Ha Ha Clinton-Dix Injury News is Unexpected But Not Concerning

Chicago Bears fans were greeted with a bit of unfortunate news on Sunday. With training camp imminent, three players are expected to go on the Physically Unable to Perform list. One of them being their key free agent acquisition in safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. He apparently suffered a knee strain during the final minicamp practices a couple of weeks ago and will be held out until the team feels comfortable he’s back to 100%.

This is not the news people wanted to hear. Clinton-Dix comes with high expectations. He is the man tasked with replacing one of their key starters on defense in Adrian Amos. Some even feel he has a chance to elevate that position even further thanks to his playmaking skill. However, it would be impossible to do that from the sideline. Given how much bad luck this team has had with injuries in the past, this isn’t a feel-good moment.

That said, there is no reason to panic. GM Ryan Pace, who delivered the news, didn’t sound overly concerned about it. He made it clear expectations were for the stay on the PUP list to be short. The team is just being cautious, preferring to avoid any setbacks before the practices and games start to get really important.

Ha Ha Clinton-Dix will be ready for when it matters

There’s another reason for optimism besides Pace’s assurance. People must remember that Clinton-Dix has not missed a single game in his NFL career to this point. He’s appeared in every one dating back to his rookie year in 2014, a streak of 80-straight games. The guy has durability and understands how to play through pain. Missing a couple of practices in training camp is a small price to pay in order to keep that streak alive.

The best thing to do is not panic. Opening night against Green Bay is still over a month away. There is plenty of time for him to recover and get up to speed in this defense. Odds heavily favor him being ready for action. Especially when it’s his first opportunity to play Green Bay. The team that saw fit to trade him last year. There is no way he’ll be missing that game if he can help it.