Bears legend hopefully taught highly touted draft pick a thing or two together

The Chicago Bears love their football history and love being able to tie the past to the present.

So, that is why one small tie featuring Bears' 2026 fourth-round pick, Texas cornerback Malik Muhammad, was such a fun note, and could end up being a valuable connection moving forward.

When Muhammad was at the NFL Combine, he told reporters that he was chaperoned by Charles ‘Peanut’ Tillman. Tillman is a long-standing Bears great at cornerback, and was helping the young cornerback get around that weekend. Muhammad said that they were able to talk about football during their time together.

The Chicago Bears new cornerback is chaperoned by the Chicago Bears old cornerback

First, it feels like it was meant to be that Muhammad was drafted by the Bears. He is already familiar with how one of the best cornerbacks in team history operates, and he likely has his contact information by the NFL Combine.

There is a good chance that Tillman and Muhammad have already been in contact since the NFL draft, and that Tillman could now remain a guiding voice for Muhammad throughout their careers. Who would have thought when these two met at the combine?

It will be interesting to see where Muhammad slides into the Bears' defense this season. The team has Jaylon Johnson, Tyrique Stevenson, and Kyler Gordon locked into starting spots. Terell Smith has flashed at times, but is also coming off a season-ending injury. So, for now, he is going to be in a camp competition with Smith for that fourth spot and the first man off the bench. If he loses that battle, he will need special teams ability to stay active on gamedays.

What makes things interesting is that Stevenson and Smith are free agents after the season, and while Johnson is signed, his contract will be much easier to move on from next year. So, the team could be looking at letting Muhammad sit, learn, and step into a starting role next year. That is a good value for the fourth round.

Hopefully, he will be spending some time working with Tillman while he waits for his chance to prove himself on the field.

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