When the Chicago Bears drafted Malik Muhammad in the 4th round last month, most reactions were the same. They saw the Texas cornerback as a perfect challenger to Tyrique Stevenson at the outside spot opposite Jaylon Johnson. It made sense. Stevenson has one year left on his rookie contract and saw his playing time drastically cut down the stretch last season. However, the Bears threw a twist into the story when they deployed Muhammad at the nickel corner position quite frequently in the rookie minicamps.
This caught some off guard. Had the Bears eyed Muhammad as more of a challenger to Kyler Gordon instead of Stevenson? Sure enough, a short time later, it was revealed that Gordon was dealing with another soft-tissue injury that had haunted him throughout last season, when he missed 14 games. It is starting to look like the Bears have grown tired of betting on Gordon staying healthy. The best ability is availability, and this has been the story of his NFL career. At some point, you had to think the team would start making future plans that didn’t include him.
Malik Muhammad has the tools to play nickel.
It is a difficult position that requires somebody with specific skills. You need short-area quickness to handle the tighter spaces you need to maneuver in. High intelligence is needed to understand which direction your coverage assignment is going. After all, nickels don’t have the benefit of the sideline to help them. You also absolutely need to be physical and reliable as a tackler. One person quipped that you need corner coverage skills, linebacker tackling skills, and safety spatial awareness.
Luckily, Muhammad does check those boxes. He has very good coverage technique and more than enough speed and quickness to handle those responsibilities. His spatial awareness isn’t a huge problem either. As far as tackling, he doesn’t shy away from it. The primary concern is whether his body can handle the physicality. Muhammad is listed at 182 lbs, which is very light for a corner. It is likely why one of the first things the Bears mentioned after drafting him was that they wanted him to put on weight.
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Gordon has nobody to blame but himself.
If this were knee, ankle, or other joint-related injuries, it would be one thing. His problem has been soft tissue in nature for most of his career. That speaks to a serious problem with his conditioning. There is no such thing as weak muscles. Just poorly prepared ones. Whatever the issue is, it is now threatening to cost him his job. The Bears may not be able to cut him at this point because of dead money issues, but that doesn’t mean they’re obligated to play him. Last year, the Bears didn’t have insurance in case he was out.
That is no longer the case. It started when they signed veteran Cam Lewis in free agency. He has extensive experience at nickel. Now you add Malik Muhammad to the mix. This serves as a clear message to Gordon. Either he finds a way to get his body right in the next few months, or he won’t have to worry about injuries anymore because he’ll be on the bench. It’s unfortunate because Gordon is a good player. Sadly, he is also untrustworthy. The Bears would much rather have an okay player who plays every game than a good player who might give you seven or eight a year.
