The Dallas Cowboys rarely make the splashes in free agency many of their rabid fan base demands, but they do tend to put in the necessary work to make it to the draft without glaring holes. Late into the night on Thursday, they did just that, shoring up their safety position.
With Jeff Heath departing for Las Vegas, the club had a huge hole to fill beside free safety Xavier Woods, and they found a solution in a player new head coach Mike McCarthy is familiar with. The newest Dallas Cowboy is Ha-Ha Clinton-Dix.
The #Cowboys have signed safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, per his agent @_SportsTrust.
Some much needed talent in the defensive backfield.
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) March 20, 2020
Dallas bound. Congrats, @haha_cd6! #LegendsLiveHere #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/fihFJy4qiO
— SportsTrust Advisors (@_SportsTrust) March 20, 2020
NFL Network’s Jane Slater reports it’s a one-year deal for $4 million with $2.5 million guaranteed.
Drafted by the Packers in 2014’s first round, Clinton-Dix spent four-and-a-half years under McCarthy before Green Bay traded him in the middle of the 2018 season to Washington. That was the head coach’s final season in Wisconsin and things were unraveling at that point. It’s safe to say there weren’t hard feelings between the two, likely because of how little influence McCarthy had on personnel matters in Green Bay.
Clinton-Dix spent last season in Chicago with the Bears where he hauled in two interceptions with long returns, including a37-yard score against Washington.
Haha Clinton-Dix gets it started early for the Bears D.
He now has more TDs than Mitchell Trubisky on the season.🤦♂️#CHIvsWAS pic.twitter.com/3E2LYorBC0
— Sports Plug (@SportsPlug_) September 24, 2019
He has 16 career interceptions in his six seasons, something the Dallas defense desperately needs an uptick in. He also has 33 pass deflections as he’s played both safety positions across his career.
At 6-foot-1, 208 pounds, Clinton-Dix isn’t known as an imposing hitter, but he has made timely plays. Pro Football Focus has given him 75.5 and 80.2 coverage grades during the last two years across three different teams.
He ranked 19th in defensive grades among all safeties who played at least 50% of team snaps in 2019, in the same range as Tyrann Mathieu and Earl Thomas. By comparison, Heath ranked 38th on the year.
On a one-year deal, Clinton-Dix allows the Cowboys to have a veteran presence in 2020, but also gives them the flexibility to draft a safety in the 2020 draft and not be too impeded by a long-term deal.
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