Former Esks linebacker Mccoil joins Stamps

The good news is there is an Edmonton Eskimos linebacker reunion taking place.

The bad news: It’s happening three hours south of Commonwealth Stadium.

The Calgary Stampeders announced Tuesday the signing of former Eskimos standout Dexter Mccoil to their practice roster.

A Grey Cup champion with the Eskimos in 2015, the six-foot-four, 220-pound Tulsa product earned 143 tackles, nine for a loss, six sacks, 12 knockdowns, a forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one which resulted in a touchdown, and nine interceptions, two of which he returned for a touchdown over 36 regular-season games.

And the outside linebacker did most of it playing next to former Eskimos middle linebacker J.C. Sherritt, who currently coaches linebackers for, you guessed it, the Stampeders.

Mccoil, who was named the CFL’S most outstanding rookie in 2014, went on to play 26 National Football League games as a safety with the San Diego/los Angeles Chargers and San Francisco 49ers.

He made 30 tackles, defended five passes and earned an interception.

He was one of a trio of Eskimos linebacking teammates Sherritt helped earn NFL shots, with the others being Deon Lacey and Kenny Ladler.

“Those guys got themselves their shots, I’m not going to take credit for anybody’s success,” Sherritt said during the Labour Day series.

“I was very lucky to play with some unbelievable players, though. Those guys are friends for the rest of my life and I’ll always treasure those relationships.”