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Steven Clarke could be the beneficiary of a radical shift in thinking by the B.C. Lions.

Coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament, the defensive back was moving well and turned some heads at the club’s recent mini-camp when he lined up at free safety some eight months after the serious knee injury.

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“It’s a great opportunity,” Clarke said following one of last week’s on-field sessions. “I’m definitely having fun with it.”

The free safety position in B.C. has been reserved for a Canadian in recent years, but head coach and general manager Wally Buono said he has no issue using an American if it helps the Lions improve on their CFL-low nine interceptions from 2016.

“The one thing that we didn’t do enough of last year is we didn’t get enough turnovers,” said Buono. “I’m not putting the blame on one individual, but we’ve got to find ways to be able to do that.

“If we have to use coverages that maybe allow us to use more of a cover guy then so be it.”