Bears Rumors: Tashaun Gipson Agrees to Contract After Texans Release

Free-agent safety Tashaun Gipson agreed to a one-year contract with the Chicago Bears on Thursday, according to Pro Football Talk's Charean Williams.

The Houston Texans released Gipson on Tuesday. He made 14 starts and finished with 51 tackles and three interceptions in what proved to be his only season with the team.

The Bears allowed the ninth-fewest passing yards (222.1 per game) in 2019 and ranked eighth in pass defense DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), per Football Outsiders.

Chicago selected a pair of cornerbacks (Utah's Jaylon Johnson and Georgia Southern's Kindle Vildor) in the 2020 draft but didn't address the safety position. That left the team still in need of a replacement for Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who signed a one-year, $3.8 million deal with the Dallas Cowboys.

Gipson will likely start alongside free safety Eddie Jackson in the secondary. Deon Bush has only made eight starts since arriving as a fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft.

Whatever the terms of Gipson's contract with the Bears, it represents a clear step down from the three-year, $22 million deal he got from the Texans last offseason. The 29-year-old at least has the opportunity to play himself into a bigger payday in 2021.