Chicago Bears standout rookie gets brutally honest on surprise start

The Chicago Bears didn’t inform Malik Muhammad he was starting until the day of their Monday Night Football against the Philadelphia Eagles. Furthermore, he would be faced with a scheme shift as well.

Early on in his rookie tenure, Muhammad has been focusing on playing nickel. The Bears still aren’t sure if/when Kyler Gordon will return. On the outside, Tyrique Stevenson had been operating as CB2 next to Jaylon Johnson.

But With Stevenson dealing with a hamstring injury all week, the Bears decided to start Muhammad on the outside. He did move back to nickel when Cam Lewis got hurt, with Stevenson re-entering on the outside. Still, the fact Muhammad got the start in the first place is telling of how Chicago feels about him.

Despite earning the start, the rookie wasn’t fully satisfied with his performance. Muhammad knows he has a lot more to offer on the gridiron.

Chicago Bears’ Malik Muhammad still wants more

Overall, Muhammad put up five tackles and a quarterback hit. All game though, he was processing what it takes to succeed on the outside. The rookie feels a bit more confident now with that experience under his belt, via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.

“It was a little new, I’m not going to lie,” Muhammad said. “I didn’t start getting comfortable until the second quarter. I have been so solely focused on nickel I didn’t really get comfortable for real until like the second quarter.”

“Next week, I would be comfortable (if I started outside) because I’ve got one game,” he continued. “You know when your assignment switches so you’ve got to deal with that. You’ll be like, ‘Oh, (shoot), on some man calls I am going down thinking I am nickel, but now I’m at corner.’ It’s finding that fine spot where you’re comfortable with all of it.”

It is not yet known exactly where Muhammad will play moving forward. The Bears seem confident having him both inside and out. Lewis’ injury status will play a role in the alignment as well.

But wherever he is on the gridiron, Muhammad is committed to improvement. He isn’t going to rest on his laurels of simply being an NFL starter.

“I wasn’t good with my performance tonight,” Muhammad said. “I felt like I played mid. I didn’t play that well. I’ve got way more levels to this.”

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