{"id":808440,"date":"2026-07-17T19:00:09","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:00:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/808440\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T19:00:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T19:00:09","slug":"3-quarterbacks-that-deserve-all-cfl-recognition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/808440\/","title":{"rendered":"3 quarterbacks that deserve All-CFL recognition"},"content":{"rendered":"

TORONTO \u2014 Quarterbacks often receive plenty of praise from fans, coaches and media. But respect from fellow players carries a little extra weight.<\/p>\n

Ahead of the 2026 season, we asked CFL players which quarterbacks stand out around the league. Halfway through the campaign, their answers have aged remarkably well, as Nathan Rourke<\/a>, Davis Alexander<\/a> and Cody Fajardo<\/a> have each put together All-CFL-calibre starts.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s why they\u2019ve earned their place in the conversation.<\/p>\n

RELATED
\u00bb\u00a0Play CFL Pick \u2018Em presented by Old Dutch now!<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a04 storylines to watch in Week 7<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Prediction Time: CFL.ca writers\u2019 Week 7 picks<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0AMSOIL Power Rankings: Bombers ascending and stability at the top<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Buy tickets for the 2026 CFL season<\/a>
\u00bb\u00a0Subscribe to the CFL\u2019s newsletter for exclusive offers and league updates<\/a><\/p>\n

NATHAN ROURKE | BC LIONS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Even before the season kicked off, AJ Allen knew exactly what made Nathan Rourke<\/a> special.<\/p>\n

\u201cNathan Rourke<\/a> can throw from every platform,\u201d said Allen. \u201cHe changes his touch, changes his velocity and makes every throw. On top of that, he\u2019s mobile. He\u2019s a true dual-threat quarterback, an elite athlete and a smart player. His footwork, balance and ball control are outstanding. Whether he\u2019s throwing it or running with it, he can do everything.\u201d<\/p>\n

Despite the Lions 1-3 start, Rourke is still one of the CFL\u2019s premier quarterbacks. The reigning George Reed Most Outstanding Player has completed 71.3 per cent of his passes for 1,403 yards in just four games, averaging 350.8 passing yards per contest.<\/p>\n

The touchdown numbers (five) don\u2019t fully reflect his impact. Rourke continues to stretch defences vertically while extending plays with his legs, making him one of the league\u2019s most difficult players to defend. If he maintains his current pace, he\u2019ll once again find himself firmly in the All-CFL discussion by season\u2019s end.<\/p>\n

DAVIS ALEXANDER | MONTREAL ALOUETTES<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Jalen Philpot had no hesitation when asked to pick a quarterback.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll go with Davis Alexander<\/a>. He\u2019s mobile, he can throw the deep ball and they\u2019ve got some great receivers over there. He\u2019s always a solid bet to put up 20 or 30 points every week because of everything he does for their offence.\u201d<\/p>\n

That prediction has been remarkably accurate.<\/p>\n

Alexander has guided the Alouettes to one of the league\u2019s most explosive offences, with Montreal averaging 34.0 points per game through six weeks. Individually, he\u2019s thrown for 1,779 yards and eight touchdowns while completing 70.1 per cent of his passes and, perhaps most impressively, has yet to throw an interception through five games.<\/p>\n

Protecting the football while consistently creating explosive plays has become Alexander\u2019s trademark, making him one of the biggest reasons Montreal sits near the top of the standings.<\/p>\n

CODY FAJARDO | EDMONTON ELKS<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Justin Rankin didn\u2019t need a lengthy explanation.<\/p>\n

\u201cCody Fajardo<\/a>. That\u2019s the man, the myth, the legend. The old man in the league.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fajardo may laugh at the \u201cold man\u201d label, but his play has looked anything but.<\/p>\n

In his second season with Edmonton, the veteran has helped transform the Elks into one of the CFL\u2019s biggest success stories. Through five games, he\u2019s completed 69.4 per cent of his passes for 1,499 yards, adding eight touchdowns while leading Edmonton to a 4-1 start.<\/p>\n

His chemistry with Rankin has become one of the league\u2019s most dangerous combinations, and Fajardo\u2019s veteran poise has helped the Elks consistently finish drives in critical moments.<\/p>\n

At 34 years old, Fajardo has shown that experience still matters, proving he\u2019s more than deserving of early All-CFL consideration.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"TORONTO \u2014 Quarterbacks often receive plenty of praise from fans, coaches and media. But respect from fellow players…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":808441,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[437],"tags":[49,48,521,522,520,82],"class_list":["post-808440","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cfl","tag-ca","tag-canada","tag-canadian-football-league","tag-canadianfootballleague","tag-cfl","tag-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808440","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=808440"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/808440\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/808441"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=808440"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=808440"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=808440"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}