It turns out Ha Ha Clinton-Dix’s time on the physically unable to perform list was short-lived, after all.
Check it out:
The following players have been removed from the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list and added to the active roster:
DB, Ha Ha Clinton-Dix
OL, T.J. Clemmings— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) July 30, 2019
The Chicago Bears announced Clinton-Dix and offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings have been removed from the PUP list and placed on the active roster. Being put on the PUP list before the start of training camp kept Clinton-Dix and Clemmings off the practice fields for the first four practices of training camp. Both players are eligible to practice with their teammates during Tuesday’s practice, which will be closed to the public. Nevertheless, this is good news!
Clinton-Dix suffered a knee injury at the end of the Bears’ June mini-camp, which ended about seven weeks ago. But now that it is healed up enough, Chicago’s defense will welcome its high-profile free agent addition into the practice lineup with open arms. Clinton-Dix, who signed a one-year “prove it” deal worth $3.5 million to plug the spot in the starting lineup vacated by Adrian Amos’ departure, will step into the starter’s role next to Eddie Jackson, pushing Deon Bush back into the second unit.
It will be good to have Clinton-Dix back on the practice field. Because while Bush proved he could be a worthwhile fill-in starter late in the 2018 season, he doesn’t possess Clinton-Dix’s floor, upside, or general, immediate impact. And if the Bears’ defense is going to play up to its capabilities, the tandem of Clinton-Dix and Jackson will need to be hitting on all cylinders. But before we start dreaming of the former Crimson Tide teammates snatching passes out of the air and taking them the other way, it would be nice to see how the two play alongside one another in a practice or two. After all, Clinton-Dix and Jackson haven’t shared a secondary since January 2014.