The Chicago Bears have every reason to be thrilled with Malik Muhammad through the first two weeks of the season. He has an interception and a sack already in his rookie season, but the 4th round pick also has a passer rating against of just 27.8. Targeting him in coverage hasn’t led to much for opposing quarterbacks. What makes it even better is he’s done it at nickel, the toughest position in the secondary to learn. A position he didn’t play much in college. After spending months without Kyler Gordon, this has been a tremendous stroke of good fortune for the defense.
However, new developments present a serious problem for the Bears. Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson is dealing with a hamstring injury. Barring a swift recovery, there is a strong probability he will miss Monday night’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles. This creates a problem. Do the Bears move Muhammad outside to fill Stevenson’s spot? This would mean they shift Cam Lewis to nickel and play Xavier Woods at safety. Or do they keep Muhammad at nickel, where he’s been successful, and maybe lean on Clark Phillips or Josh Blackwell to handle boundary duties?
Malik Muhammad has become a critical chess piece.
Nobody ever would’ve imagined that when the season began. The initial hope was that he might be able to rotate into the lineup, gaining experience as a part-time player. Instead, he’s become a starter, and a pretty important one at that. There is still no sign of Gordon returning anytime soon. With Stevenson out of commission, the Bears must decide what is more important: protect the boundary or cover the slot. Based on what we’ve heard Dennis Allen say, the nickel is a vital part of the defense. It feels like the Bears would want to keep Malik Muhammad where he’s been most successful.
That means going with Phillips or Blackwell on the outside. The Bears traded for Phillips right before the season when they flipped Gervon Dexter to Atlanta. He hasn’t seen much action yet due to his unfamiliarity with the system. When he played for the Falcons, he was mostly a boundary corner. He was targeted 79 times in that span, allowing 50 catches, 5 touchdowns, and a 99.0 passer rating. Blackwell is more of a wild card. While an excellent special-teams player, he didn’t play much defense last season. He was targeted just 7 times, allowing 5 catches for 60 yards.
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Matchup may also determine this decision.
One must also look at the strength of Philadelphia’s offense. The Eagles are not a great slot passing team. First-round pick Makai Lemon is their primary option there, and he’s been a non-factor so far this season. DeVonta Smith is their best weapon, and he has played almost exclusively on the outside. If that remains the case, the smart thing to do is to try to put your best corners on the outside to counter him. In such a scenario, moving Malik Muhammad makes sense.
Then you factor in the loss of tight end Dallas Goedert, and the Eagles’ slot presence diminishes even further. If you bring it all together, moving Muhammad outside might be the most sensible option. He has plenty of experience there from his time in college. It’s much easier playing that position anyway. Lewis isn’t a great nickel option, but he’s been steady when called upon. It will be interesting to see what Allen decides.
