The Buccaneers land a pass-rushing threat for a bargain. Can Muhammad recapture his breakout season and bolster Tampa's defense?
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed an edge rusher, and now they have one.
The Buccaneers announced Thursday they'd signed free-agent defensive end Al-Quadin Muhammad to a one-year free-agent contract. The deal could be worth up to $6 million, according to NFL Network's Ian Rapaport.
Last season, Muhammad had 11 sacks for the Detroit Lions, which was four more than anybody than any Buccaneers defender had.
Muhammad, a rotational player in Detroit, also tallied 53 quarterback pressures.
Another free-agent Lions defender, Alex Anzalone, agreed to sign this week with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers are bringing in the veteran linebacker on a two-year reportedly worth $17 million, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported Monday.
Muhammad could take on a bigger role in Tampa.
2025 can be classified as a “breakout year” for Muhammad. He had played five seasons in the league before this past one, but only had more than three sacks once, when he had six with the Indianapolis Colts in 2021. That performance earned him a two-year, $8 million deal with the Chicago Bears for 2022. Unfortunately for Muhammad, he regressed to just one sack and was released in February 2023.
The Colts brought him back in late July, released him during training camp, and then signed him to their practice squad in late August.
In December, Muhammad was suspended for six games without pay for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drugs policy.
The next season, Muhammad signed with the Dallas Cowboys on Aug. 1 and was released later than month as the team made final roster cuts.
He remained a free agent until early October, when the Lions signed him to their practice squad.
A month later, he joined the active roster and ended up playing in nine games, starting two.
Muhammad will be 31 next week and doesn’t have much of a track record beyond one season, where he was helped by playing alongside an All-Pro DE in Aiden Hutchinson.
The Bucs don’t have an All-Pro edge rusher at their disposal, which will lead some to wonder if Muhammad can replicate what he did in 2025.
Something else that will naturally make Bucs fans wary of Muhammad is that the last time the team signed an edge to a one-year deal, it was when Haason Reddick came aboard last March.
Reddick, who had double-digit sacks in four straight seasons once upon a time, only had 2.5 in what will almost surely be his lone season as a Buc.
But there are differences between Reddick and Muhammad.
For one, the Bucs paid Reddick $14 million, which is twice what they’re paying Reddick.
Muhammad is also coming off the best season of his career, whereas Reddick had one sack in 10 games with the New York Jets before the Bucs signed him.
Overall, the Bucs got a player at a position of need and can still afford to address other areas.
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