Malik Muhammad may only be a rookie, but he's not afraid to hold his veteran teammates accountable both publicly and privately. The Chicago Bears cornerback is working his way back to action after missing Monday's 34-17 win over the Seahawks with a toe injury and spoke with the media following Wednesday's practice, where he was a limited participant.
Muhammad was asked about teammate Jaylon Johnson's recent struggles by FOX Chicago's Devan Kaney, and the rookie supported the veteran but also made it clear what needs to happen going forward.
"He always stays with a positive mindset; he's always asking questions and always trying to see how he can get better, but people don't know the cornerback position is super hard," Muhammad said. "It's one
of the hardest positions, but I'm not giving him an out or anything. He knows he has to play better; we all know he's got to play better. But the position is hard."
While Muhammad wasn't going after Johnson and made sure to remind the public how difficult their job is, he made it clear that he and his other teammates believe the former Pro Bowler needs to step up his game. Johnson has drawn the ire of fans this season for struggling in both pass coverage and run defense. He has been responsible for multiple big plays, allowing an opposing passer rating of 124.3, and failed to make key tackles, having tied his career high for missed tackles (nine) in a season, according to Pro Football Reference.
Though the Bears got the win on Monday, they missed Muhammad's presence in the secondary. Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson struggled to stop Seahawks receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba throughout the game. Muhammad is allowing a completion percentage of just 54.8% and an opposing passer rating of 79.9 in seven games.
The fourth-round rookie out of Texas has shown he's the best and most consistent cornerback on the team, and he's pushing his teammate to return to the level that made him one of the most feared defensive backs in all of football at one point. Whether he succeeds or not is still to be determined, but Muhammad isn't being shy about letting everyone know that the team wants more from Johnson.
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This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears rookie Malik Muhammad has strong words regarding Jaylon Johnson
