Chicago Bears: Former Chiefs safety signed to add competition

The Chicago Bears need to add a hard-hitting, box safety to man their strong safety position, and they just opted to sign a familiar face to add competition…

According to multiple reports, the Chicago Bears have signed former Kansas City Chiefs safety, Jordan Lucas to a one-year deal worth $1 million. Yes, it is a low-level deal, but lets go ahead and examine exactly what the Bears will be getting from the former Penn Stat Nittany Lion.

The 26-year old, Lucas has spent the last few years in Kansas City as a stalwart in Dave Toub’s elite special teams unit, and has provided valuable depth to their strong safety position. Lucas laced up a total of 30 games for Kansas City over the past two seasons, while starting a total of four matches for the Chiefs.

During his time in Kansas City, Lucas tallied a total of 39 tackles, three passes defended, one sack, and one interception. The biggest element that I feel Lucas will add to the Bears is his championship pedigree. Knowing how to be a professional and how to compete day-in and day-out cannot be understated.

Now, how does Lucas stack up against Deon Bush for the starting safety position? Its in my opinion that Bush will be the front-runner for the starting spot opposite Eddie Jackson. However, I do believe it will be an open competition, and that was probably a perk that persuaded Lucas to head to the Windy City.

Additionally, I do believe that Ryan Pace is going to let this starting spot ride into the season as a competition. For the Bears, why not do so? The winner would have earned their starting reps and the player who falls short will be a great piece to add to the Bears special teams core.

Overall, it is a bit disappointing because the Bears went into last offseason with an identical need and were able to land a prestigious name in Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on a team friendly deal. On the other hand, I should have guessed that the Bears would be shopping from the bargain bin this offseason due to Pace signing over-the-hill free agents to bloated contracts…

Now, one thing that could throw a wrench into this chain of thought would be if the Bears spend an early-round draft pick on a safety to pair with Jackson. However, seeing as how Chicago hasn’t addressed their offensive line at all and still have questions at corner, tight end and receiver; my money is that the Bears won’t address strong safety early in the draft. It is in my estimation that Pace will most likely opt for leaning on a competition with Bush as the front-runner. How will that all shake out? We shall see come preseason.