CFL Beat: West Division Preview

We’re now just a week away from the kickoff to the 2026 CFL season! Last week, I previewed the four teams from the CFL’s East Division – Hamilton, Montreal, Ottawa, and Toronto; this week I’ll be bringing you a quick overview of each of the five West Division teams. Reminder as well to those who are interested – the weekly pick ’em pool is linked below, if you feel like predicting game matchups this season!

https://www.officepooljunkie.com/join.php?Pool=NFA9D4OXO6C2U0A1&Pass=57duHwincjTS

Also brand new from the CFL this week: the league is officially launching its own Fantasy Football platform after all these years! Yahoo! I have started a league for this website; due to the tiny size of the league, the maximum allowable size is six teams. If there is sufficient interest in playing, we can start a CFL Lowratio league and do some promotion/relegation stuff, I suppose? If you’d like to play CFL Fantasy this year, click the link below to join… five slots currently available.

https://fantasy.cfl.ca/en/join-league-after-invite?leagueId=578403

In league news this week:

• The CFL announced a renewed six-year broadcast agreement beginning in 2027 with multiple partners; Bell Media, the parent company of longtime rightsholder TSN, as well as national broadcast network CTV, French-language sports channel RDS, and streaming service Crave, will continue to be the lead partner on the renewed deal, broadcasting 60 out of 81 regular-season matchups, six of the eight total playoff games, and the Grey Cup championship game. Streaming partner DAZN  will also be in on the remaining games, with DAZN getting all the Saturday night games in the schedule. YouTube is also partnering with the league for additional exclusive content as well. I’ve heard from TSN analyst Dave Naylor, a longtime CFL insider, that we can expect the financial ramifications to be “significant”, and that the 2027 broadcast and streaming revenue will be applied to the 2028 salary cap; allegedly the new deal is somewhere around $500 million CAD for the six-year term length. As such, we can expect to see salaries rise by a lot across the board. It makes sense that we get this news in light of all the rule changes officially being phased in as of next season; I still don’t love any of this new stuff coming, but it makes sense that it was all done in light of the new deal coming down the pipeline. More secure financial footing for Canadian football is a positive thing, at the end of the day.
• Hamilton Tiger-Cats WR Kenny Lawler has signed a 3-year extension with the team, with the total value of the contract estimated at about $1 million CAD – a hefty sum for Canadian football, to be sure, but a fair value for a guy who’s been one of the league’s best receivers every year of his career. He showed excellent chemistry last year with Bo Levi Mitchell at QB; I am confident that will continue into this year and will hopefully also provide Hamilton’s QB of the future a surefire, reliable #1 target for years to come.
• Winnipeg Blue Bombers QB Terry Wilson has been added to the team’s Suspended List after he left the team without permission during training camp; while details still aren’t exactly clear, it appears that he was upset he was apparently passed on the depth chart by rookie Canadian Taylor Elgersma.

I’ll be getting back to doing full league-wide news next week as the season kicks off; tune in June 4th to catch the first matchups of Week 1, 2026!

And now, onto the main event.

BRITISH COLUMBIA LIONS

Founded: 1954

Home Stadium: BC Place, Vancouver, BC (54,500)

Grey Cups: 6 (1964, 1985, 1994, 2000, 2006, 2011)

2025 Record: 11-7, second in West; lost in West final to Saskatchewan

GM: Ryan Rigmaiden

Head Coach: Buck Pierce

Starting QB: Nathan Rourke

Famous Alumni:

• Doug Flutie, QB
• Joe Kapp, QB (once fought Ti-Cats defensive lineman Angelo Mosca at an alumni banquet when they were in their 70s!)
• Austin Collie, WR
• Geroy Simon, WR
• Jim “Dirty Thirty” Young, WR/RB (first Canadian USports (university athletic governing body) player drafted to the NFL – Minnesota Vikings, 1965, from Queen’s University. Also a great nickname, though I don’t know where it comes from.)
• Cameron Wake, DE

