Take Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the Bears’ latest safety
A wrinkle in the grand plan for Chicago’s new safety." NewsInjury ReportChicago Bears Training Camp 2019Bears training camp 2019: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to start camp on PUP listNew https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/Jonathan-Bullard-Jersey ,15commentsA wrinkle in the grand plan for Chicago’s new safety. CDTShare this storyShare this on FacebookShare this on TwitterShareAll sharing optionsShareAll sharing options for:Bears training camp 2019: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to start camp on PUP listTwitterFacebookRedditPocketFlipboardEmailPhoto by Mitchell Leff/Getty ImagesBy rule, the time to panic about early training camp injuries is only when they start to tread on meaningful games. If player is missing any time in early July and August but is good to go in the regular season, it’s no harm, no foul. For new additions working their way into a fresh defensive scheme, that panic might be dialed up to a two or three on a scale of 1-10, with 10 acting as an apocalypse that is fubar. It’s still nothing to ultimately be concerned about, but a watchful eye should be kept on the situation. Take Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the Bears’ latest safety opposite Eddie Jackson, for example. During Sunday’s pre-training camp press conference, Bears general manager Ryan Pace announced that Clinton-Dix would begin training camp on the physically-unable-to-perform-list. According to Pace, the veteran safety and free agent signing from March is recovering from a sprained knee suffered at the end of veteran mini-camp last month. The Bears characterize the knee injury as minor. They’re being cautious before throwing one of their key contributors back into the fire before he’s ready. If Clinton-Dix’s injury history is any indication, there should be no reason to worry. The sixth-year pro has played in all 16 games in four consecutive seasons with the Packers and Washington. The time to pull your hair out comes later Akiem Hicks Color Rush Jersey , if it ever arrives. In other notable pre-camp injury news, Pace also discussed the status of Trey Burton and Anthony Miller—two of the more important cogs in the Bears’ offensive machine. He anticipates both Burton and Miller will be fully locked and loaded when Chicago hits the field at Olivet Nazarene University on Friday. Burton missed the Bears’ NFC Wild Card Game against the Eagles because of a groin injury. The veteran tight end subsequently underwent sports hernia surgery in May related to complications from said groin injury. A little under two months later, he hasn’t had any setbacks in his recovery. Miller, meanwhile, dealt with a nagging dislocated shoulder injury during his rookie campaign. A shoulder of which also bothered him in college at Memphis. Like Burton, Miller went under the knife to relieve some of the pain and issues caused by the shoulder. Miller might not be 100 percent healthy (by technical definition) during the early stages of camp, but he will at least be healthy enough to participate in most activities. All things considered, having just one major player sidelined at the start of training camp should be viewed as a victory for the Bears. It’s manageable and allows them to start the meaty part of their summer unimpeded. Robert is the Editor-in-chief of The Blitz Network, the managing editor of Windy City Gridiron, and the Bears beat writer for The Rock River Times. Follow him on Twitter @RobertZeglinski. You can’t take a picture of this. It’s already gone. IntroductionMatt Nagy was nothing short of a godsend for the Chicago Bears’ offensive players. Skill players like Tarik Cohen, Taylor Gabriel, and Mitchell Trubisky enjoyed career statistical years. Heck Bobby Massie Jersey , even lineman like Cody Whitehair, Kyle Long, and Bobby Massie all played some of their career’s best football. Truly, it feels like everyone in the offense benefited from Chicago’s change at the top.Well, almost everyone.Jordan Howard entered the 2018 Chicago Bears season with more questions surrounding him than anyone else. Could he remain productive in an RPO offense? Was he in the Bears’ long-term plans? Might he get traded during the season? These questions, it seemed, would be answered as the season played out. That didn’t end up being the case. The 2018 season is now behind us and the answers still aren’t very clear. On one hand, Howard posted the worst statistical season of his career, averaging under 4 YPC for the first time in his three seasons. On the other, two of Howard’s last five games saw him rush for over 100 yards as he and Nagy seemed to turn a corner together. So which is it? Does he fit or not?The writers are going to answer this question in three parts: whether Howard fits in the Nagy offense, what we think his market value currently is (in terms of dollars and/or draft picks), and whether or not the Bears should trade him if they can get that market value. This article will only address the first question.Given how the 2018 season played out https://www.thebearsfanshop.com/Adrian-Amos-Jersey , do you think Howard fits in the Nagy offense?Erik Duerrwaechter: This is somewhat difficult to answer. Early in the year, Jordan Howard was used primarily for plays requiring pass protection in the backfield, or for the obvious dive plays up the middle. Starting against the Rams, they opened the playbook for Howard, as far more counters, isos, and powers were ran with him seeing a greater load on carries. He rushed for just under 400 yards in the final 4 games of the season. I think if -- and I mean IF -- the Bears elect to keep him in the fold next season, then his role will likely be the early down back specialist with Cohen becoming the third down back. Jeff Berckes: No, I don’t think Howard fits Nagy’s ideal version of the offense. I think there was fire behind the smoke we saw in the offseason chatter about Howard getting traded. I like Howard more than most, but it is clear Nagy is looking for a different skillset for his feature back. However, we did see some positive development from Howard’s production towards the end of the season and that gives me some hope that Nagy can find a way to squeeze another year out of JoHo if he returns for his 4th season.Josh Sunderbruch: I think Nagy tried a little too hard to get him to fit, but he doesn’t fit. He’s a volume back in a system that doesn’t need a volume back Jordan Howard Color Rush Jersey , and he’s less of a true power back than people want to make him out to be. Lester A. Wiltfong Jr.: I think it took Nagy a while to realize how best to use Howard, but I still get the feeling he’d rather have a guy that is more explosive and more versatile. Howard can still be a good back in the right system and I think he’ll have a LeGarrette Blount type of career, which means the Bears will either move him this offseason, or allow him to play out his contract and walk as a free agent in 2020. I just don’t see him getting a new contract in Chicago. Robert Schmitz: I don’t. I want to think he fits, but I don’t think he does. As others have pointed out, Jordan Howard is a volume-carry zone-blocking back. He picks up steam as the game wears on, watching how defenses react play-to-play to determine how he’ll attack them next. He’s a bell cow that generally needs at around 10+ carries to turn in a good performance. Nagy, on the other hand, wants a quicker back. He wants someone who is equally dangerous on the ground as he is through the air, specifically someone who doesn’t give the defense clues about whether called plays are passes or runs. Unpredictability seems to be one of the foundations of the Nagy system, so I think Howard’s limitations in the passing game ultimately make him a poor fit.Ken Mitchell: I think that Matt Nagy had so much coming at him this year trying to assess the strengths and weaknesses of each of his players that he really didn’t connect with Howard. Howard’s skillset is simply outside the box of what Nagy’s offensive focus is, and Nagy just started getting a handle on how to best use Howard in Nagy’s offense in the last 5 games. WhiskeyRanger: Does he fit in the idealized version of it? No. For that you need a more well-rounded back that can be trusted on short yardage Eddie Jackson Jersey , while also being an athletic threat in the open field, and at least a decent playmaker in the pass game. But can Nagy adjust his scheme to make use of Howard’s skill set? Yes. And we saw that start to take shape toward the end of the regular season. There is value to Howard’s game, regardless of system. It just may not be exactly what you need from a featured back to realize the scheme’s full potential.SummaryWe generally agree that Howard has value but that his talents make him an imperfect for the ideal Nagy offense.Question 2: What do you think is market value for a player like Howard this offseason? (in terms of $$$, draft capital, or both)Question 3: If a team offered you said market value this offseason, would you trade him? If so, how would you go about replacing him?Our answers to these questions will be coming up next.
