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EDMONTON – While quarterback Tre Ford has already found his admirers among the Green and Gold faithful, it’s his (slightly) older brother Tyrell who is now looking to make a name for himself in Edmonton.
This isn’t a situation where a brother is trying to emerge out from under his other brother’s shadow, Tyrell has already shown how dominate a player he can be in the Canadian Football League.
The 27-year-old is fresh off a 2024 season where he finished second in the CFL in interceptions with seven, earning All-CFL honours for his ball hawking ways. Tyrell is already a legitimate star in the league, now he’s ready to prove why he should be just as popular as his quarterback brother in the city of Edmonton.
And he’s going to do it starting one fan at a time.
“(Coming to Edmonton) has been good,” Ford said. “I’ve already had a couple of good interactions. I remember I was coming into work one morning and I always get my Tim Hortons. This one guy, he was nice, and he waved me by and let me go. So, I paid for his coffee. Then when he was driving away, he threw the hand up and waved. So, it’s a good city to be in.”
On the field, Tyrell is already adjusting well to both a new system and a new colour of jersey. The change in threads shouldn’t be that difficult for the cornerback with 4.42 speed. Ford spent most of 2023 as a member of the Green Bay Packers, so the Green and Gold already suits him just right.
When it comes to the change in system, the J.C. Sherritt defensive playbook also seems to fit Ford like a glove.
“The new playbook is a lot of the stuff I’m good at, so it’s kind of nice. It’s been a pretty easy transition for me,” Ford said. “I think the coaching staff are also basing our defense off the people we have, and they kind of know what we have. They’re making the jobs easy for everybody.”
Ford’s position coach is already very familiar with what the speedy defender can bring to a defence. Elks defensive backs coach Aaron Grymes was a teammate of Ford’s last season, after being brought in by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers prior to his retirement.
The long-time Double E defender is already a fan of one of his key pieces in the Elks secondary.
“Seeing Tyrell Ford up close, I love it,” Grymes said. “I got a little bit of a head start because I got to be in the same room as him last year for a little bit, but he’s awesome. He brings a great energy, very coachable. Obviously, we saw what he did on the field last year.”
“My biggest goal is to try to help elevate that and put him in positions to make plays.”
Ford should have plenty of opportunity in 2025 to make plays. There is already a belief around camp that visiting quarterbacks are going to have a tough time when they go up against the Green and Gold.
“Our defensive line is eating, so that makes it a lot easier,” Ford said about the defensive performance so far in camp.
“Our front seven’s unmatched,” he added. “I don’t think anyone can keep up with them, but our DBs are good too. Everybody’s out there making plays. We’re all flying around. We’re all fast, we’re all athletic. It’s a good group and I’m excited.”