Chicago Bears: Tashaun Gipson eager to show he fits with elite defense

Chicago Bears safety Tashaun Gipson is eager to show his worth on defense.

One of the most controversial moves the Chicago Bears made last season was to move safety Eddie Jackson from the free safety spot, where he was an All-Pro and a dominant force. They moved him there so they could sign free agent Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

Jackson had another Pro Bowl season but it wasn’t as great of a season as he had at free safety. He wasn’t able to be a ballhawk at strong safety. Additionally, while Clinton-Dix had a decent season, it wasn’t good enough to warrant keeping Jackson at strong safety. As a result, the Bears allowed Clinton-Dix to walk. They moved Jackson back to his customary free safety spot. Then they went out and looked for a strong safety.

There were a number of strong safeties to choose from and the Bears went after Tashaun Gipson. Gipson signed with the Cleveland Browns as an undrafted rookie in 2012. He played in Cleveland for four seasons, earning a Pro Bowl appearance. He spent the next three years playing for the Jacksonville Jaguars, and last season played for the Houston Texans.

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Gipson has experience playing both safety spots so the Bears now have great depths. While Jackson is great at free safety, having Gipson allows defensive coordinator Chuck Pagano more chess pieces to move around.

For his part, Gipson is excited for a chance to play on this elite Chicago Bears defense. He looks around and sees great players around him and he’s sure this is the best defense in the NFL, per the team’s official website:

"Being able to see a guy like Kyle Fuller up close and personal, how he approaches the game, seeing a guy like (linebacker Khalil) Mack and some of the d-linemen, interior guys, (Akiem) Hicks and those guys, how those guys move and how nimble they are. It’s one of those things where you say there’s no reason this defense shouldn’t be the top defense in the National Football League."

Tashaun Gipson wants to show he fits in with the Chicago Bears elite defense.

Being an undrafted rookie puts a certain type of mindset in a player. Even if he survives and makes the team and might become a Pro Bowl player, he still has that thinking of having to fight for a roster spot. Gipson has played that way his entire career, especially being a safety.

The safety spot has been devalued over the past several years. Many safeties expected big contracts but found out the market wasn’t what they expected. That happened to Clinton-Dix. He expected a multiyear deal last year but only found a one-year deal with the Bears. After leaving the Bears, he signed another one-year deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

Others, like Gipson, found themselves out of their jobs. Gipson signed a three year deal with the Texans, but they released him after just one season. That release could be a blessing in disguise for him.

Despite being a starter for most of his career, Gipson finds himself fighting for a starting spot with Deon Bush. Again, life for an undrafted rookie always involves fighting for everything. Nothing is given to him.

It’ll be difficult for Bush to beat out Gipson. He played in a career-low five percent of the Bears’ defensive snaps last season. Now he’s trying to win a job that will have him play a large number of snaps. That’s a big adjustment, especially going up against a player as good as Gipson.

In the past two seasons, there were only two safeties who held opposing quarterbacks to under 53 percent completion rates. Those two were Jackson and Gipson. Furthermore, having Gipson and Jackson playing together gives the Bears defense two ballhawks in the secondary. They have a combined 33 career interceptions between them.

This is Gipson’s chance to contribute to an elite defense and show how good he really is. He’s ready to do so, via the team’s official website as well:

"I’m just going out there perfecting my craft and doing what I do, showing the staff my skill set and how well I can mesh into this defense. And hopefully, when it’s all said and done, I do enough. I make no bones about it. I understand my talents and the things I can bring to the game and being able to do within this defense."

This is a very underrated signing. Gipson and Jackson make a very tough combination for opposing offenses. They are very good at breaking up passes, and very good at causing turnovers. Throw in the cornerbacks like Kyle Fuller (and hopefully Jaylon Johnson) and the great expected pass rush, and this defense could surpass record more turnovers than they did in 2018.