Photo Courtesy of Yahoo! Sports
Written by: John Stocco
Twitter: @realJohnStocco
Training camp hasn’t even started and we’re already seeing players reportedly going on the PUP list. This can only mean one thing: football is officially back! Haha Clinton-Dix sprained his knee during the Bears offseason training program, and according to Bears general manager Ryan Pace will start the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Add Clinton-Dix to the list of players injured for the Bears. It’s not long, but it’s a list that contains key players. Trey Burton and Anthony Miller are more key names to look out for when it comes to starting the year on the PUP list. With Clinton-Dix being officially starting the year injured, who’s the next man up for the Bears?
Clinton-Dix being on the shelf for the first six weeks of the season will hurt the Bears, but it’s not a devastating blow to the team. What this means is he must play a notch above everyone else when he comes back if he wants to stay in Chicago after signing a one-year “prove-it” deal. The next man up in Chicago is Deon Bush, the 4th-year pro out of Miami.
A 4th-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, Bush has gotten his share of playing time but has rarely gotten the chance to start for the Bears, only starting in 8 of his 39 games played. Deon Bush is a big-hitting safety who can play in the box but is also versatile enough to play out in the center field for the defense. He’s proven in Miami and in his time with the Bears that he’s someone who prides himself on making the big hit and punishing whoever gets in his way. However, to replace HaHa Clinton-Dix, he’ll have to show off his ball skills that he has yet to show off in the NFL.
It’s not the best way the Bears wanted to start their season, but this is a team who prides themselves on the depth they’ve built, and Deon Bush is a big part of that depth. Honestly, it’s one of the reasons why the Bears didn’t commit long term to HaHa Clinton-Dix. Training camp officially begins on Thursday, July 25th, where we’ll hear more news on the developments of Trey Burton and Anthony Miller’s injuries.