Chicago Bears: 4 positional battles to watch closely during the offseason

Safety

The final positional battle the team will see is at the safety position. Going into the week, Deon Bush looked to be the top dog. He was a fourth-round pick fo the Bears and heading into his fifth season. Bush has filled in nicely as a backup, and can even spot-start at times. However, he has not shown enough to be “the” guy. Could that change this offseason, maybe? However, I doubt it.

He played in 15 games last year but never started. He was only targeted six times but allowed a 66.7 percent completion percentage and one touchdown for a 126.4 quarterback rating. He had a more productive year in 2018 but was only targeted another seven times. The team would struggle to count on Bush as a starter in 2020. He will get his chance, but it is why they signed a veteran safety with more experience and a more proven record.

Now comes Tashaun Gipson. Gipson is coming off a back injury and was cut by the Houston Texans recently. Gipson only allowed a 55.0 quarterback rating while being targeted in 2019. He also has not allowed more than a 55 percent completion percentage over the last two years.

Some might be surprised to know his missed tackle rate is actually worse than Ha Ha Clinton-Dix over the last two years, but Gipson is more versatile than Clinton-Dix. He will allow Chuck Pagano to use a split coverage approach when warranted while also being a more in-the-box type of safety than Clinton-Dix. This should be a better fit for Eddie Jackson.

Prediction: Tashaun Gipson was brought in to start

The only other position that could see some competition is right guard, but I think Germain Ifedi is going to overcome Rashaad Coward fairly easily.