Clinton-Dix is an above average player although he's probably better suited to play strong safety just like Burnett. I for sure don't want the Packers to get back to the days of having to line up McMillian or Jennings there.
I agree he's better suited to SS or slot corner, variations within the same species. When the assignment is specific...deep 1/3 of the field in low/high zone coverage, blitz, coming up to fill a run hole...he looks pretty good. My problem is that when he's in single high safety free to read and react to what he sees, which is why they're called "free safety" in the first place, he just doesn't seem to be consistently around the ball.
This is evidenced in his 4 passes defended this year, a low count. And that's not a one-off...it's 13 over nearly 3 full seasons of about a 95% snap counts in the aggregate.
I'm not saying he isn't a decent player. What I am saying is shelling out the kind of money we're talking about for a guy playing out of position should be questioned. If the Packers were a consistent 2-high safety zone team I might have a somewhat different view, but when the CB crew isn't decimated, the Capers D is primarily a man/blitz team which calls for a natural free safety.
While Clinton-Dix is due a very favorable comparison to Jennings, that's about as low a bar to hurdle and you can get. McMillian was never going to be more than a zone/box SS so that's not a valid point of comparison.
There is always the question, "who else ya got?" and with plenty of other holes to fill there is the temptation to go with the know quantity and not create yet another problem. But that's a question for 2018. From my perspective, Randall is the natural free safety on this roster, a guy who looks way better facing the ball than with his back to it, though the realization of this fact is unknown. Without a better perimeter corner group, such a move can't be contemplated.
But from this viewpoint, then, the need is in the perimeter corner area, not a panic signing of an out-of-position safety.
I would be surprised if the Packers decide not to pick up the fifth year option for Clinton-Dix as signing him to a long-term deal next offseason would most likely result in a higher average salary per season.
If it were to be a higher average per season, it should not be materially so. Waiting also provides a one-year insurance policy against injury or regression. Sure, if he blossomed into a Pro Bowl player in year 4, then you'd have a point. But when you consider he's essentially the same player now that he was in his rookie season, you'd figure he's fully formed.