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News June 22, 2026

Elsbury finding a home on Blue Bombers offensive line

Tyler Elsbury has found a home along the Blue Bombers offensive line; photos by Cameron Bartlett

@EdTaitWFC

It was a big ask from a big man. And when Tyler Elsbury approached Winnipeg Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea with a request to miss one day of practice during the bye week, well, he had a truly bona fide reason.

He and his now-wife Georgia were married on Saturday in Byron, Ill.

“It was probably the best reason to be away,” began the Blue Bombers 6-foot-6, 333-pound offensive lineman.

Yet, when Elsbury saw last week’s practice schedule with the Blue Bombers back at work on the weekend after a bye week, he had to approach the boss asking for a favour.

“He’s a good kid,” said O’Shea of Elsbury. “He was extremely concerned about having to ask for another day. He did not feel very well having to ask for an extra day. So, you know he is serious about his craft, and you know he wants to do the right thing for his teammates. That’s why we have teammates. They look out for you and fill in when you need them to.”

Elsbury’s nuptials featured some of his best friends from his hometown — he and Georgia were high school sweethearts — along with some of his pals from his days at the University of Iowa, including Pittsburgh Steelers third-round draft pick Gennings Dunker and quarterback Cade McNamara. And the post-wedding party? Yup, they got after it.

“They tried to kick us out once and Gennings stepped up to the DJ and said, ‘Screw it, I’m going to pay for another hour’ so they stayed for another hour, and it was a good time,” Elsbury said with a wide grin. “He said, ‘We’re not stopping this.'”

Elsbury has been a solid fit for the Blue Bombers through the first two games of the season as he took up a home at centre. The 24-year-old was first with the Blue Bombers last year but returned home to deal with a personal matter. And when he returned this year for camp — and following the departure of Chris Kolankowski — the opportunity to play regularly was there for him to grab his fingers around and squeeze.

“It’s just a really big blessing that they choose to trust me to play,” he said. “It’s my job to uphold that now every time we have a game.”

Being patient, it turns out, is one of Elsbury’s true strengths. It was evident during his days with the Hawkeyes, where he had only six starts in 50 career games along what is consistently one of the best offensive line groups in the NCAA. His perseverance was epitomized by him being selected for the ‘Next Man in Award’ on offence in both 2023 and 2024.

The payoff for that patience is coming now but, it can test a man’s will.

“It feels like that. It can be a struggle when you’re always the sixth man in and you think you’re really good but there are always some guys who are a little bit better,” Elsbury said. “That was my story when I went to Iowa. When I got there, I had the opportunity to learn from Tyler Linderbaum and now he’s the highest-paid interior guy in the league (with the Las Vegas Raiders). He left (Iowa) and they brought Logan Jones across from D-line to O-line and he got drafted in the second round this year to the Bears. Two other guys I played with are both with Seattle right now (Mason Richman and Beau Stephens) and another guy is with the 49ers (Connor Colby) and we had another guy or two who are probably just as good.

“That’s the program at Iowa. In the moment it was really tough to stay patient and stay diligent but the guys I was with made it fun. Coach (George) Barnett was our O-line coach and he always told me, ‘Just stick with it. We want you here, we need you here. Just stick with it.’ Now it’s all coming to fruition. Everybody up here is a good football player, too.”

Elsbury helps celebrate Brady Oliveira’s touchdown in Calgary in the season opener

Elsbury has been a quick study on an offensive line stacked with experience. His size helps, obviously, but the gig requires more than just pushing a pile and keeping the quarterback clean.

“He’s a massive human being who seems to take great pleasure in moving guys in front of him,” O’Shea said of Elsbury. “So, we like that. He’s adapted well. Certainly, his pro work ethic of studying is there and then the rest of it will come with experience.

“The centre — you’re in charge as the quarterback of the offensive line and you’ve got to be listening to your quarterback and seeing the pictures. I think it’s made easier with guys like Paddy and Stan around him and Gabe has played a bunch of games for us so having a veteran presence around him and being coached by Marty Costello means you’re going to have a leg up, for sure.”

Elsbury’s first home game against Hamilton earlier this month saw his mom and dad drive up from Illinois, his grandparents from Iowa. Georgia, his new wife, and their two dogs will be en route to Winnipeg this weekend after the Edmonton game.

His folks were also in both Saskatoon for the preseason game and Calgary for the opener and while they won’t be here this week, Elsbury expects to see them again soon.

“So far they haven’t missed one,” he said with a grin. “I really appreciate them. That’s what they want to do to support me. I think they’re taking this week off but they might be in Hamilton (next week). I was telling them, ‘Geez, guys… you need to save some money.'”

THE COACH SAYS: More from Coach O’Shea’s daily media session:

TODAY’S INJURY REPORT: Some encouraging news from the infirmary, with just rookie LB Brody Clark not participating in Monday’s closed practice.

The club did make one move, releasing Canadian receiver Daniel Oladejo, who had been added to the practice roster on May 30th.

CHASING 16: The Blue Bombers have had 15 consecutive sellouts at Princess Auto Stadium and are inching toward another, although sales aren’t quite there yet. Thursday’s forecast, FYI, calls for perfect conditions with a high of 25C.