Malik Muhammad has been one of the Chicago Bears’ best players in the team’s first two games of the season.
The rookie cornerback was a bright spot in Week 2 for the Chicago secondary as well, recording three tackles, two run stops, two quarterback pressures, a sack, and allowing no completions in coverage.
Malik Muhammad blitz sacks Carson Wentz.pic.twitter.com/1f1oQE7GLz
— ✶Ⓜ️????? ▶️✶ (@_MarcusD3_) September 20, 2026In Week 1, Muhammad held Panthers quarterback Bryce Young to a 55.6 percent completion rate and a 39.8 passer rating when targeted. He had three tackles, two passes defended, and his first career interception in his NFL debut.
“He played really good football for his first day as well,” Bears Head Coach Ben Johnson said of the rookie’s performance in Week 1. “Sticky in coverage, competed his tail off, fearless. Was really proud of what he put on tape.”
Through the first two games of the season, Muhammad has allowed opposing quarterbacks a passer rating of 27.5, the fifth-lowest in the league among cornerbacks with at least 30 coverage snaps.
The Bears’ first two games of the season were opposites. From the weather (hot and sunny in Charlotte and rain-soaked in Chicago) to the results (96 combined points to 12), everything was different. But one constant was rookie Malik Muhammad, who once again was one of the better players on the field.
While the Veterans Struggle, Malik Muhammad Continues to Look the Part
To say that the rookie fourth-rounder out of Texas has been essential to Chicago’s defense would be an understatement, especially when you consider that Jaylon Johnson and Tyrique Stevenson have been two of the worst corners in the league through the first two games. Opposing quarterbacks have a 137.5 passer rating against Stevenson, and 114.8 against Johnson.
Speaking of Stevenson, he left the Bears’ Week 2 loss to the Vikings with a hamstring injury, so his status for Week 3’s contest with the Eagles is something to monitor this week. If Stevenson can’t play on Monday, the simple move would be to shift Muhammad outside, move Cam Lewis back to nickel, and move slot Xavier Woods into safety opposite Dillon Thieneman.
Malik Muhammad (24) after a game against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paycor Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joseph Maiorana-Imagn ImagesBears Defensive Backs Coach Al Harris was asked last week about Muhammad, and he quickly praised him, saying the rookie’s game has impressed him and that he’s been a quick study at nickel after spending most of his time on the outside at Texas. Naturally, after watching Stevenson struggle in the opener in Carolina, reporters asked Harris last week whether Muhammad could eventually be in the conversation to move into a starting role on the outside.
Here’s the exchange:
REPORTER: Has Malik put himself in the conversation to potentially bump outside as a starter?
AL HARRIS: “Um … let me say this. Malik’s doing a great job. He is doing a great job. Really, seriously, he’s been doing a great job since he’s been here. He’s still a rookie. He’s still got things to learn. He’s gonna have his growing pains, just like everybody else is. But he’s doing a great job, and right now, we’re not looking so much in the future, you know what I mean? Our feet are where we are right now. So, right now, today, he’s playing nickel for us.”
If Stevenson’s hamstring injury sidelines him for the Eagles matchup, we might see Muhammad sooner than anyone expected. If the rookie plays outside and plays as well as he did in his first two NFL games, Harris and Defensive Coordinator Dennis Allen will have to face that question as a reality, not a hypothetical.
Regardless, it’s been nice to see Muhammad and fellow rookie Dillon Thieneman making a real impact for Chicago’s secondary early in the season. To rebuild the defense, the team will need to find legitimate starters on rookie deals, since a massive extension for quarterback Caleb Williams (which could come as soon as this spring) would divert a good chunk of the Bears’ cap space.
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