Jonathan Moxey’s ready to play anywhere for Calgary Stampeders

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When Tre Roberson hurt his knee last season, Jonathan Moxey moved across the field for the Calgary Stampeders.

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He’d spent most of his time in the CFL playing at the field corner position, but when the Stamps needed him on the boundary, he didn’t hesitate.

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Now, the Stamps want to see what he looks like a little further inside. Through two days at training camp, the Stampeders seem to want to get a look at Moxey playing at the boundary half-back spot, next to Roberson but more towards the middle of the field.

It will come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that Moxey doesn’t seem the least bit bothered by moving again.

“It don’t really matter,” Moxey said. “At the end of the day I pride myself on being an athlete, not just a DB, I’ll play anywhere they put me. Even if they put me at wide receiver, I’m going to get the job done.”

There’s no reason to doubt Moxey.

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In his first full season as a starter, in 2021, Moxey was named to the CFLPA’s all-star team for his work at the field corner.

After spending most of the 2022 season at the boundary corner position, he was named to the CFL’s West Division all-star team.

He’s a high-end talent who is adaptable, versatile and has a smart football mind.

“We’re trying to let Tre work his way in and have a couple practices and have a day to see how his knee feels, so we feel if Moxey is the replacement at the boundary that he needs to know some of the (half back) as well,” Stamps head coach/GM Dave Dickenson said. “He loves playing the different positions. Back in the day, he was a good blitzer, too, so I can see in my mind that he might be able to do even more.

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“He’s a good corner, though, let’s not get carried away, he’s done that and done it well, but it’s good to see him kind of working at some different positions.”

It’s not hard to imagine a Roberson-Moxey combination on the boundary side of the field and conclude that it has the potential to be dynamic and, importantly, extremely hard to throw against.

They’ve both been all-stars and both guys know the ins-and-outs of the Stampeders season. With a full training camp to work on his skill-set at the half-back spot, you’d expect Moxey to hit the ground running once the regular season starts, too.

“Different area of the field, I don’t have the sideline for my help, so I have to really lock in to where I’m at on the field and what the offence is trying to do and depending on what call we’re in, know who I’m working in and know I can make plays based on where my help is,” Moxey explained.

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“I’ve known Tre since 2019, I’ve got a feel for the way he plays and the way he thinks. Him being an ex-quarterback helps me out, as well, he might get certain feels during the game just like I do and might be able to point out concepts and we’ve got a good understanding of what the offence is trying to get done. We can use both our minds and both our skill-sets to make plays.”

ON THEIR WAY

The Stampeders are expecting a couple key additions in the next day or so.

Offensive lineman Derek Dennis was expected to fly into Calgary on Monday afternoon, while 2023 first-round draft pick Cole Tucker has also signed with the team and will be joining the Stamps for training camp.

Whether either guy practices on Tuesday is unclear.

“Derek had a broken leg last year, so we’ve got to (deal with) that,” Dickenson said. “Whether or not we’ll see those guys on the field tomorrow, we’ll see, but they’re supposed to be getting here today.”

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After the Stamps selected him at the beginning of May, Tucker was open about wanting to see if there were any NFL opportunities available to him. The Northern Illinois product attended a mini-camp with the Minnesota Vikings this weekend.

It’s best not to read too much in to Dennis’ absence from the first two days of training camp, either. He had the Stampeders’ full permission to arrive late.

Other notable absences from Monday’s practice included offensive lineman Josh Coker, linebacker Silas Stewart and receiver Tommylee Lewis, who tweaked a hamstring during training camp. Stewart and Coker were both seen on the sideline.

daustin@postmedia.com

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