Chicago Bears Sign or Pass: Tavon Wilson
Should the Chicago Bears sign a familiar face in Tavon Wilson, or are there better safety options available?
HaHa Clinton-Dix signed a one-year deal in the hopes of seeing al longer extension after a bounce-back 2019. His season was fine, but it affected Eddie Jackson more than the Chicago Bears would have liked, and it seems likely that the team will be looking at other strong safety options in free agency.
Tavon Wilson is a UFA who has spent the last four years in Detroit after starting his career in New England. Would he be a good fit in Chicago, or should the team pass and look for another option?
Sign
Wilson plays in the box much more than Clinton-Dix. Wilson played over 650 snaps in the box last year, compared to 392 from Clinton-Dix.
Wilson also excelled in coverage in that tight area. He allowed 6.8 yards per completion and 5.0 yards per target. While Clinton-Dix was playing off of the ball more, it is worth noting he allowed 11 yards per completion and 6.5 yards per target.
In 2018 Amos allowed 9.1 yards per completion and 5.5 yards per target. Below you can see an example of what he brings. First, he helps communicate before the snap and get his side set.
Next, he reads the play, breaks on Aaron Jones at the right time and breaks up a pass to a solid pass-catching running back.
Wilson made $3.5 million last season and will not have a market that will drive a bigger deal. Considering the Bears paid $3 million for their starting safety last year, that could bet the range they spend again. The team is obviously familiar with Wilson and Matt Nagy has gotten four first-hand looks. If the Chicago Bears are looking for safety who can fill in the box for cheap and help in coverage, Wilson could be a player to look at.
Go
While he is a box safety, he is better in coverage than he is against the run. Per PFF, he Wilson had 10 missed tackles last year. That is compared to eight by Clinton-Dix last year, who was not a sound tackler.
The big difference is that Wilson was much more active in making stuffs, which are tackles that led to failed to plays. He had 30 stops last season while Clinton-Dix had just 15 total stops. Wilson is boom or bust but is more active as a tackler.
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On top of that, Wilson is entering his age 30 season, and is not much of an impact player. He would have to come in on a deal with no long-term commitment. That would just be a bridge-like last season. Wilson would be a good option if the team wanted him to compete with not only Deon Bush but potentially a draft pick. If they want to solve the safety position in free agency, Wilson is not that.