Fun Facts: One of the main rivals of the BC Lions is actually the Montreal Alouettes, clear across the other side of the country; the two teams have a long-running Labour Day series that is similar to the game traditionally played between Toronto and Hamilton that same weekend. The Lions are also the first team from Western Canada to win a Grey Cup at home, in 1994, and also the only team to beat an American-based team in a Grey Cup, also in 1994 against the Baltimore Stallions.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Lions had a bit of a slow start defensively last year, but they were definitely one of the league’s most dynamic offensive teams from start to finish. With a full training camp under his belt, Leos QB Nathan Rourke looked every bit like the league’s most talented and exciting player – a key marketing feature for the league due to his Canadian passport as well. While the D really stepped up and improved in the back half of the calendar, and the Lions got on a roll through the stretch run to the playoffs, they had the misfortune of running into an absolute juggernaut of a Saskatchewan squad in the West final, snuffing out their Grey Cup hopes again. The big considerations for this year will be to improve O-line play to buy Nathan Rourke some more time in the pocket to make plays, and also ensuring that the secondary doesn’t get absolutely torn to shreds this year. If those two things happen, BC will absolutely be Grey Cup contenders again this year.

Key Additions: DL Casey Sayles, LB Darnell Sankey, DB Dionté Ruffin, WR Nate Demontagnac, OL Isiah Cage, DB CJ Coldon

Key Subtractions: OL Jarell Broxton, DB Robert Carter Jr., LB Micah Awe, LB Josh Woods, WR Ayden Eberhardt, DL Dewayne Hendrix

2026 Record Prediction: 11-7

CALGARY STAMPEDERS

Founded: 1945

Home Stadium: McMahon Stadium, Calgary, AB (35,400)

Grey Cups: 8 (1948, 1971, 1992, 1998, 2001, 2008, 2014, 2018)

2025 Record: 11-7, third in West; lost in West semifinal to BC

GM: Dave Dickenson

Head Coach: Dave Dickenson

Starting QB: Vernon Adams, Jr.

Famous Alumni:

• Doug Flutie, QB (won the 1992 Grey Cup as the starter)
• Jeff Garcia, QB (played 1994-98, won the 1998 Grey Cup, and was a 4-time All-Star before jumping to the San Francisco 49ers)
• Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, LB (was on the 1995 practise roster)

Fun Facts: The 1948 Stampeders are the only professional Canadian football team to ever have a perfect season, when they went 12-0 and won the Grey Cup in Toronto against the Ottawa Rough Riders; the celebrations were so epic that they had a giant pancake breakfast on the steps of Toronto’s City Hall and even rode horses through the lobby of that city’s famous Royal York hotel.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Stamps surprised a ton of people last year – myself included – and managed to leapfrog the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to secure third place in the West division and a playoff game – two things that a lot of us really did not have in the cards for a team who looked to be in the thick of rebuilding. Vernon Adams, Jr. was an important trade asset last offseason who immediately helped to stabilize QB play – something that had been notably up-and-down since Bo Levi Mitchell’s departure from Cowtown following the 2022 season. Calgary did well establishing the run game last season to help balance their attack – Dedrick Mills will remain the lead back for sure but their rush-by-platoon systems seem to work well overall. I am still doubtful they have the horses to really challenge Saskatchewan or BC in any meaningful way, but Dave Dickenson really did make me eat my words last year so I cannot write them off still.

Key Additions: WR Dejon Brissett, RB Deonta McMahon, DB Devodric Bynum, RB Tyreik McAllister, LB Eric Rascoe, OL Chris Murray

Key Subtractions: DL Jaylon Hutchings, LB Jacob Roberts, WR Dominique Rhymes, WR Damien Alford, OL Joshua Coker, LB Fraser Sopik

2026 Record Prediction: 8-10

EDMONTON ELKS

Founded: 1949

Home Stadium: Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, AB (56,302)

Grey Cups: 14 (1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1981, 1982, 1987, 1993, 2003, 2005, 2015)

2025 Record: 7-11, fifth in West; missed playoffs

GM: Ed Hervey

Head Coach: Mark Kilam

Starting QB: Cody Fajardo

Famous Alumni:

