Chicago Bears NFL Draft 2020: The Safeties

Last in a series

The Bears did a rent-a-player with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, hardly an ideal fit for their secondary alongside a similar player in Eddie Jackson.

It worked fairly well but didn't let them max out Jackson's ball-hawking ability and he was allowed to leave. It didn't turn out to be a cash situation because Clinton-Dix barely got more for 2020 from Dallas than he got from the Bears according to Spotrac.com, but now safety is a major need. The Bears have two picks in Round 2 to address it.

"Ha Ha was a good signing for us last year," Bears general manager Ryan Pace said. "He came in, did a good job and I think he got rewarded from Dallas. Part of that decision is how we feel about the depth of that room so when you talk about a guy like Deon Bush, we feel good about some of those guys.

"DHC (DeAndre Houston-Carson), we signed (Kansas City's Jordan) Lucas, some of those guys made us feel better about the decision and the depth we have there and then also the talent of Eddie Jackson boosting that whole position group as a whole. We feel good about the young players we have and getting Deon re-signed was important for us."

Actually, the Bears don't have a bunch of young players at safety. Bush, Houston-Carson and Lucas have been in the NFL long enough to have become starters if they were capable. Bush and Lucas were starters in a few games due to injuries.

There is one other safety Pace didn't mention and he's a part of their "get revenge against the Packers" group. Kentrell Brice was a Packers safety for three years before being discarded and actually started 14 games for Green Bay in three years. He had ankle injuries over two seasons and went on injured reserve, then wasn't extended a tender offer as a restricted free agent in 2019, signed with the Bucs but was cut and the Bears signed him.

The Bears have Brice, tackle Jason Spriggs and tight end Jimmy Graham all looking to get back at the team which discarded them.

None of these safety options is like having a player from early in the draft to fill the position. Round 2 is traditionally a good round to start finding top safeties and this draft is no different. It's because of the greater value associated with cornerbacks. The best will go in Round 1, usually ahead of most safeties.

Sports Illustrated's Kevin Hanson has been like many draft analysts and sees only one or two safeties as capable of being Round 1 material. Xavier McKinney of Alabama is the only safety who would appear beyond the reach of the Bears.

Then Thorpe Award winner Grant Delpit of LSU and Antoine Winfield Jr. from Minnesota are possibles in Round 2 if still on the board.

The Bears have tried to cover all the bases with safeties in their visits much as they have with cornerbacks, looking at the top players as well as the next rung in case they were to trade down and get more picks for Rounds 3 and 4.

If Delpit fell to them, they're ready. The Houston Chronicle's Aaron Wilson reported the Bears among 15 teams to have video conferences with Delpit. Justin Melo of Draft Wire had the Bears conducting a video meeting with Jeremy Chinn from Southern Illinois, the nephew of Broncos great and 2020 Pro Football Hall of Fame inductee Steve Atwater. Big and mobile, Chinn is also a bit of a risk because he's coming out of a lower Division I football school.

Antoine Winfield Jr. is another safety with family NFL ties, his dad being a longtime Vikings DB, and Bearreport.com noted a video conference with him and the Bears.

Safeties like Iowa's Geno Stone and Texas' Brandon Jones are picks for the middle of the draft who have been reported to have met with the Bears. A handful of potential late-round picks like SMU's Rodney Clemons and Auburn's Jeremiah Dinson have talked with the Bears, as well.

Charlie Campbell of Walterfootball.com reported a meeting by the Bears at the Senior Bowl iwth Maryland's Antoine Brooks Jr. This would be a really interesting fit since Brooks is bigger and even thought of by some as an off-ball linebacker or hybrid type of player. As a big safety, he'd definitely be near the line of scrimmage for the Bears and it would let Jackson play back more in coverage.

A player like Brooks as a box safety type may signify a change in Bears strategy because coordinator Chuck Pagano took the approach last year Vic Fangio had as coordinator. He tried avoiding the use of a box safety, but if they realized how it wasted Jackson's ball-hawking skills, it's possible this would change.

Bears NFL Draft 2020: Safeties

The Safeties Room: Eddie Jackson, Deon Bush, DeAndre Houston-Carson, Sherrick McManis, Jordan Lucas, Kentrell Brice.

Sports Illustrated's Top of the Line: Xavier McKinney, Alabama; Grant Delpit, LSU; Jeremy Chinn, Southern Illinois; Kyle Dugger, Lenoir-Rhyne; Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota.

When Bears Should Pick One: Starting at No. 43 in Round 2.

Possibles Early: Delpit, Chinn, Dugger, Winfield Jr., Ashtyn Davis, Cal; Brandon Jones, Texas; Terrell Burgess, Utah; Geno Stone, Iowa; J.R. Reed, Georgia; Julian Blackmon, Utah.

Possibles Late: Shyheim Carter, Alabama; Rodney Clemons, SMU; Jeremiah Dinson, Auburn, Antoine Brooks Jr., Maryland; Marshe Terry, Northern Illinois.

Get Used to It: It's possible the Vikings could select Antoine Winfield Jr., the son of their former defensive back. However, while the Vikings need a safety they have several other more pressing needs for their top two picks and Winfield Jr. could be gone by their third pick.

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