Clinton-Dix savoring 49ers’ chance
SANTA CLARA — Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was a Green Bay Packers star heading into his first Pro Bowl season five years ago.
Last season, he was out of the NFL — a Not For Long example of this demanding sport.
He’d gone from the Packers to Washington to the Chicago Bears to the Dallas Cowboys, albeit only for training camp last summer with Dallas. Since then?
“I’ve been working out, taking care of my mental, making sure I’m looking at the right man in the mirror,” Clinton-Dix said Tuesday. “Taking a year off was a blessing from God for my body, my family and I’m excited to be back here on a team.”
Tuesday, after only his second practice of 49ers training camp, he enthusiastically spoke about this chance to return from a oneyear, NFL hiatus.
“Great organization and great team and I want to do anything I can to be a part of it,” Clinton-Dix said.
Clinton-Dix is a late entrant but certainly in the mix at safety. It’s arguably the 49ers’ thinnest position with two preseason games to go before their Sept. 12 regularseason opener. Veteran Tavon Wilson and rookie Talanoa Hufanga have filled in all camp for the injured Jaquiski Tartt (toe) and Tarvarius Moore (Achilles).
“Everything feels great. I feel I’ve got 15 years left in the tank,” Clinton-Dix said.
He intercepted a pass by rookie Trey Lance and nearly one other in Monday’s debut practice.
Clinton-Dix expects more big plays to come. He’s totaled 16 interceptions in a career, none in 2015 and ‘18 regular-season wins over the 49ers. He said he never thought his career was done as he sat out last year.
“It was a relief to get off my feet, look at man in the mirror and make sure I’m the right guy, catch up on sleep and let my legs flesh out,” he said.
Clinton-Dix, 28, was a 2014 firstround draft pick out of Alabama. The Packers traded him after 4 1/2 seasons to Washington during the 2018 season. He spent 2019 with the Chicago Bears, and last summer’s training camp with the Dallas Cowboys.
He’d played in 16 games each of his six NFL seasons, then after a reunion went awry with Packersturned-Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy, Clinton-Dix opted not to bide time on any team’s practice squad.
“It was a long-lost season, not having OTAs and going right into training camp last year,” ClintonDix said. “Things didn’t go as well as thought they would in Dallas.”
One reason he expects better results now is what he’s seen from 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan.
“The head coach, he reminds me of (Alabama coach Nick) Saban, in just how we get after it every day in practice, with the urgency and the integrity each guy has on this team,” Clinton-Dix said. “That’s hard to find.”