The Chicago Bears looked like a Super Bowl contender in the preseason opener. Of course, it was just one game, the starters didn't even suit up, and they were facing a rebuilding team with a new head coach and multiple new pieces.
Even so, this was far from meaningless. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen got a glimpse of training camp standouts Jordan van den Berg and Malik Muhammad in a real, game-like situation, and it's safe to say both aced their respective tests.
That was especially the case with the young cornerback. He's drawn rave reviews in camp, and watching him hold his ground against the Browns' talented slew of pass catchers was certainly encouraging.
Malik Muhammad might start for the Bears right away
Coach Allen wanted to see Muhammad in multiple spots. He played in the boundary in base defense and moved to nickel in subpackages. Given the Bears' defensive needs, that might be an usual sight in the regular season.
Muhammad finished the game with five tackles, stuffing the run at nickel and holding his own while shadowing pass catchers in coverage. Of course, he also made some mistakes, including an avoidable penalty, but growing pains are always to be expected with first-year players.
The Bears raved about his aggressiveness and athleticism, and that was on full display from the jump. He made a huge play by stuffing a Browns' player at the line of scrimmage after a screen pass, showing impressive recognition and reaction skills.
This team has major question marks at cornerback. Kyler Gordon continues to nurse an injury, and it's starting to look like the team is running out of patience with the slot specialist they gave $40 million over three years. It doesn't sound like they know if he'll be ready for the season opener.
As such, the Bears might put Muhammad's toughness and gritiness to great use in the slot. But with Tyrique Stevenson also struggling with subpar play last season, he might also be a candidate to take his spot on the outside if Gordon is healthy.
Regardless of where he plays, it looks like he's living up to the hype after an impressive training camp. He slipped through the cracks of the NFL Draft and fell right to Dennis Allen's lap, and he's now looking like one of the steals of the evening.
This is just the beginning, but with Al Harris polishing his game, he might be a Day 1 starter in the Windy City.
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