I saw Tre Ford on the sidelines of the Edmonton Elks most recent home loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, and was wondering why he wasn’t put into the game. Afterall, he did have a big win last season in Hamilton in his first career CFL start, when he helped lead the Elks from behind to beat the Tiger-Cats 29-25 at Tim Hortons Field.
As I watched the final minutes of the July 13th game, the cameras kept following Ford on the sidelines and TSN analyst Glen Suitor was wondering aloud what many Elks fans are thinking in terms of asking why doesn’t Ford get a shot.
A few fans on Twitter have previously mentioned that Ford has moved down the depth chart because he’s not been playing as well as Taylor Cornelius or Jarret Doege in practice. So is Ford injured? Did he not fully recover from his collarbone injury in his second start in 2022? What did he do to fall so far down the Edmonton Elks Quarterback depth chart in 2023?
Ford Gave Elks Fans Hope in 2022
A lot can change in a year, and it certainly has. At one time, for a few short weeks in 2022, fans were excited at the potential of seeing a Canadian born star quarterback in Ford playing against another Canadian born star QB in Nathan Rourke.
Rourke, if you recall, was nothing short of sensational with the BC Lions last season. Rourke appeared to be the best Canadian QB since Russ Jackson, who led the Ottawa Rough Riders to three Grey Cup Championships during the 1960s.
Ford’s performance against Hamilton last season gave fans hope that we would be watching two great Canadian born quarterbacks star in the CFL. But that was then, and this is now. Rourke signed a contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL in the off-season, where he is being mentored by Jaguar’s Head Coach and quarterback whisperer Doug Pederson.
Ford meanwhile, has returned to Edmonton where he sits #3 on the QB depth chart. Ironically #3 is where Rourke currently sits on the Jaguars QB depth chart behind starter Trevor Lawrence and backup C.J. Beathard. As a long time fan of the CFL, I feel robbed that I don’t get to see either Ford or Rourke star in the 2023 season, but there is always hope.
Maybe Ford will get his chance to see the field for the Elks this season, and as for Rourke, I hope he gets a legitimate shot at starting in the NFL. It’s a tall order with a star like Lawrence as the starter but hopefully Rourke can turn some heads during pre-season and go from there.
A Tough Road Ahead for the Edmonton Elks
The 0-6 Elks face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers twice and the BC Lions once in their next three games. It's the worst start in franchise history. If Cornelius or Doege falter at any time, hopefully Elks Head Coach Chris Jones or Offensive Coordinator will give Ford a shot.
If that isn’t in their plans for 2023, maybe it’s time to make a trade and get a quality player in return. All I know is that I hope Ford gets another chance to hit the field to see what he can do. As a football fan, I’ll always get behind those players who deserve the chance to try and reach their full potential.