Deon Bush had a great start to his preseason for the Chicago Bears
When the Chicago Bears let Adrian Amos walk, there was a portion of fans who entertained the idea of giving Deon Bush a chance to step in beside Eddie Jackson. It would certainly help the salary cap, and when Jackson missed time last season, Bush filled in.
The team won a few games with Bush and looked okay, but of course, the season did end in a playoff loss. Still, the idea was that progression towards the end of his third season along with playoff experience could lead to a step forward in year four.
Of course, when the team signed Haha Clinton-Dix that discussion was put away. However, in preseason week one we may have seen that Bush still has it in him to take that step forward, whether the Bears have a starting spot for him or not.
Clinton-Dix started with Bush, but Bush played into the second quarter, delivering two tackles while breaking up a pass and intercepting a pass. Bush even delivered on special teams.
Yes, it is preseason week one, and he started in the playoffs last season. This should be normal for Bush now.
However, it was a good sight to see.
Teams need three safeties in the NFL today more than ever. The NFL is about spreading teams and finding mismatches and to add coverage like Bush is valuable. The Bears can let Jackson roam as a centerfielder more often, and shuffle Clinton-Dix and Bush into the box to show different looks.
Clinton-Dix also does not have a strong track record, which is why he took a one-year deal. If anything were to happen to Clinton-Dix, having Bush is valuable.
Do not expect him to play a ton in the dime role, and if all goes well he will be a special teams asset who can be thrown into the game if needed and fill a role.
It is not a huge development but was reassuring to see.