While Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix nurses a knee injury suffered near the end of minicamp, Deon Bush has stepped into the spotlight.
The fourth-year safety from Miami, Bush is embracing his opportunity for starting reps. He’s been playing in Clinton-Dix’s spot since the Bears opened training camp Friday at Olivet Nazarene University.
In his three seasons with the Bears, Bush has started nine games, including six as a rookie in 2016.
But when Eddie Jackson went down with an ankle injury at the end of last season, Bush started the final three games, including the wild-card loss to the Eagles.
For Bush, the experience has been a good way to develop confidence in his game.
“I know the game so much better now,” Bush told the Sun-Times. “It’s really a confidence thing. We all can play. But when your confidence goes down and you’re not feeling like yourself, it’s hard to make plays.
“It’s just confidence and learning and not worrying about all the stuff that’s outside and learn about your play and how you’re going to help the team. I feel like it helped me out tremendously. We’re going to see how far it takes me this year.”
With Clinton-Dix expected to return soon off the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, every starting rep is valuable to further boost his confidence.
