Tyquwan Glass was just another free agent – albeit one with an unusual first name – when he signed with the Eskimos on Jan. 4th.
But people are starting to pay attention to him now.
The versatile defensive back closed fast and then out-leapt BC Lions’ six-foot-five receiver Duron Carter in the second quarter of last Friday’s game at The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium to secure the first interception of his CFL career.
The turnover helped shift the momentum in the game as the Eskimos scored two touchdowns within 124 seconds to take a 20-17 halftime lead en route to a 39-23 victory.
“Everybody was saying I jumped so high, that’s the reason why I had to get tested (players are chosen randomly for doping control after a game),” said Glass, who soared above Carter despite giving away six inches to the Lions’ veteran receiver. “See ball, get ball. I’m glad I got it. I had to go up and get the ball. They say DBs get it at the highest point.”
Glass, who celebrated his 25th birthday on Sunday, was one of eight free-agent players signed during the off-season who started in Friday’s game. But both Glass and fellow defensive back Brian Walker, who also signed with the Esks on Jan. 4th, didn’t come with the pedigree their fellow all-star cast of players who joined the team on the opening day of CFL free agency on Feb. 12th – including quarterback Trevor Harris, receiver Greg Ellingson and middle linebacker Larry Dean.
Injuries have created playing opportunities for Glass (boundary defensive halfback) and Walker (strong-side linebacker or SAM), who both made their first appearance in the starting lineup this season against the Lions.
Glass began training camp as a cornerback, where he played in the first pre-season game, then shifted to defensive halfback on the field (wide) side. He was listed as a backup defensive back in the season-opener against the Montreal Alouettes, but ended up playing mostly defensive half on the boundary (short side of the field) in the second half after former NFL defensive back Josh Johnson, who only joined the team two days before the start of training camp, slid over to SAM to replace the injured Don Unamba.
Last week, Glass remained at defensive half while Johnson took over the boundary corner position for the injured Anthony Orange and Walker stepped in at SAM.
“At the end of the day, we still have to cover and do what we’ve got to do,” Glass said about playing different positions in the secondary. “It’s quicker on the boundary, but it’s a little adjustment. Not that much.”
Glass registered one defensive tackle in the Montreal game and three more tackles against BC but his interception, which gave Edmonton possession of the ball at their 51-yard line, was a big play.
“He kept his eyes back on the quarterback, he did what the defence asked him to do, and he went up and made a play,” fellow defensive halfback Forrest Hightower said about Glass’s pick. “It helped us out tremendously. We were able to get the ball back to the offence so they could make something happen.”
Hightower (near the goal line) and Johnson also made important plays in the secondary by knocking down BC passes.
Glass, who started playing flag football in Pasadena, Calif., at the age of four or five, was a ballhawk in junior college at Mount San Antonio Junior College, picking off seven passes and breaking up another 14 throws in his sophomore season. The next year he became the first cornerback to lead the Fresno State Bulldogs in interceptions (four) while knocking down 11 passes.
Overlooked in the NFL draft, Glass attended a rookie mini-camp with the Houston Texans and later had short stints with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Kansas City Chiefs. He participated in The Spring League (which is described as “an elite development league and scouting event for professional football talent”) in 2017 and earned an invitation to training camp with the Los Angeles Rams, playing in two pre-season games.
Glass encountered a culture shock after he signed with Montreal in 2018.
“My first time playing across the country,” he said. “I’ve played football in California all my life. I’m a Cali boy all the way.”
Released by the struggling Alouettes after the 10th week of the season, Glass continued to work out while he waited for another team to pick him up. He’s happy it was eventually Edmonton.
“My family doesn’t have to fly that far (compared to Montreal),” he said.
He also “felt welcome” with the Eskimos “as soon as I walked in.”
Asked about his first name, Glass said: “My mother just thought it was unique. I think she said there was a person (she knew) named Tyquwan, but the way she spells it is different.”
How do his friends address him?
“They call me Ty, they call me by my last name, Glass, or TG,” he said.