There’s another Moose Jaw born football player in the Canadian Football League.

Defensive back Kahlen Branning joined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Wednesday, signing onto the team’s practice roster.

“I’m very excited to be back on the field and hopefully I can do lots for this team,” said Branning over the phone on Wednesday from Winnipeg, where he had his first practice with the Bombers.

The six-foot, 195-pound Branning had been exploring his options in the National Football League after graduating from the University of Regina as he attended mini-camp with the Detroit Lions, but when a training camp opportunity didn’t arise, he decided to commit to the CFL.

The Central Collegiate grad said he’s looking forward to the chance to play professional football.

“I’m here as a Blue Bomber now and I can’t wait to get on the field and start working,” said Branning.

“I want to prove myself, test my abilities and see how I match-up.”

As a practice roster player, Branning will be going against the Bombers’ starting offence every day in practice, which will mean he gets to challenge himself against the likes of Weston Dressler and Darvin Adams and he’s looking forward to that test.

“It’s always exciting to go against top talent in the league and I’m very excited to see what I can do against them,” he said.

“I’m going to do whatever the coaches tell me to do, make sure I study the playbook, I’ve got to get on that over the next couple of days, make sure I have that down pat, and they’ll evaluate me in practice and see where I fit in best.

“My first practice went really well, it was fun to be around the pros and get back on the field again... I feel like a professional now and I have to act that way, come ready to work every day and grind.”

The Bombers are currently tied for first place in the West Division with a 7-2 record and they’re riding a five-game winning streak. Branning said he’s excited to be joining a team on the rise.

“Hopefully we can make the playoffs and see what we can do there,” he said.

Branning joins the Bombers on an interesting week as it’s Labour Day Classic week, he said he’ll have no problem cheering for the Blue and Gold this week against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

“I’ll definitely be watching that, it will be exciting,” he said. “I’ll have a lot of friends back home that won’t exactly be cheering for me, but that’s part of the game, it will be exciting.”