With new Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles shipping superstar Khalil Mack off to the Los Angeles Chargers, the team is now short one dominant pass rusher.
Enter Indianapolis Colts free agent defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad.
“Second-wave of free agency name to keep an eye on for the Bears: DE Al-Quadin Muhammad, who has history with Matt Eberflus,” Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune tweeted on March 14.
Muhammad, who turns 27 at the end of March, has spent the last four seasons with the Colts, which, of course, is where new Bears head coach Matt Eberflus served as defensive coordinator from 2018-2021. With Mack gone, could Muhammad be a younger, more affordable replacement?
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Muhammad Makes Perfect Sense for Chicago
Wiederer isn’t alone in naming Muhammad a likely Bears target in free agency.
“If Poles does bring in another defensive end, Al-Quadin Muhammad could garner a look,” Alex Shapiro of NBC Sports wrote on March 10.
A sixth-round pick for the New Orleans Saints (196th overall) out of Miami (FL) in 2017, Muhammad played in just four games his rookie year, netting just one tackle.
The Saints waived him the following year in 2018, and he landed with the Colts, making the practice squad initially. He was elevated to the active roster and wound up appearing in 15 games and playing 42% of the team’s defensive snaps that year. He finished with 28 total tackles (16 solo, five for loss), two QB hits and a fumble recovery. After his first season playing in Eberflus’ defense, his playing time increased every year — and so has his production.
Muhammad hasn’t missed a game over the last three seasons, and he became a full-time starter in 2021. While not quite the game-wrecker Mack is, Muhammad is younger, healthier, and could just be hitting his stride. In 17 games last season, he finished with 48 total tackles (32 solo, seven for loss), 13 QB hits, a forced fumble and 6.0 sacks.
Mack had 6.0 sacks in seven games last year and surely would have amassed more had he been able to stay on the field.
Therein lies the appeal of a player like Muhammad, who is coming off a one-year, $3.4 million deal with the Colts. Muhammad will likely cost more than that this year after a solid 2021 campaign, but he won’t have a $30 million cap hit — and he isn’t coming off major surgery.
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Eberflus Has Spoken Highly of Muhammad
Eberflus has had nothing but praise for Muhammad in the past, so that relationship could be a key factor in determining where the pass rusher lands.
“He really stands for what we believe in,” Colts defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus told the Indianapolis Star about Muhammad in September of 2020 when both were with the Colts. “In terms of his effort and his motor.”
“To be honest, the type of scheme and defense we run, that’s who I am,” Muhammad told the Star about Eberflus’ defense. “I had to transform. I had to lose a little weight, get my body fat down a little bit, just get back to flying around.”
Muhammad’s teammates have also spoken highly of him.
“He’s a guy that works relentlessly. You can see it. I think every year he’s been significantly better every time he comes to camp,” former Colts offensive lineman Anthony Castonzo told the Star about Muhammad.
It won’t be long before we know whether a reunion with Eberflus is in store.
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