The Chicago Bears certainly made fans wait. After watching Ha Ha Clinton-Dix leave for Dallas this offseason, people wondered who his replacement would be next to Eddie Jackson at safety. When they re-signed Deon Bush but did little else all the way through the draft, it looked like the answer was clear. The former 4th round pick and longtime backup would be getting his shot. Then on Thursday the other shoe finally dropped as the team came to terms with 29-year old veteran Tashaun Gipson.
This will be his fourth NFL team. The former undrafted free agent broke out with the Cleveland Browns in 2013 and 2014, reaching a Pro Bowl and collecting 11 interceptions in that stretch. He eventually found his way to the Jacksonville Jaguars where he became a prominent part of that great defense in 2017 that carried the team to the AFC championship. This eventually led him to land a nice deal with the Houston Texans last season.
Yet despite having three interceptions and playing 14 games, the team chose to cut him despite a lot of dead money being left behind. The Bears swooped in, getting him on the cheap. Now he’ll likely start next to Jackson. Something top ESPN analyst Matt Bowen sees as a good thing.
Gipson can compliment Eddie Jackson better
The reality is Gipson has already played strong safety in his career. He did it in Jacksonville and again for the Texans. He understands that role well and what his job will be. Clinton-Dix was always a pure free safety. This is why the Bears were forced to move Jackson into the strong safety role whenever required. Clinton-Dix just couldn’t handle it. That won’t be an issue with Gipson. It’s clear the Bears wanted to get somebody who could fill that void without sacrificing the playmaking skill on the back end.
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The team knows what they’ve built. The arrival of Robert Quinn back in March has set the Bears pass rush up to be particularly devastating. Wouldn’t it make sense to have two guys known for grabbing lots of interceptions at safety? Gipson has 23 in his career. Jackson has eight over the past two seasons. It is a formula that has worked in the NFL for a century. That should continue in 2020.
