Pricey Decisions for Bears on Clinton-Dix, Amukamara

Tough economic realities for the Bears this offseason threaten to break up one of the league's better secondaries.

They're issues affecting more vital members of the secondary than those the Bears dealt with last offseason.

Last year they lost Bryce Callahan, a slot corner who had a lot of injury time in Chicago, then missed all of 2019 after Denver overpaid to sign him. And they had to find a replacement for Adrian Amos, which Ha Ha Clinton-Dix accomplished quite well.

It is Clinton-Dix where this defensive problem starts. His contract was a one-year, prove-it deal at $3.25 million. He definitely proved he belonged, with two interceptions, five passes defended and two fumble recoveries. Pro Football Focus gave him the highest grade for 2019 of all five Bears regular defensive backs, at 74.2.

Yet, paying out a large deal for Clinton-Dix or another veteran safety would deplete the Bears of cash they may not have against the salary cap and also defeats the purpose of another signing they made.

According to Overthecap.com, they were at $17.3 million under the cap not counting the $6.6 million total cap savings they'll realize with Kyle Long's retirement, or the money they just spent on a new deal for safety Eddie Jackson. Jackson's breakdown hasn't yet come out, but the signing likely leaves the Bears close to $9 million under the cap. So they need more savings.

The best approach might be obtaining another safety via trade, or drafting one and letting Deon Bush compete with the rookie for a starting spot. Bush has been the understudy whose deal is also up, and he had defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano singing his praises all year.

However, Bush did give up a few big plays in his limited playing time. One was the only touchdown of the game with Green Bay in the opener.

The Bears paid out the most money ever for a safety to sign Jackson at $58.4 million, yet last year they asked him to shift up near the line of scrimmage more and take on greater run-support responsibilities. In the process, they hurt his ability to use his greatest asset as a ball hawk.

Clinton-Dix provides a veteran presence, but he also plays a similar style to Jackson. What the Bears actually need to realize full value from their highest-paid safety is a sidekick who can be the safety in the box against the run, someone like they had with Amos.

Using one of their draft picks, possibly the fourth-round compensatory pick, to find another more physical safety might be preferable to bringing back Clinton-Dix at an expensive rate. This wasn't realistic last year when the Khalil Mack trade hit their draft status hardest, but they have options this year with a couple second-round picks.

"The quantity of draft picks we have in this draft is much better for us, will give us the ability to move around in the draft if necessary," general manager Ryan Pace said. "Having the two second-round picks is huge for us, especially we can already feel the depth of this draft. Yeah, that's something we hadn't had in recent years. To have that quantity is important for us."

It would be fair to point out Pace could miss on a safety, but he did select Amos and Jackson on Day 3 of the draft.

At cornerback, the issue is less improving as it is saving money. They could release Prince Amukamara and save a whopping $8 million against the cap. In doing so, they'd likely need to use a draft pick for a cornerback–probably one of their second-round picks because finding immediate starters at cornerbacks in the fourth round or later is rare.

Signing a free agent cornerback isn't really an option because they wouldn't save much money. Free agent cornerbacks rarely come at bargain rates, even the average ones.

Playing undrafted free agent acquisition Kevin Toliver as Amukamara's replacement probably isn't a viable option. He was marginal in his limited playing time last year.

If they determine the $8 million in savings isn't really necessary, they could simply let Amukamara play out the final year of his deal in 2020.

To make the necessary improvements they need on offense, the Bears could use every available dollar. At the same time, they somehow must find the proper checkbook balance in order to preserve the balance with a dominant defense.

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