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Former Chicago Bears veteran defensive lineman Al-Quadin Muhammad has secured a new place on a familiar roster just before the start of training camp.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Indianapolis Colts signed Muhammad to a one-year contract for the 2023 season on July 21, reuniting with one of their former starting defensive ends to shore up their pass-rushing depth ahead of camp.
“Colts reached [an] agreement today on a one-year deal with their former starting defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad,” Schefter tweeted on Friday afternoon. “His agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey confirmed the deal.”
The Bears had signed Muhammad to a two-year, $8 million contract in March 2022, but the 28-year-old largely disappointed in the first season of his deal with just 29 tackles, one tackle for loss and one sack over his 16 games and nine starts. Rather than give him a chance to redeem himself in 2023, the team opted to make him a cap casualty on February 17 and save roughly $3.97 million in cap space.
Now, Muhammad will have the opportunity to fight for a rotational spot with the Colts over the next month of training camp. He notched 127 tackles, 22 tackles for loss, 11 sacks and three forced fumbles over his previous four seasons (and 64 games) with the Colts, including a six-sack season for them in 2021 before he left in free agency.
Bears ‘Making Calls’ About Veteran EDGE Additions
When the Bears cut ties with Muhammad about a month before the start of the new league year, there was an expectation that they would be making significant upgrades to their defensive end room in free agency and the draft to correct their shortcomings from the 2022 season — in which they finished with a league-low 20 sacks. Instead, the only new additions they have made are DeMarcus Walker and Rasheem Green.
Fortunately, the Bears are considering changing that situation with camp set to begin.
According to Chicago insider David Kaplan via his YouTube show, REKAP Rush Hour, the Bears are “making calls” about several of the remaining free agent pass rushers as they prepare for veterans to report to training camp next Tuesday, July 25.
“I’ve been making calls around the league [and] it sounds like the Bears are still engaged, trying to pick somebody up,” Kaplan said. “Not a lot left out there on the scrap heap. Yannick Ngakoue would be the one guy out there as a free agent, so we’ll see what the Bears do, but I keep hearing they want to add an edge rusher as soon as possible.”
Bears’ Edge Rusher Options Getting Slimmer By the Day
If the Bears are determined to add another edge rusher to their camp roster, they might want to make a decision quickly before the best of their options have all dried up.
On Friday, Dawuane Smoot became the latest edge rusher to get taken off the market when he opted to re-sign with the Jacksonville Jaguars for the 2023 season. He would have been a gamble for the Bears given he is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury, but he would have certainly been an affordable option for the position and now leaves even fewer potential candidates for Chicago to consider signing to their roster.
As Kaplan said, Ngakoue is still one of the most sensible options for Chicago with his blend of sack-chasing success and youth (28 years olds), but his desire to plant roots and sign a multi-year contract with his next team could ward off the rebuilding Bears. Instead, the Bears might be more interested in someone like Justin Houston, who is older but has played under Eberflus in the past (2019 and 2020 with the Colts). He also still has plenty left in the tank for one more season after notching 9.5 sacks last year.
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