Tag: Al-Quadin Muhammad

Lions inactives vs. Jaguars: Sam LaPorta out, 3 healthy scratches on the OL

Lions inactives vs. Jaguars: Sam LaPorta out, 3 healthy scratches on the OL in Week 11

The Detroit Lions released their inactive player list for the Week 11 matchup with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The biggest name was one that was already known, with tight end Sam LaPorta already ruled out with a shoulder injury.

LaPorta is the only player on the active roster out due to injury. Cornerback Carlton Davis broke his thumb during the week, but he’s active. So is left tackle Taylor Decker, who missed Week 10 with a shoulder/chest issue.

All the other inactive Lions are considered healthy scratches, with three of them coming along the offensive line:

OL Giovanni Manu
G Christian Mahogany
T Colby Sorsdal
S Loren Strickland
DE Al-Quadin Muhammad

Muhammad is inactive thanks to the addition of veteran Za’Darius Smith, who will make his Lions debut against the Jaguars.

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Lions elevate two from practice squad for Week 9

Lions elevate two from practice squad for Week 9

The Lions announced Saturday they have elevated two players from the practice squad for Week 9 against the Packers. Detroit called up tight end Shane Zylstra and outside linebacker Al-Quadin Muhammad.

Zylstra has surpassed Parker Hesse as the No. 3 tight end. Detroit released Hesse Saturday but he is a candidate to return on the practice squad. This is the third and final elevation the Lions can use on Zylstra. Expect him to be signed to the practice squad very soon.

Muhammad was called up last week against the Titans and had six pressures in the 52-14 win. It was his first appearance for the Lions. Detroit can elevate Muhammad one more time from the practice squad before having to sign him to the active roster.

Lions DE Al-Quadin Muhammad can provide a spark on the defensive line

Lions DE Al-Quadin Muhammad can provide a spark on the defensive line, and he proved it in Week 8 vs. the Titans

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.

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.

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.

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Snap count notes: Sorting the Lions defensive line mix against the Titans

Snap count notes: Sorting the Lions defensive line mix against the Titans to cover for all the injuries at EDGE

Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn had to do a lot of patchwork along the defensive front in the Detroit Lions’ Week 8 win over the Tennessee Titans. Thanks to recent injuries to the top three pass rushers on the roster (Marcus Davenport, Derrick Barnes, Aidan Hutchinson in order of injury) and top replacement starter Josh Paschal being inactive due to illness, the roster scramble was real.

The Lions started the game with Levi Onwuzurike and practice squad elevation Al-Quadin Muhammad as the starting EDGE players, going heavy on the front. Muhammad wound up playing the most snaps of any defensive lineman with 49, edging past DT Alim McNeill (45) and Onwuzurike (44). Starting nose tackle DJ Reader saw 39 reps.

Newcomer Isaiah Thomas made his Lions debut with 38 snaps. Rookie Mekhi Wingo, like Onwuzurike, played both inside and outside during his 30 reps. The same was true for Pat O’Connor in his 31 reps, though Wingo was outside a little more frequently than No. 95. James Houston played 19 snaps, with 13 from the right side and six on the left per Pro Football Focus tracking.

The disparity between the offensive and defensive snap counts was stark, with Detroit only running 48 offensive plays and the Titans offense on the field for 76. Fantastic special teams by the Lions and four Tennessee turnovers played a huge role in the lack of need for Detroit’s offense to play a lot of snaps en route to 52 points.

Quick notes:

–Jalen Reeves-Maybin was injured Malcolm Rodriguez’s primary replacement, with 14 snaps. Ben Niemann played seven in that LB role.

–The Lions pulled as many starters as they could for the final six offensive snaps, including Hendon Hooker coming in for Jared Goff at QB.

–Practice squad elevation TE Shane Zylstra played 13 snaps, a big uptick from the three he played in Week 7.

–Rookie RB Sione Vaki played one snap on offense.

–Safety Kerby Joseph was the only defensive player to stay on the field for every snap.

Lions elevate 2 players for Week 8 matchup with the Titans

Lions elevate 2 players for Week 8 matchup with the Titans, including veteran pass rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad

Faced with an acute shortage of EDGEs thanks to injuries and illness, the Detroit Lions added one from the practice squad to the active roster for Sunday’s Week 8 matchup with the Tennessee Titans.

The Lions elevated veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad for the game with the Titans. It will be Muhammad’s first time playing in a Lions uniform, though the 29-year-old has played in 84 NFL games and started 34, mostly with the Indianapolis Colts. Head coach Dan Campbell indicated on Friday that Muhammad would get called up for this game.

Detroit also elevated tight end Shane Zylstra for the second week in a row. No. 84 played three offensive snaps in the Week 7 win over the Vikings.

Josh Paschal’s illness put the Lions in a pass rushing bind vs Titans

Starting DE Josh Paschal’s illness put the Lions in a pass rushing bind vs Titans, but head coach Dan Campbell has a plan

Just when it seemed like some much-needed stability and good fortune was coming to the Detroit Lions defensive line, more adversity struck. Starting DE Josh Paschal, who bagged the first of Detroit’s four sacks of Sam Darnold in Week 7, is suffering from an illness that has kept him out of practice all week.

