The Bears have plenty of pending free agents set to hit the open market next month, but they won’t be able to re-sign them all. That’s what happens when you have a vulnerable salary cap situation.
Some of the in-house players set to hit free agency include inside linebackers Danny Trevathan and Nick Kwiatkoski, as well as defensive tackle Nick Williams, safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and defensive back Sherrick McManis.
But who should be the biggest priority for the Bears to re-sign this offseason?
Bleacher Report believes the Bears should focus on re-signing veteran safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to an extension following his performance in 2019.
Eddie Jackson is a star, but they lost Adrian Amos in free agency last offseason, and 2016 fourth-round pick Deon Bush hasn’t emerged. Clinton-Dix delivered on a one-year prove-it contract in 2019 with 78 tackles, a pair of picks, a defensive touchdown and five passes defensed in 16 starts. Now the Bears will have to prioritize the 27-year-old former Green Bay Packers Pro Bowler.
That won’t be easy considering their potential cap crunch, but this is an experienced, talented roster, and they can’t take another step backward in the secondary.
While Clinton-Dix put together a solid season on a one-year prove-it deal, there are reasons why the free safety might not re-sign in Chicago. The first one being he won’t come as cheap as the $3 million deal he signed last offseason. Chicago has plenty of needs they need to address through free agency and the NFL Draft outside of re-signing Clinton-Dix.
The Bears would also benefit from bringing in a strong safety to line-up opposite newly-extended Eddie Jackson, who was forced to move to strong safety in 2019. Bringing in a strong safety would allow Jackson to move back to his natural position where he was a dominant force in 2018.
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