• Warren Moon, QB (longtime Houston Oilers QB and 5-time Grey Cup winner, 2-time Grey Cup MOP, 1983 CFL MOP)
• Joe Anoa’i, DT (now famous as current WWE superstar Roman Reigns)
• Henry “Gizmo” Williams, RB (5’6″, 185 lbs, a forerunner to Darren Sproles & Devin Hester – one of the greatest kick returners in CFL history with 31 kick return touchdowns – 26 punts, 2 kickoffs, and 3 on missed FGs)
• Chris Getzlaf, WR (brother of NHL Anaheim Ducks captain Ryan Getzlaf)
• Willie Pless, LB (greatest defensive player in the history of the CFL; five-time Best Defensive Player, 11-time all-star, Grey Cup winner, and the league’s all-time leading tackler with 1241)

Fun Facts: The Elks won 5 straight Grey Cups between 1978-82, and this streak of dominance is considered to be the best that the CFL and all of Canadian football has ever seen in its history. The team also made the playoffs in 34 consecutive years between 1972-2005, a feat no other team has equalled in any North American pro sports league. Commonwealth Stadium is the largest stadium in the CFL, and is also the traditional home of the Canadian national soccer teams due to its size and its use of a real grass field until 2009.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Elks haven’t made the playoffs since 2019, when they lost as a crossover team in the East Final. Since then, the team has been a simmering miasma of suffering – including 22 straight home losses from 2019-2023, the death of majority owner Larry Thompson, and all kinds of general malaise driving away fans from attending games. While last year’s squad did not make the postseason, they did show signs of positive progress being made, and with Cody Fajardo, acquired in a trade with Montreal in the offseason ahead of 2025, now heads into the year as the clear QB1, which meant Canadian Tre Ford’s time in Edmonton came to a close this past offseason. While Ford showed flashes of brilliance, he – and/or the team as a whole – just couldn’t get it quite together enough on a consistent basis to be able to reliably build around him. While the team’s offence is likely to be pretty good again – running back Justin Rankin is a clear star in the league, and I really like the signing of receiver Austin Mack away from Montreal this past offseason – much of the question marks remain on the defensive side of the ball. Time and time again, Edmonton’s inability to play coherent, consistent D shot them in the foot, season after season; while they started slow last year, they also improved quite a bit down the stretch, and with a second training camp under head coach Mark Kilam, I do think that this will help better establish systems as a whole. Just a shame the Elks are playing in such a tight division yet again… Maybe a crossover berth is in the mix, but again, I just can’t see them beating out the likes of Saskatchewan or BC for a division title this year.

Key Additions: WR Austin Mack, DL Malik Carney, OL Coulter Woodmansey, WR Joe Robustelli, OL Brendan Bordner, OL Jordan Murray

Key Subtractions: DL Jake Ceresna, QB Tre Ford, LB Nyles Morgan, OL Martez Ivey, WR Kurleigh Gittens Jr, DB Devodric Bynum

2026 Record Prediction: 9-9

SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS

Founded: 1910

Home Stadium: Mosaic Stadium, Regina, SK (33,000, expandable to 40,000)

Grey Cups: 4 (1966, 1989, 2007, 2013)

2025 Record: 12-6, first in West; won Grey Cup vs. MTL

GM: Jeremy O’Day

Head Coach: Corey Mace

Starting QB: Trevor Harris

Famous Alumni: 

• Ron Lancaster, QB/DE (led Riders to the 1966 Grey Cup; 4 time CFL All-Star, 2-time CFL MOP)
• George Reed, RB (9-time CFL All-Star, 1965 CFL MOP, CFL record-holder for rushing TDs with 134)
• Kent Austin, QB (won the 1989 Grey Cup as the Riders’ starter and served as OC in 2007; later served as Hamilton’s HC from 2013-17)

Fun Facts: The Roughriders are one of only two CFL teams currently owned by community shareholders. They are the #3 overall sports team in Canada in merchandise sales, behind only the Toronto Maple Leafs and Montreal Canadiens. Until 2013, you could joke about my alma mater, the Queen’s University Golden Gaels (Kingston, ON) having won the same number of Grey Cups (3) as the Roughriders, despite not playing for the trophy since the 1920s. Finally, it’s very easy to upset Ottawa fans about the Rough Riders/Roughriders controversy of the 20th century, especially since Saskatchewan lawyers blocked the new expansion team in Ottawa from taking their old name back (WE HAD IT FIRST, DAMMIT!).