Based on Dan Campbell’s press conference before Friday’s session, don’t expect Paschal to suit up for Sunday’s visit from the Tennessee Titans.

“Paschal’s dealing with something right now.,” Campbell said. “He’ll be OK long term, but he’s got a little bit of something. So, I don’t see him practicing today.”

Paschal jumped into a starting role only after Marcus Davenport and then Aidan Hutchinson went down with serious injuries in wins over Seattle (Week 4) and Dallas (Week 6). Playing as the “next man up”, Paschal represented a real dropoff in pressure creation and attacking versatility from the Week 1 starters.

The new next man up is freshly acquired Isaiah Thomas. The Lions signed him to the active roster last week after losing Hutchinson to a broken leg. Thomas had been on the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad after failing to make the Cleveland Browns following the preseason.

“Yes, we will use Isaiah. He’s done enough during the week to want to get him out there and get him some reps. He’s in a good place and we’re excited to see him play.”

The Lions won’t rely just on Thomas, however. Campbell cited pretty much every defensive lineman on the roster, including practice squad member Al-Quadin Muhammad, as guys who will have to pick up the slack for the wounded pass rush.

“Yeah, that’s why those three guys have to step up between Isaiah (Thomas) and Muhammad and (James) Houston. They have to help, they have to help and that’s where it goes but as always, we spread the load across that D-line with Levi (Onwuzurike) and (Alim McNeill) Mac and (DJ) Reader and (Mekhi) Wingo and (Pat) O’Connor, so we have plenty in there and they pick up the slack.”

If you’re looking for an omission there, it would be Isaac Ukwu. The undrafted rookie started the last two games in Davenport’s spot as a practice squad elevation. Despite showing some vitality late in the win over Dallas, Ukwu struggled against Minnesota’s strong offensive line.

Lions shuffle up the practice squad coming out of the bye week

Lions shuffle up the practice squad coming out of the bye week, adding two players and releasing two others

The Detroit Lions made some roster changes to the practice squad coming out of the bye week. Two new players have signed on, while the Lions released two current members of the practice squad.

Detroit added EDGE Al-Quadin Muhammad and LB Cam Gill to the practice squad on Monday.

Muhammad is a familiar face for Dan Campbell and Aaron Glenn from their Saints days. He was a 6th-round pick by New Orleans in 2017, though he bounced around several NFL teams since. He was most recently on the summer roster of the Dallas Cowboys, whom the Lions face this week.

Gill fits more as a SAM LB type. The 26-year-old has played three seasons with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and also spent time with the Carolina Panthers.

To make room, the Lions said goodbye to safety Erick Hallett and kicker Matthew McCrane from the practice squad. Neither player had been elevated during the season and both joined Detroit after the season started following preseason action on other teams.

Geriatric Cowboys continue calling on veteran FA, hoping they’re fine wine

With two more veterans visiting the team, the Dallas Cowboys continue to add older players to the 2024 roster. | From @BenGrimaldi

The Dallas Cowboys like the players they’ve got, unless they don’t. When that happens, they turn to older players who’ve had past success. Stephen Jones’ philosophy over the past decade-plus is the team doesn’t spend money in free agency because they like the core players they have. Improvement will come from drafting and the Cowboys’ ability to develop their own players.

That was what the Joneses tried to sell the fan base on this offseason while sitting on their hands for months on end. Yet now, the organization seems to be in a bit of a panic. They are lacking depth – which could’ve been avoided by being proactive in free agency – and now Dallas is the place to be for any veteran player looking to stay employed in the NFL.

After signing a few older players recently, the trend has continued. The latest invites are more experienced options in running back Dalvin Cook and pass rusher Tyus Bowser.

Cook played for the Minnesota Vikings for six years, which included four straight 1,000-yard seasons and four Pro Bowl appearances. He’s just two years removed from his last 1,000-yard campaign, but Cook fizzled out last year with the New York Jets before they released him and he wound up signing with the Baltimore Ravens for the playoffs. Between the two teams, Cook rushed for just 214 yards and a career worst 3.2 yards a carry.

At 29-years old, the best days are behind Cook. Yet the Cowboys are interested in him to pair with another older, plodding RB in Ezekiel Elliott, who is ironically the same age.

Bowser is another 29-year-old the team is bringing in for a workout. After having a few good years with the Ravens and topping out at seven sacks in 2021, Bowser tore his Achilles in the same season, which limited his output in 2022. The defensive end was hurt last summer and never played in the 2023 season.

However, the Cowboys need pass rushing help and don’t seem swayed by the injury history from Bowser, who has played a full season just three times. Bowser could replace another older pass rusher the Cowboys had signed recently, Carl Lawson, who happens to be the magical age of 29 but was released on Tuesday. Another veteran the Cowboys signed this summer is defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad, who wears number 92, which is the inverse of his age, 29-years old.

