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News October 29, 2025

Ford extension sets the tone for the Elks defence

@arcurimike

EDMONTON – The Elks commitment to continuity this offseason begins with Tyrell Ford.

Edmonton announced they had locked up the star corner for an additional two seasons, tying the outstanding Canadian to the Green and Gold through the 2027 season. Ford still had a year left on his deal prior to the new arrangement, but the Elks and the top defender were excited to commit to each other and continue building towards a winner in the City of Champions.

“Tyrell Ford’s contract extension is a move that reinforces our commitment to building a championship-caliber team,” Elks VP of Football Operations and General Manager Ed Hervey said in a release. “His consistency and professionalism reflect the culture we are establishing, and this decision underscores our focus on continuity, elite talent, and long-term success.”

For Ford, the new deal gives him a chance to settle in with a team and a system for the long haul. Edmonton sported one of the youngest secondaries in the CFL in 2025, and Ford will be expected to lead the group into next year.

“I thought season went good,” Ford said “Obviously, we didn’t make it to the playoffs, but I thought as a team we grew a lot, especially in the secondary. A lot of young guys and you kind of want to keep that together.”

The 27-year-old didn’t put up the same eye popping numbers as his 2024 All-CFL season, but a look at the film shows a defensive back as good as any in the CFL.

“I didn’t have all the interceptions and stuff, but I also got targeted way less than I did in my first year,” Ford said. “I thought I tackled better. I was a little bit more physical this year, which I liked, but I thought I had a good year.”

The Green and Gold certainly had their ups and downs on the defensive side of the ball, but by the end of the season they had become one of the stingiest units in the CFL. As the team gelled, they went from allowing 34.0 points per game (ppg) in their first five contest, to a 22.1 ppg in the final 13 contests – a mark that would have ranked first in the Canadian Football League over a full season.

The defensive backfield also began to force turnovers, something they had not done earlier in the year. Prior to Ford’s game changing pick-six against the Montreal Alouettes in Week 10, the only interception by the Green and Gold all season had belonged to defensive lineman Jake Ceresna. At that point, the Elks defence languished behind the league in every major statistical category. Through seven games (nine weeks), they were last in sacks (5), pass knockdowns (16), forced fumbles (0), and interceptions (1) – usually by a large margin.

Edmonton’s defence began to turn a corner, and in the final 11 games it was a completely different story. The Elks racked up sacks (19), pass knockdowns (30), forced fumbles (8), and interceptions (12) as the team began to stack up the victories. It was an evolution that Ford noticed, and has him excited for what the unit could look like in 2026.

“Right after the bye week, I feel like everybody bought in,” Ford said. “We had a lot of moving pieces the whole year, but kind of all gelled together and we were playing at a high level at the end of the season. We (plan) to carry that over to next season and we’ll be in a better position.”

As the Elks continue their resurgence, the plan is to have Ford be a major part of it. If the Elks are able to carryover the momentum they showed in the second half of the season, the Double E’s defence is bound to be a highlight in 2026.

“I feel like a lot of the foundation’s already laid out,” Ford said. “I talk mostly for the defense, just the different stuff we’ll do next season. Now that we have all the fundamentals and little details set in place, I feel like we can really elevate our game and trick some of these quarterbacks.”