Three weeks into his rookie season, it hasn't taken Chicago Bears defensive back Malik Muhammad too long to get noticed. Not by a mainstream audience and certainly not by his defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen.
Through those first three games, Muhammad has consistently made an impact on the stat sheet. He notched the first interception of his career against the Panthers in Week 1 and added a sack in Week 2 versus Minnesota. Against the Eagles on Monday night, he recorded a career-high five tackles and added a quarterback hit to the box score. Speaking on Muhammad's early action in 2026, Allen praised the rookie.
“He’s gone out and executed when he’s been called on to go out and execute. Quite frankly, we’re in a next-man-up business and Tyrique
missed the early part of the week. That gave Malik an opportunity to step in there and play."
Selected in the fourth round of the 2026 NFL Draft out of the University of Texas, Muhammad saw almost immediate time given some injuries in the secondary. Monday, though, represented the first start of his career after an injury sustained by Tyrique Stevenson in the week prior. While perhaps not as loud as his impact from the first two weeks of play, his defensive coordinator is clearly satisfy with the work he's turn in thus far.
Even with Stevenson getting back to full strength and Kyler Gordon's practice window from his own injury being opened, it's likely that we'll continue to see Muhammad heavily in the mix as the season progresses. He's already laid down enough impressive tape to continue garnering opportunities, and Allen's faith in his ability to execute says a lot about how he feels about the rookie.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Dennis Allen sounds off on Bears rookie Malik Muhammad
