Headed into training camp, the Chicago Bears seemed to have most of their starters in the secondary figured out. Injuries quickly derailed that. After safety Coby Bryant went down, Cam Lewis moved from nickel to safety, which propelled rookie cornerback Malik Muhammad into the starting nickel role, especially since Jaylon Jones is still out due to injury.
Muhammad, a fourth round pick, spent three seasons with the Texas Longhorns and finished his collegiate career with three interceptions, 97 total tackles and a sack. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen has been impressed with how Muhammad has been handling his workload and how he’s switched between outside and inside corner.
“You know I don’t think we’re at that point right now where we’re ready to say he’s this or he’s that,” Allen said. “As a young player, here’s what’s encouraging is we continue to throw a lot at him and he’s staying afloat. You know, he’s not drowning yet, he’s staying afloat. It’s hard to have guys just be one-position players.”
The offense also knows that Muhammad is a rookie and that he was not high on the depth chart to start training camp. They have been making a point to go after him so far, which offers several learning opportunities for him but also teaches Muhammad the value of a short memory to keep learning and improving.
“The biggest challenge you’ve got is you’ve got a big bullseye on your back and they’re gonna be challenging you,” Allen said. “They’re gonna be coming after you. The best corners have really short memories because everybody at some point in time has been beaten and so it’s just can you come back the next play and have the same mentality in terms of how you challenge and how you compete, and he’s shown that he’s got the ability to do that.”
Bears fans should have the chance to see Muhammad in action in the team’s first preseason game on Aug. 15. It would be a valuable opportunity for the rookie to get live reps in a real game before potentially having to play in Chicago’s season opener against the Carolina Panthers in September.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears rookie Malik Muhammad making impression at nickel with starters
Reporting by Ariana Pensy, Bears Wire / Bears Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Ariana Pensy, Bears Wire | USA TODAY Network
