The Chicago Bears have been a thorn in the Detroit Lions’ side to start NFL free agency this week. For starters, the Bears signed former Lions wide receiver/return specialist Kalif Raymond to a one-year deal on Monday, weakening Detroit’s special teams unit.
Then, on Wednesday, Chicago snatched up offensive lineman Jedrick Wills, signing him to a one-year deal. Wills reportedly visited the Lions last week and would’ve helped solve their glaring LT issue. It’s still early in the offseason, but the Bears surely were already laughing at Detroit’s struggles in free agency.
Things got even better for the Bears on Thursday, as the Lions lost veteran pass rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad, who signed a one-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, per Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network. According to Rapoport, Muhammad’s deal has a max value of $6M.
The Lions should’ve and could've easily matched that deal for Muhammad, but no one along the Bears' offensive line will be complaining as they have one less thing to worry about when facing Detroit’s defense.
Lions’ Al-Quadin Muhammad Mistake Is Great News for the Bears
Muhammad, who is a former Bears pass rusher, wreaked havoc this past season in his second year with Detroit. The veteran defender erupted for a career-high 11 sacks, while also contributing 26 quarterback pressures, 20 quarterback hits, and nine tackles for loss.
In fact, Muhammad’s first sack of the season came in Week 2 against the Bears, which ended up being a 52-21 blowout loss for Chicago. The veteran defensive lineman had four combined tackles, a tackle for loss, and a quarterback hit in that game. However, he didn’t have a sack in their final meeting in Week 18.
Ben Johnson and the rest of the Bears’ offensive coaching staff are likely rejoicing now that they're free of having to face both Muhammad and Hutchinson. They can now focus even more of their attention on Hutchinson, who is one of the best pass rushers in the NFL and a game breaker in his own right.
Without having to worry about Muhammad anymore, the Bears could theoretically throw double teams at Hutchinson and force someone else along that defensive line to beat them. However, in looking at the Lions’ depth chart right now, the only other defensive ends on their offseason roster are Tyler Lacy and Ahmed Hassanein.
Lacy only has one career sack across three NFL seasons, while Hassanein has yet to make his NFL debut as he rejoined Detroit’s practice squad during the second half of the regular season. Those two are obviously fine players; they wouldn't be in the NFL otherwise, but they won't strike fear in any opposing offensive lineman.
With that in mind, the Bears have to be liking their odds to take down the Lions in 2026, especially since they don’t have to face Muhammad or Alex Anzalone, who also took his talents down to Tampa Bay in free agency.