‘It’s always been a dream of mine’ Bombers’ rookie linesman Elsbury looking to stick around this season By: Taylor Allen Posted: 6:14 PM CDT Friday, May. 8, 2026

It’s hard to knock Tyler Elsbury for starting just six games in five years at the University of Iowa.

He was part of a loaded offensive lineman room that featured five players selected across the past two editions of the NFL draft.

And when Elsbury first arrived on campus in 2020, he was behind Tyler Linderbaum — a first-round draft pick by the Baltimore Ravens in 2022 who is now the highest-paid centre in the NFL.

Elsbury could’ve transferred to a different school for his final two years to become a full-timer, but he opted to stay put.

“I wouldn’t change a thing. It was a big aspect of my life to be able to develop there,” said Elsbury after the third and final day of Blue Bombers rookie camp on Friday.

“I thought that was the best spot to be. Obviously, teams look at game tape, but when it comes down to it, I came up here for two weeks last year and made the practice roster and a lot of that is credited with the five guys that I got to play with and learn from. We pushed each other to be great.”

Elsbury joined the Bombers midway through training camp in 2025 and the club saw enough to keep him around. His season ended up being cut short when he returned to Iowa City in July to deal with a personal matter.

During that time, he remained involved with the sport by helping his brother, Dustin, coach at the high school level.

Considering he was an Academic All-Big Ten selection at Iowa, he could’ve moved on to something else, but Elsbury was eager to return to Winnipeg this year.

“I’m ready to step into a role here and be on the field all the time.”

“Being a big guy as I am, you can’t run down the street and knock people over all the time. This gives you an outlet, and it’s always been a dream of mine,” said Elsbury, who attended Seattle Seahawks rookie mini-camp in 2025.

“Stanley (Bryant) is 40, but he’s an outlier. You’re not going to be able to play that long usually. And I always talk to my dad and he says, ‘Do it while you can because when you’re done, you’re done.’”

Linderbaum wasn’t the biggest star Elsbury got to know at Iowa. He was there for the entirety of Caitlin Clark’s time with the Hawkeyes.

“We were in the dorm together our freshman years and I got to know her during her first couple years and she exploded into a global phenom in women’s basketball and is kind of a driving force,” said Elsbury.

“I don’t talk to her as much anymore, but on Instagram though, we still follow each other and we’re still supportive of each other. But yeah, we were in the dorms together, got to know her and we hung out a lot. She’s a great person.”

The Bombers didn’t bring the 24-year-old back to hear stories about his famous classmates, though.

“He’s the type of kid you probably want to take in an alley with you,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.

“He’s a big, strong kid, tough. He played at Iowa in a system that requires you to be tough, and as smiley and jovial as he is walking around, when he steps on the football field, he plays the game the right way.”

They’ve been trying out the 6-6, 333-pounder at centre during rookie camp, and for good reason. He has experience at guard and tackle, but there’s an opening in the middle of the O-line after veteran starter Chris Kolankowski was cut in the off-season.

Canadian Tui Eli is entering Year 6 with the Bombers and has a chance to finally solidify himself as a starter, but a talent like Elsbury could throw a wrench into the plans.

“I’m ready to step into a role here and be on the field all the time,” said Elsbury.

“Obviously, I still gotta really earn that here. There are no gimmes, I mean, I’m at rookie camp, right? I’m definitely fighting with a bunch of dudes and there’s a lot of good dudes in this camp. But yeah, I’m ready to step into the light and take over with some confidence and play a full season in a starting position.”

 

First round of cuts

It’s all fun and games until players start getting cut.

The Bombers currently have over 100 players on the roster and approximately eight hopefuls will be sent home by midnight Saturday. Players chosen in the 2026 CFL Canadian Draft and junior invites do not count towards the roster and can stay with the team for the remainder of training camp — which, starting Sunday, will include veterans.

Next Tuesday the roster will be cut down to 75.

The Bombers play their first pre-season game May 23 in Saskatoon against the Roughriders.

 

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