The Chicago Bears defense hasn’t been bad in 2019. Despite dealing with a myriad of injuries and being saddled with one of the worst offenses in the NFL, they’ve allowed the 3rd-fewest points so far this season. They were and remain a championship-caliber unit. However, not everything about it can be considered in good shape. Former defensive end Alex Brown has one complaint about the current depth chart that is making things harder for them. It centers around Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Wait. It’s not the lack of a true second pass rusher? Nope. What about the decline of Prince Amukamara? Not that either. No, his gripe centers around the entire makeup of the Bears safety position. While he understands that Clinton-Dix is a good player, Brown believes his presence on the roster is doing more harm than good. Why? Namely, because he isn’t playing the same role that Adrian Amos did the previous two years. That of a true strong safety.
This has forced the Bears to employ their star Eddie Jackson more in those kinds of situations. While the All-Pro has handled the job well, it has ultimately neutered him as a playmaker. Jackson has just one interception this season. He had six in 2018. Brown is convinced the Bears have to find somebody who can play the strong safety spot so they can resume using Jackson as a true free safety.
Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is likely to leave in 2020
The good news, at least from Brown’s perspective, is that Clinton-Dix may end up one-and-done with the Bears. He signed a one-year deal last March for $3 million. The idea being he’d join a great defense with a chance to improve his overall value going into 2020. While his stats haven’t been gaudy, he has played pretty well for the Bears this year. With an extension looming for Jackson, the odds of them being able to keep Clinton-Dix too are remote.
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This means they’ll likely go hunting for a replacement either in free agency or the draft. One can expect they likely reached a similar conclusion as Brown. They have to find a way to maximize Jackson’s talent as ballhawk. Finding a strong safety who can handle the responsibilities near the line of scrimmage would help this. Even better is the fact that safeties of this type tend to be less expensive, so it shouldn’t be a huge challenge to find one.