The Cook and Bowser workouts come after the Cowboys traded for defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, who is currently 31, but will turn 32-years old in September, and signed another DT, Linval Joseph, off the streets at 35-years old. There’s not a lot of youth there for the recently added group.

Then again, adding veterans has been the tenor for the entirety of the slow offseason. The only two players who were considered quality acquisitions for the Cowboys were both around the age of 30. Elliott is 29, which is ancient for a RB, and linebacker Eric Kendricks, is 32-years old.

Now, late in the offseason, the Cowboys seem to continue to be heading down the same path. What makes adding these veterans this late so frustrating is the team could’ve just signed a much better, and younger, player or two when free agency began, instead of trying to find answers now. Dallas didn’t need to sign the best guys on the open market in March, but being a little aggressive in finding younger talent then could’ve avoided the search now, when their options are limited.

Perhaps we now know why Jerry Jones said the team would be “all-in,” because this is the last time many of these players will play in the league.

Just call them the geriatric Cowboys.

You can chat with or follow Ben on twitter @BenGrimaldi

Report: Cowboys sign veteran DE, expected to add second after Thursday workout

From @ToddBrock24f7: Al-Quadin Muhammad has 12 sacks and 157 tackles on his NFL resume; Shaka Toney is an ex-teammate of Micah Parsons who played in Washington.

The Cowboys wasted little time bringing in backup after third-year defensive end Sam Williams was lost for the 2024 season with an ACL injury. After a Thursday workout with the team, veteran Al-Quadin Muhammad has been officially signed by Dallas, and another familiar name at the position- Shaka Toney- is expected to be added as well.

Muhammad, 29, was a sixth-round draft pick by the Saints in 2017 out of the University of Miami. He played only sparingly during his rookie season in New Orleans and then landed with the Colts, where he made 64 regular-season game appearances (and three more in the playoffs) from 2018 to 2021.

His most recent action came in 2022, playing in 16 games for the Bears. He returned to the practice squad in Indianapolis last year but did not see the field.

The 6-foot-4-inch, 250-pound Muhammad has 12 sacks, 33 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, 157 tackles, and 23 tackles for loss on his NFL résumé.

ESPN insider Adam Schefter first reported the news of Muhammad’s signing by the Cowboys, saying it would be a one-year deal for the New Jersey native.

News that Toney was also expected to be added to the camp roster came shortly thereafter.

Toney was also part of the group of four defensive ends invited for that Thursday workout in Oxnard, along with Carl Lawson and Justin Hollins.

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A seventh-round draft pick by Washington in 2021, Toney had been a college teammate of Micah Parsons at Penn State. He recorded 1.5 sacks and 16 tackles in 26 game appearances over two seasons in D.C., where he played under assistant coach Jeff Zgonina, now with the Cowboys.

Toney was suspended by the league for betting on NFL games during the 2022 season; he was reinstated in April of this year.

“We were actually talking about these guys before Sam’s injury,” Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters Thursday, per David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, “so we would definitely like to hopefully add one.”

Now they’ve added two.

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Cowboys work out gambler and Parsons ex-teammate, Jets castoff to replace latest ACL victim

Dallas is searching for a speedy edge rusher to help lessen the burden after losing Sam Williams for the season. | From @KDDrummondNFL

Leave no stone unturned. When doing a recent 53-man roster prediction as the Dallas Cowboys move to Week 2 of 2024 training camp, one thing became clear. They don’t really have an in-house replacement for defensive end Sam Williams.

Williams was lost for the season after tearing his ACL and MCL last week, becoming the fifth Cowboys player in the las calendar year to suffer the knee injury. He was going to be an integral figure in the edge rush rotation, as defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer planned to move Micah Parsons around more than he had been the last two seasons. Now the role opposite DeMarcus Lawrence’s run-anchor DE spot is open and on Thursday the Cowboys will  search for help filling it.

Second-round rookie Marshawn Kneeland is Lawrence’s heir apparent and doesn’t possess a similar skillset to Williams and Parsons, and there isn’t another player on the roster who appears ready for a role that substantial. Therefore Will McClay and the front office have gone about trying to find outside help, bringing in four players for workouts. It’s an interesting group of contenders.

The biggest name is Carl Lawson; one of eight edge rushers Cowboys Wire identified as leading candidates to be considered. Lawson was a fourth-round pick of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2017 and has spent the last three seasons with the New York Jets. He missed much of the season dealing with a back injury that had him in and out of the lineup through the first half of the season. In 2022 he had seven sacks.

Also part of the workout is Shaka Toney, who was banned from the NFL for the 2023 season due to gambling. The former Penn State Nittany Lion who teamed up with Parsons in college was a seventh-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021. He has 1.5 career sacks in his two years.

Al-Quadin Muhammad (2017 Saints pick, 12 career sacks) and Justin Hollins (2019 Broncos pick, 10.5 career sacks) will also attend the Oxnard, CA workout.