Canadian defensive back Tyrell Ford has signed with the Green Bay Packers, per source.
The 24-year-old spent this past season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, recording three defensive tackles, three knockdowns, and 10 special teams tackles over 18 regular season games with one start. He was released by Winnipeg on Tuesday to allow him to sign with Green Bay.
Ford worked out for a number of NFL teams over the past three weeks, including the Packers, Los Angeles Chargers, Denver Broncos, New England Patriots, Jacksonville Jaguars, and Cincinnati Bengals. He had previously attended rookie mini-camps with the New York Jets and Pittsburgh Steelers before signing his rookie contract with Winnipeg. He was a second-round pick in the 2022 CFL Draft out of the University of Waterloo.
The five-foot-eleven, 188-pound cover man was a standout at the University at Buffalo pro day this past March, recording a 4.44-second 40-yard dash, 36.5-inch vertical, 126-inch broad jump, and 17 reps of 225 pounds on the bench press. He also attended the CFL Combine where he ran a 4.42-second forty-yard dash, 7.03-second three-cone drill, and 4.27-second shuttle.
The native of Niagara Falls, Ont. was a three-time OUA all-star and two-time second-team All-Canadian while playing for the Waterloo Warriors in U Sports. He made 72 defensive tackles, six interceptions, and 20 knockdowns over the course of his career along with 1,872 return yards and three punt return touchdowns.
The rules behind the league’s NFL window dictate that Ford will need to sign back with the Blue Bombers if he returns to the CFL before his contract with Winnipeg expires in February 2025. January 9 was the first day CFL players were permitted to begin signing reserve/futures contracts for the 2023 NFL season.
