It wasn’t a hard decision for Jonathan Moxey to sign a two-year contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in CFL free agency last month.
“They showed interest. It feels good to be wanted. It’s not their first time reaching out to me, so I took that into account as well. I like their scheme, I like the attitude that their defence plays with, and they had a need at corner(back),” Moxey told 3DownNation.
“I’m going to go out there, I’m going to compete, and help that defence become an even better defence than they already were because it was already good last year, so hopefully that could help bolster that secondary.”
The native of West Palm Beach, Fla. started all 18 regular-season games for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at field-side cornerback in 2025, making 40 tackles, three interceptions, and one forced fumble. He knows that Hamilton wanted to retain him in free agency, though it appears the team wasn’t fast enough in its efforts to re-sign him.
“They had their priorities, they had to pay guys what they needed to pay them, so negotiations moved slow,” said Moxey. “As that happens, the window approaches and when the window approaches, other teams start calling and you’ve gotta make the best business decision first and foremost for you and your family, so that’s what I had to go do.”
The Blue Bombers are known to have veterans help recruit free agents with players like Willie Jefferson, Brady Oliveira, and Nic Demski often reaching out on behalf of the club. Moxey didn’t need a sales pitch to sign, however, instead being attracted by the team’s reputation and defensive scheme.
“I think it’s (a defensive back)-friendly (scheme) and I think it benefits players that have a lot of snaps. It allows you to be yourself within the scheme of the defence, as long as you’re wise and you’re good at reading routes and understanding concepts in CFL football, then you can have success in that system,” said Moxey.
“As long as you’re yourself and you play within the scheme, then you can find personal success and personal success usually leads to team success. I’m excited about it and I like the way that (defensive coordinator Jordan Younger) talks football. His defensive philosophies from what I’ve heard from everybody have all been positive.”
The Tiger-Cats led the CFL with 44 takeaways in 2025, recording 10 more than the fifth-place Blue Bombers. Moxey believes the unit was successful because of its cohesiveness, something he’s hope to see in 2026 with Winnipeg.
“We just had so much unity on the defensive side of the ball. It started up front with the pass rush … and then we had young guys that were flying around tackling, so it made it a lot easier for the secondary to just play more relaxed, knowing that those guys were going to do what they were going to do up front,” said Moxey.
“We played with high energy and we took advantage of the opportunities that came our way. I think with Winnipeg, I don’t see it slowing down for them — just because they finished middle of the pack in one year doesn’t mean that the next year we can’t be right at the top. I’ve seen them in previous years have led the league in sacks and interceptions. It was just one of those years for them where they had injuries on their roster. They’re always a good team, they’re always competitive, so I expect nothing less when I get there and I expect to help them take it up a notch.”
The Blue Bombers had a tough time at cornerback in 2025. All-CFL selection Tyrell Ford left in free agency, leaving Marquise Bridges, Jamal Parker Jr., and Dexter Lawson Jr. to share starting duties at field-side cornerback. None of these players have been retained for 2026, nor was boundary cornerback Terrell Bonds, who suffered a torn ACL in August.
Moxey has CFL experience at halfback and strong-side linebacker, though he’s mostly played cornerback. He also claimed he was done “dirty” by the Calgary Stampeders near the end of his tenure with the team two years ago, but declined to elaborate. Regardless, he felt as though playing a variety of spots made him a better player, if even he appears locked in at cornerback for 2026.
The 30-year-old has made 132 defensive tackles, 10 special teams tackles, eight interceptions, one forced fumble, and one sack over 82 career regular-season games. He still believes he’s getting better, even if he’s plateaued as an athlete.
“You don’t get faster or stronger or quicker. As you age, so does the body, but my mind has gotten sharper. Playing that many snaps has given me the ability to see so much. You get a feel for the speed of the game, you get a feel for the spacing and the concepts that you can anticipate,” said Moxey.
“Football is 90 percent mental, only 10 percent physical, so if I could be smarter than the guy across from me, if I could anticipate what that offensive coordinator might do, then I’m always putting myself in an advantageous position where I can help the defence and help this team win games, so I think that’s how I got better. Basically just playing more football and getting those reps under my belt.”
Moxey has played in Winnipeg many times, always as a visitor. As a member of the home team, he’s now going to have to deal with the deafening noise fans make while opposing offences are on the field. It appears he’s ready for it.
“I can’t wait to hear it. Every time I was there, it was definitely electric. Whenever you’d be on the sideline, you’re like, ‘Man, these fans are loud,’ whether it’s that or they’re heckling you while you’re walking through the tunnel, so huge support system,” he said.
“I think you can feel it coming right off the bus whenever you’re visiting, so it’ll be a good thing to have those fans on my side this year.”
