NEWSLETTER
When the Chicago Bears signed Tashaun Gipson Sr. in free agency, I virtually inked the safety into the starting lineup next to Eddie Jackson.
Perhaps I should have used pencil.
#Bears safeties coach Sean Desai on strong safety spot: "Day 1 training camp, everybody knows they need to come out and compete…"
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) June 18, 2020
Bears safeties coach Sean Desai says "yes" Deon Bush as a chance to be a starter.
— Mark Grote (@markgrotesports) June 18, 2020
In a Zoom conference call with Bears reporters, Safeties Coach Sean Desai said an open competition will take place at the starting safety spot opposite Jackson. And to take it a step further, Desai added that Bush has a chance to be a starter this year. That’s certainly an eyebrow raiser. So let’s talk about it briefly.
For whatever it’s worth, I fully expect Gipson to win the competition. Gipson has a longer track record of success in the NFL and has a vast amount of experience in the many roles a modern safety has to play in today’s game. But with Desai saying “everybody knows they need to come out and compete” says everything we need to know about how serious the team is about competition throughout its roster. And even though there are a handful of players who are stone-cold locks with job security, there are plenty of roles to win this summer. Getting a chance to play safety next to Eddie Jackson is one of then.
The most important takeaway is that the Bears’ coaching staff appears to be making sure their actions back up their words.
