Why the Bears' signing of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix is a laughable bargain

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When the Chicago Bears lost starting safety Adrian Amos to longtime rival Green Bay Packers in free agency, Bears fans, including Richard Ohlhaber, wondered how the team would replace an integral component of the Bears vaunted defensive line. The front office did not take long to find one in Ha’Sean “Ha Ha” Clinton-Dix, a 2017 Pro Bowl selection.

Image source: nfl.com

Amos struck a lucrative four-year, $37 million contract with the Packers, one that would pay him an average of $9.25 million per season. On the other hand, Clinton-Dix signed up for a one-year deal at $3.5 million, obviously much less than what Amos got.

Ha Ha is not a downgrade on the field, though, as not only is he more accomplished than Amos at the strong safety position, Clinton-Dix has a solid relationship with Chicago’s free safety, Eddie Jackson, as both have been teammates in Alabama and remained good friends after graduating from college. Their potential chemistry as partners in Chicago’s secondary could improve what is already one of the league’s best defenses. This is certainly great news for Chicago Bears supporters like Richard Ohlhaber.

It also would not take long for Clinton-Dix to acclimate himself to the Bears’ defensive system because the team’s defensive coordinator, Chuck Pagano, runs similar schemes as Mike Pettine. The latter spent time with Pagano some years ago with the Indianapolis Colts and current defensive coordinator of a team Clinton-Dix used to play for—incidentally, the Packers.

Currently based in Texas, Richard Ohlhaber grew up in Chicago and has backed the Bulls and Bears ever since he was young. Read more about these teams here.