The lesson from Chicago Bears releasing Al-Quadin Muhammad

The Chicago Bears released defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad n a move that is not surprising in any way. Muhamad had an awful season and the team will save nearly $4M with the move.

For a team with this many holes, you would think that may have wanted to hang onto any depth they could, but they knew that Muhammad was not a fit, and cut ties as quickly as possible.

 The Chicago Bears should learn this lesson after Al-Quadin Muhammad

This is disappointing because almost the sole reason that Muhammad was signed was that he was supposed to be a fit. He was one of the few players with familiarity with the coaching staff.

Al-Quadin Muhammad was a sixth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints. In 2018 he was let go by the Saints and picked up by Matt Eberflus and the Indianapolis Colts. He was with the Colts and Eberflus from 2018-2021.

In that time he slowly moved up the depth chart and consistently played more. So, it is pretty clear that Eberflus was pushing to sign Muhammad because he knew what he could bring. He was wrong.

This is a good lesson that you should always think with your head and not emotion. Eberflus had a connection with Muhammad, and the familiarity made him push for the signing. He should have sat back and signed the best player, not the one he knew the most.

This affected the team in other ways. Think of Byron Pringle. He was a UDFA when Ryan Poles was In the Kansas City Chiefs front office. Poles saw Pringle grow from a UDFA to a contributor on a playoff team, and he wanted that to continue with the Chicago Bears. He was too emotional because he saw Pringle first-hand, and passed on better players he was not as close to.

Then, there is Lucas Patrick. Many were surprised he was the choice for their center of the future, but he had strong ties to Luke Getsy. Patrick was another UDFA who worked his way up the ladder. Getsy saw his progress firsthand and the Chicago Bears passed on better options for the familiar option.

Lucas Patrick, Byron Pringle, and Al-Quadin Muhammad all became duds for the Chicago Bears. They were all questionable signings,  but the benefit of the doubt said the coaches and front office knew better.

This offseason they need to focus on the best fits, not the players they know best.