Ha Ha Clinton-Dix was brought to Green Bay to provide stability in the backend of the secondary.

Now in his third year, Clinton-Dix has the chance to mimic one of the Packers’ safety greats.

In LeRoy Butler’s third year as a starting safety, he blossomed into an All-Pro. That kind of jump is within reach for Clinton-Dix, not just because of his ability to cover and break up a pass. But one of his most valuable features is his uncanny ability to mix it up at the line of scrimmage and disrupt the running game and attack the quarterback.

Which sounds a lot like Butler back when he was perfecting the Lambeau Leap on a chilly Dec. 26, 1993 day against the Raiders.

What makes it easier for Clinton-Dix is that he has Sam Shields, easily the best cover corner in the NFC North and one of the better cornerbacks in the NFC. That’s comparable to Doug Evans who tallied five interceptions in his fourth season — which is one of the reasons the Packers’ defense was so formidable in the magical season of 1996.

Quarterback and left tackle remain the two most important positions in football. After that, it’s the entire secondary because if you get limited in the passing game, you’re going to have a hard time winning in this league.

Clinton-Dix was thrown into the fire as a green 22-year-old rookie and showed flashes. The encouraging thing last year was that he made the sophomore jump instead of regressing into the sophomore slump. He has been great at getting his nose into the pile and knowing when to take a chance on a ball and when to lay back.

“I think to have two safeties who can do everything, that can cover, play the middle of the field, play zone, tackle, play in the box, is a blessing,” said Clinton-Dix about himself and his safety teammate of Morgan Burnett. “You never have to worry about, ‘You go up there this time and cover him.’ You both can play both sides of the field and feel comfortable doing it.”

Obviously he also knows that the Packers have their sights set on another Super Bowl trophy. The offense has been retooled, the defensive line has been stabilized and the offensive line has depth. That leaves the secondary — namely a hard-hitting safety that makes receivers and running backs think twice about chewing up yards against this defense.

The Packers are expecting a production leap out of Clinton-Dix. Whether that means channeling the Lambeau leaping founder is up to him.