Elks defensive end Carney chases second straight Grey Cup ring against Alouettes

CALGARY — Malik Carney will see familiar faces on the other side of the football Sunday.

The Edmonton Elks defensive end went up against the Montreal Alouettes’ offensive line in pursuit of Als quarterback Davis Alexander in last year’s Grey Cup game, which Carney won as a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Carney will line up against most of the same Alouettes starters Sunday in Calgary with the same goal of hunting down Alexander.

“He’s such a wild card. You don’t know what he’s going to do,” Carney said Saturday at McMahon Stadium.

“He is mobile, he can create explosive plays in the pocket, outside of the pocket. I can’t really give you our details and what our plan is, but we do have a plan for him and the only thing I can really say is that we have to do a great job of containing him and not letting him get going.”

The 31-year-old Carney from Alexandria, Va., ranked second in the CFL in sacks this season with 11 behind Calgary Stampeder Clarence Hicks (12) and ahead of his Elks teammate Noah Taylor (10).

Carney, a West Division all-star this season, and Taylor will be a one-two threat against a stingy Als offensive line that allowed the least amount of sacks this season at 19, which was also a franchise record.

“Sonic and Knuckles,” declared the 27-year-old Taylor. “He’s the power, he’s a bruiser and I’m the speed guy. I’m a lot faster than him. He’s a lot stronger than me.”

Added Carney: “We complement each other very well. He’s a guy that has two ears and one mouth, and that’s a quote that I live by. You listen twice as much as you talk. He’s a great example of that.”

Carney is one of just 13 players on the Elks roster who bring previous Grey Cup experience into Sunday, with an opportunity to win his second championship ring in as many years, albeit with a different team.

“It would mean a lot. It would mean a lot, but I definitely want to see more of my teammates winning, just for them,” said the six-foot-three, 230-pound North Carolina alumni.

“Cody, going back at his former team, some of the first-time guys who (are) in the Grey Cup, even playoffs. It’s bigger than me and what I want. It’s what I want for my team.”

When it was clear the Roughriders wouldn’t re-sign him, Carney enlisted the help of six-year-old daughter Myla in choosing his next team.

“I had watched a lot of film on a couple of the teams that were extremely interested in me,” he said. “It came down to the wire of me just letting my daughter pick a logo and she picked a logo that I was siding with for sure.”

Elks head coach Mark Kilam dubbed Carney “the alpha” of the defence.

“Elevated the group as a whole, raised the level of, first and foremost, the defensive-line room,” Kilam said. “He’s a veteran guy that’s coaching and helping the young guys, giving them some tips and techniques.”

Edmonton’s defence overall was the class of the CFL this season in allowing the fewest average points per game (24.3), net offence allowed (338.6 yards) and fewest average yards per play against (6.34), while forcing a league-leading 53 turnovers under defensive co-ordinator J.C. Sherritt.

Carney led the league in forced fumbles with four.

“We carry a lot of swagger, confidence,” he said. “Since training camp, we knew exactly who we are.

“Every week, we’ve just been putting out performances that represents exactly who we are as a defence.”

The Elks spent Saturday’s walkthrough enjoying warm sun on their bare arms as the players took to the field wearing brown vests. They played games with teammates and greeted their families on McMahon’s turf.

“This is the relaxation before we bring the storm,” Carney said.

Edmonton has won 14 Grey Cups, with the last in 2015, in 26 all-time appearances.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2026.

Donna Spencer, The Canadian Press