When the Detroit Lions lost defensive Aidan Hutchinson for the remainder of the season, there was certainly some doubt on how you can replace him. Certainly, there’s no replacing a player as good as Hutchinson but the Lions may have someone that can help provide a spark.
That player is defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad. The 29-year-old defensive end is not new to the NFL. He’s bounced around the league to teams such as the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts and New Orleans Saints. He even found himself on the Dallas Cowboys this past summer but was cut in August.
Since then, he found his way onto the Lions practice squad. At this point, I’d be surprised if Muhammad found his way back to the practice squad. After his first game with the Lions, it sure feels and looks like he’ll be here for the long haul this season.
In his debut, Muhammad did not record any tackles, but he did generate a team-high 6 pressures for the Lions defense against the Titans. Let’s dive into some film to take a look at what kind of spark he’s providing for the Lions defensive line.
There’s some power with Lions DE 69 Al-Quadin Muhammad. Just a step faster and this would be a sack for him. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/WmUYQs3kmu
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) October 30, 2024
The first rep that stood out on Sunday against the Titans was the play above. Looking at DE 69, you can see Muhammad aligned over Titans LT 55 JC Latham. The Titans 2024 1st Round Pick was known for his ability to anchor and the power within his game.
However, that’s not going to slow down Muhammad on this rep. Once the ball is snapped, you can see him turn speed-to-power and he uses a long arm to put Latham into the ground as he pressures Rudolph on this pass. If Muhammad was a step faster, this would have been a sack but this type of pressure is something that we’ve seen Hutchinson do so many times for the Lions defense.
Plenty to like from Lions DE 69 Al-Quadin Muhammad on this rep. Rushes from a wide-9 alignment but watch how quick he goes to chop and rip his way to the QB. I think he slips on the turf as he turns the corner but if he’s able to keep his feet, these will turn to sacks. #OnePride pic.twitter.com/Pc0yJOFnF3
— Russell Brown (@RussNFLDraft) October 30, 2024
The next play I want to highlight is on a 4th and goal for the Titans. On this play, Calvin Ridley ran out of the back of the end zone and reentered the field of play. This was a penalty and the Lions declined it to force a turnover on downs.
That said, I want to watch Muhammad on this play. Aligned in a wide-9 alignment, you can see him on the outside shoulder of the tight end. As the tight end looks to check release to the end zone, you can see Muhammad burst up field.
As he gets close to the right tackle, you’ll notice Muhammad chop the hands of the right tackle and he’ll rip through towards the quarterback. The impressive thing about this rep is how quickly Muhammad chop-rips on this rush. It appears that he trips on the turf as he begins to turn the corner to the quarterback. If he keeps his feet, these will turn into sacks for him and the Lions defense.
Overall, there’s much to be desired with what we saw from Al-Quadin Muhammad in his Lions debut. The 6 pressures is encouraging and at some point, those will lead to sacks and bigger plays.
Throughout his career, we’ve seen some positives from him. Looking back at 2021, Muhammad started 17 games for the Colts and he was able to generate 48 tackles, 7 tackles for loss and 6 sacks. In his seven-year career, he’s been able to compile 152 tackles, 23 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. As the season continues, he should become more productive, and it certainly looks like he will begin to carve out his role for the Lions defense.