Chicago Bears: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix could be the next Tim Jennings

It feels like people are going out of their way to downplay the Chicago Bears and their acquisition of free agent safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

While most experts feel they got a decent player, they have by no means gotten a star. This despite evidence from a few years ago that he’s capable of playing at a Pro Bowl level. He has 17 career interceptions and participated in two deep playoff runs in 2014 and 2016 with the Green Bay Packers. The guy is also only 26-years old. Why isn’t he getting more respect?

Maybe it’s just the narrative that people continue to buy. He had some down moments in 2017 and 2018 and suddenly he’s become a bad player and it’s never possible for him to be good again. Except there are countless examples of that not being the case. This is easily the most talented defense Clinton-Dix has played in to date and there’s a reason to think it could be a perfect fit for his skill set.

In fact, this signing could end up being the biggest steal the organization has pulled off since they quietly secured a young man named Tim Jennings back in 2010.

Tim Jennings also didn’t get respect when he joined the Bears

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Most people these days have fond memories of Jennings. That wasn’t always the case. Nine years ago he was a later addition to the defense in free agency after spending his first four years with the Indianapolis Colts. Despite starting several games and helping them reach two Super Bowl, he wasn’t brought back. Why? Most of it centered around the fact he was too short (5’8). Players that size couldn’t become stars in the NFL at that position.

So the Bears got him cheap. They felt differently. Indeed there was evidence to think so. In 2008, his lone year as a full-time starter for the Colts, quarterbacks had just an 85.5 passer rating when targeting him in coverage. He had two interceptions and seven passes defended. Not elite numbers but a sign that he could hold his own.

Just a few games into the 2010 season, he came into a game against Green Bay for Zack Bowman who was struggling. From that point on, he was the man opposite Charles Tillman. By the time he left four seasons later, Jennings had gone to two Pro Bowls and collected 16 interceptions. Clinton-Dix has a chance to do far more than that if things break as they could in the coming months, presuming the Bears look to keep him for the long-term.

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