Ha Ha Clinton Dix, Cornelius Lucas Leaving Bears

The Bears didn't make an attempt to retain safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix in free agency and had to let him leave after a strong season on a one-year contract due to cap considerations

It was a matter of time and it happened late Wednesday for safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

The Bears safety has agreed to terms with the Dallas Cowboys according to a source with knowledge of the contract. The amount was $4 million for one year with a $2.5 million bonus. 

Clinton-Dix had 78 tackles and two interceptions last year and was expected to leave the Bears after signing on with a $3.25 million prove-it deal for one year.

The Bears got a double dose of lost free agents, as key reserve tackle Cornelius Lucas signed a two-year deal with the Washington Redskins for $5.3 million according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

The tandem of Clinton-Dix and safety Eddie Jackson didn't work as well together as their statistics suggest. They both had solid seasons and Jackson made the Pro Bowl, but his interceptions were down to two from six in 2018 and much of it had to do with playing close to the line of scrimmage because Clinton-Dix wasn't as physical of a player.

The Bears would like to see Jackson in center field mode more often and will need to fill the vacant lineup spot in the draft or free agency.

The defense went from 27 interceptions in 2018 to 10 last year and their defensive passer rating went from a league-leading 72.9 in 2018 to 85.2 last year.

This will be the second straight year they've had to replace two players in their secondary. Last year it was nickel cornerback Bryce Callahan and safety Adrian Amos who left. This year Clinton-Dix and cornerback Prince Amukamara are gone.

For Clinton-Dix, this will be his fourth team in three seasons. He was traded by Green Bay to the Washington Redskins, signed with the Bears and now Dallas.

Losing Lucas hurt because he had come on for injured Bobby Massie last year and had 507 snaps without a penalty while allowing only one sack. The Bears are now without a swing tackle, although Rashaad Coward is actually a tackle by trade who was forced to play guard last year due to Kyle Long's injury.

The Bears also had T.J. Clemmings on the roster last year but he suffered a season-ending knee injury in preseason and is now  an unrestricted free agent.

Twitter: BearDigest@BearsOnMaven