There’s a competitive advantage to being a defensive back on the Chicago Bears.
With an elite front seven, which features monsters like Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Roquan Smith, leading the way, it certainly takes the pressure off the secondary, which is something that Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has already noticed.
“Being able to be around this many guys with this much talent — elite players in the front seven — it’ll make my job a lot easier,” Clinton-Dix said after Sunday’s practice.
As for the advantage that gives a player like Clinton-Dix, he said it’s about creating opportunities for the players in the secondary.
“One of my coaches told me, ‘We’re not here to make the honor roll, we’re here to make plays,'” he said. “We’ll definitely have more chances to make plays and take chances.”
Last season, the Bears led the league in turnovers (36) and interceptions (27), and the benefit of having a dominant front seven definitely paid dividends.
As the Bears defense returns all but one starter — and you could argue Clinton-Dix might ultimately be an upgrade over Adrian Amos — there’s good reason to believe that this unit will have similar success in 2019.