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: The Roughriders were, wire-to-wire, the best team in the CFL last season, and they walked away with a Grey Cup last year to prove it – the first of Corey Mace’s career as a head coach. The team really gelled under an exceptional defensive unit, with a front seven that put up tremendous amounts of pressure, as well as a varied, versatile offensive scheme that spread the ball around a ton. Most importantly, the key to last year’s title run was the fact that veteran QB Trevor Harris was healthy for the entire season – something that he hadn’t been able to accomplish in earlier seasons as a Rider. There was much speculation that he might ride off into the sunset and call it a career after last season’s title victory, but he appears to not be done yet. He certainly had the touch last year – accuracy and arm strength are two of his biggest assets. The big question for this year will be to see if Saskatchewan can withstand the loss of a number of key defensive pieces that were heavily recruited during free agency – this is a classic, if unfortunate, symptom of so many title winners in CFL history – with contracts so short and roster turnover so frequent, it seems unlikely that we’ll ever see a repeat of those five straight Grey Cups that Edmonton won in the early ’80s. The sport is just so different from what it was back then.

Key Additions: DL James Vaughters, WR James Letcher Jr, LB Josh Woods, LS Aaron Crawford, LB Tyron Verde, RB Darrell Henderson, Jr.

Key Subtractions: DL Malik Carney, LB AJ Allen, WR Dohnte Meyers, DB CJ Reavis, WR Tommy Nield, K Brett Lauther

2026 Record Prediction: 11-7

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS

Founded: 1930

Home Stadium: Investors Group Field, Winnipeg, MB (33,500)

Grey Cups: 12 (1935, 1939, 1941, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1984, 1988, 1990, 2019, 2021)

2025 Record: 10-8, fourth in West; crossed over to East playoffs; lost in East semifinal to HAM

GM: Kyle Walters

Head Coach: Mike O’Shea

Starting QB: Zach Collaros

Famous Alumni: 

• Milt Stegall, WR (played 3 seasons in the NFL for the Bengals before coming north to Winnipeg, where he holds the CFL record for all-time touchdowns with 144; also a 9-time CFL All-Star but never won a Grey Cup)
• Tom Clements, QB (won 1976 Grey Cup with the Ottawa Rough Riders, as well as the 1984 Grey Cup with the Bombers; currently serving as the Green Bay Packers’ assistant head coach)
• Bud Grant, Head Coach (4x Grey Cup champ as Bombers’ leader, and later coached the Minnesota Vikings for 18 years and won the 1969 NFL championship)

Fun Facts: The Blue Bombers are owned by a community-based collective, in extremely similar fashion to the Green Bay Packers, and are the second of two CFL teams still with this model of ownership. They were also the first team not from Ontario or Quebec to win a Grey Cup, with their initial 1935 victory. The Bombers have the most Grey Cup game appearances of any CFL team, with 25 title games played.

The Training Camp Scuttlebutt: 

Key Additions: OL Jarell Broxton, WR Tim White, DL Jake Ceresna, DB Jonathan Moxey, WR Tommy Nield, QB Taylor Elgersma

Key Subtractions: DL James Vaughters, WR Dalton Schoen, DB Demerio Houston, OL Eric Lofton, WR Jerreth Sterns, WR Keric Wheatfall, QB Chris Streveler

2026 Record Prediction: Last year was the first season since 2019 that did not feature the Winnipeg Blue Bombers appearing in a Grey Cup game. While they definitely took a step back from 2024, they still managed to secure a playoff spot in an extremely tight West Division due to the crossover rule and a very weak East Division, where the Alouettes handled them in the East Semifinal. One has to think that Father Time is catching up to much of the Bombers’ core at this point – after going just 2-3 in their last five Grey Cup appearances, it would probably behoove the team to start planning more seriously for the future, especially at the quarterback position. Canadian Taylor Elgersma, who played at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, ON, was talented enough to receive an NFL training camp invite from the Green Bay Packers, and while he didn’t make the final 53-man roster, he certainly put in a good showing. After a strong training camp, he appears to be the heir apparent to Zach Collaros, who is turning 38 later this season… And having the stability to have your future franchise QB locked up sure would help the team in planning ahead for revamping the rest of its roster.

2026 Record Prediction: 8-10

And that concludes your 2026 team previews, folks! I look forward to kickoff next Thursday, June 4th – hope to see you back here, same bat-time, same bat-channel.