Chicago Bears: Comparing Haha Clinton-Dix to Adrian Amos

The Chicago Bears let Adrian Amos walk and signed Haha Clinton-Dix for cheaper. Was the decision worth it?

When the Chicago Bears let Adrian Amos go, there was a lot of discussion about whether it was the right move. When he signed with the Green Bay Packers and Haha Clinton-Dix replaced him, it became a fan talking point.

Now that the season is over we can go back and look at the first year without Amos, and see if the defense was affected by Clinton-Dix replacing him.

Keep in mind, Amos signed a four-year, $36 million deal while Clinton-Dix was on a 1-year, $2 million deal.

Alignment

Before getting into the numbers and performances, it is worth noting that alignments change and can affect performance. Last year in Chicago Amos played much more two-high than he did in Green Bay.

In Green Bay he played much more in the box, about 14% more often in Green Bay. Overall he was closer to the line of scrimmage.

In Chicago, Eddie Jackson was in the box much more in 2019 than in 2018. He played 10%  more snaps in the box in 2019. However, that is mainly because the Bears played single high more than two high in 2019. Clinton-Dix played in the box about as much as Amos did in 2018.

Considering the change from Vic Fangio to Chuck Pagano it is fair to assume that this is a coordinator change much more than a change to suit the skills of Clinton-Dix.

Coverage

Clinton-Dix was targeted in coverage on 44 targets, allowing 26 completions. Amos was targeted seven more times, 51, giving up 10 more completions, 36. Clinton-Dix allowed a 59.1% completion rate to 70.6% by Amos.

It is also worth noting that 2018 Amos allowed a 61% completion rate, on 33 receptions.

Clinton-Dix allowed 11 yards per completion and 6.5 yards per target. Amos allowed 11.7 yards per reception and 8.3 targets. Considering Amos was consistently closer to the line of scrimmage, this is a strong statement for Clinton-Dix having a better year in coverage.

2018 Amos allowed 9.1 yards per completion and 5.5 yards per target. His 2018 version was the best of the bunch.

Both defensive backs have allowed one touchdown and have two interceptions.

Tackling

Amos is noted as the better open-field tackler and the more physical player. However, Clinton-Dix allowed 96 yards after the catch, 3.7 yards after the catch perception. Amos allowed 148 yards after the catch, 4.1 yards after the catch per reception. Anther slight advantage for Clinton-Dix in coverage, finishing plays.

2018 Amos allowed 80 yards after the catch, just 2.4 yards after the catch per reception.

However, near the line of scrimmage, Amos has been the better player. Amos has 23 run stuffs near the line of scrimmage and four tackles for loss. Clinton-Dix has 15 stuffs and did not have a tackle for loss.

Clinton-Dix also came with more missed tackles. His nine missed tackles was a 10.3% missed tackle rate. Amos had a 5.5% missed tackle rate, which is even better than 2018 when he had a 9.9% missed tackle rate. This is the one area where Amos did improve.

Pass rush

Amos was blitzed just 24 times but picked up 3 pressures and a sack. Clinton-Dix only blitzed 14 times but saw 1 pressure and zero sacks. Last year, Amos had three pressures on four blitzes. Talk about consistency.

Overall

Overall both teams wish they had 2018 Amos. Amos made $1.96 million last year and was better than his 2019 version and was better than Clinton-Dix.

So, Chicago Bears fans can see some disappointment. Their defense saw a less sturdy tackler who was slightly worse in coverage for the same price as their starting safety last year. However, Packers fans paid Amos about four times what he made in 2018 and are getting a bit less production as well.

It is still a true argument who is better between the 2019 version of Amos and the 2019 version of Clinton-Dix. However, the fact that it is even close does give the Bears a huge edge due to the idea that Amos is making about $7 million more per year.

The Bears got a lot of things wrong in 2019. Letting Amos walk and signing Clinton-Dix for much cheaper is not one of them.