Chicago Bears: Three safeties to target in the NFL Draft
By Ryan Sikes
The Chicago Bears will need a long-term plan at the strong safety position and may turn to the NFL Draft for help. Here are three guys worth looking at.
The Chicago Bears took a gamble on adding Ha Ha Clinton-Dix last offseason to replace Adrian Amos, who departed in free agency for the big money in Green Bay. Essentially, it was a safety swap as the Packers originally drafted Clinton-Dix, but he spent the second half of the 2018 season with the Washington Redskins.
The move forced Eddie Jackson off his natural position at free safety, but the Chicago Bears felt it was the best decision given the inexperience on the depth chart. Clinton-Dix started all 16 games and recorded 78 total tackles with two interceptions and five pass deflections.
Advanced stats indicate that he was dependable last year, allowing the lowest completion percentage of his career (59.1 percent). I’d imagine much of that had to do with the quality of talent around him, but that’s not saying he is a bad player.
His one-year deal last offseason was very much a “prove-it” deal with the intention of signing a big-money contract this offseason. However, he garnered another one-year deal, this time from the Dallas Cowboys.
The Bears are up against the salary cap, but given the contract Clinton-Dix received in free agency, it was a bit surprising that they didn’t attempt something similar. However, I believe Bears personnel wanted Jackson to return to free safety, as his numbers, playing at strong safety, took a dip.
Shortly after Clinton-Dix signed with the Cowboys, the Chicago Bears brought back Deon Bush, who had, to this point, played sparingly. He played in place of Jackson for the final three games of the 2018 season, including the Wild Card game against the Eagles.
He’ll have a chance to become a permanent fixture in the Bears secondary, but I also believe that Ryan Pace will look in the NFL Draft for safety help. Let’s look at three players that the Bears should consider drafting.