do their thing. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell<\/a> yet again went over 300 yards in Thursday\u2019s loss to Montreal and spread the ball around impressively. All of Kiondr\u00e9 Smith, Kenny Lawler<\/a>, Keric Wheatfall<\/a>, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. were targeted at least six times by Mitchell.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n TAKING OFFENCE<\/p>\n We\u2019re down to just two groupings as our 2026 MMQB positional rankings are almost complete. After filling out defensive end and defensive tackle last week, you can see where things stand below. <\/p>\n This week we\u2019re focusing on the offensive line, with some really difficult decisions and extremely small gaps.<\/p>\n LEFT TACKLE<\/p>\n NICK CALLENDER | MONTREAL ALOUETTES<\/p>\n Montreal left tackle Nick Callender has earned East Division All-CFL honours in each of the last three seasons (Kevin Sousa\/CFL.ca)<\/p>\n Only one team allowed fewer sacks than Montreal\u2019s 26 last season (BC allowed 20), and Nick Callender was one of the biggest reasons why. Now in his sixth season with Montreal, Callender has been named to the East Division All-CFL team for three years running. Combining power with impressive movement, Callender was also ranked the league\u2019s number two left tackle in 2025 by our friends at Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n 2. Stanley Bryant<\/a> | Winnipeg Blue Bombers RIGHT TACKLE<\/p>\n JERMARCUS HARDRICK | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS<\/p>\n Jermarcus Hardrick<\/a> capped a dominant 2025 season with a Grey Cup title and Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman honours (Matt Smith\/CFL.ca)<\/p>\n This one was almost too close to call. With Jarell Broxton<\/a> moving to right tackle in Winnipeg and a healthy Dejon Allen<\/a> in BC, this position is one of the league\u2019s most stacked. But it\u2019s hard to overlook all that Jermarcus Hardrick accomplished last year. If a Grey Cup, a Most Outstanding Offensive Lineman award, and a number one PFF ranking among all CFL offensive lineman doesn\u2019t break a tie, I\u2019m not sure what does.<\/p>\n 2. Jarell Broxton<\/a> | Winnipeg Blue Bombers GUARD<\/p>\n LIAM DOBSON | HAMILTON TIGER-CATS<\/p>\n Hamilton guard Liam Dobson<\/a> anchors one of the CFL\u2019s premier offensive line units alongside Brandon Revenberg (Kevin Sousa\/CFL.ca)<\/p>\n The Tiger-Cats were part of a top tier of offensive lines last year and finished 2025 by allowing just 27 sacks. And the strength of this Hamilton front is the interior, with Liam Dobson and Brandon Revenberg forming the league\u2019s top guard duo. We\u2019re giving the edge to Dobson, a third overall selection in 2021, but it\u2019s close.<\/p>\n 2. Coulter Woodmansey<\/a> | Edmonton Elks CENTRE<\/p>\n LOGAN FERLAND | SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Nick_Callender_2024_01.jpg\")
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3. Payton Collins | Saskatchewan Roughriders<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Jermarcus_Hardrick_2025_2.jpg\")
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3. Dejon Allen<\/a> | BC Lions<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Liam_Dobson_2025.jpg\")
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3. Brandon Revenberg<\/a> | Hamilton Tiger-Cats<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/Logan_Ferland_2025.jpg\")
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