Former Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix signs with Cowboys

Former Bears safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix has signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Cowboys, his agency, SportsTrust Advisors announced on Thursday night. NFL Network’s Jane Slater was the first to report the financial details of the contract.

Clinton-Dix signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Bears last offseason after spending the 2018 season with both the Packers and the Redskins. The contract was meant to serve as a “prove-it” deal to help him garner a bigger, long-term deal in the 2020 offseason, but that did not come to fruition immediately. He did have a good year in his lone season with the Bears, finishing with 2 interceptions, 5 pass breakups and 78 tackles.

Many expected Clinton-Dix to pick up a more expensive contract than the one he ended up taking in Dallas, but the general consensus from the moment he signed with the Bears that it would be a short-term marriage between the two sides that was meant to benefit both parties. While the results were not exactly as pretty as either expected, Clinton-Dix was a solid defender in coverage who played well in Chicago’s secondary.

With Clinton-Dix gone, the Bears now have a glaring need at strong safety, especially with Deon Bush still a free agent. They could look to re-sign him, as well as potentially bringing in a cheaper veteran on a short-term deal. Chicago could consider targeting more traditional strong safeties who can cover underneath and play in the box, as opposed to Clinton-Dix’s style of playing up high and bringing more value in deep coverage.

Players like Vonn Bell and Tavon Wilson have yet to sign with teams, while free agents like Tony Jefferson, Eric Reid and Reshad Jones would not impact the team’s compensatory pick formula, as they were released by their respective teams.