The Detroit Lions had their bye last week, which gave several players some quality time off to recover from early-season injuries. The Lions are gearing up for a second-half push; however, multiple players are on the injury report heading into Week 9's clash with the Minnesota Vikings.
Although Detroit didn't practice on Wednesday, they released an estimated report, and edge rusher Al-Quadin Muhammad popped up on it with a hamstring injury and was listed as a limited participant, leaving his availability for the weekend up in the air.
Lions Had Al-Quadin Muhammad on Injury Report with Hamstring
It's certainly worth mentioning that this injury report was just an estimation since they didn't take the practice field on Wednesday. Nonetheless, it's never good to see a player land on the injury report with a hamstring injury, especially since the team was just off last week, and given how pesky such an ailment can be.
Picking up any sort of hiccup on an off week is less than ideal, but the injury reports for the rest of the week will paint a clearer picture of his status going forward. Nonetheless, the Lions are hoping that Muhammad can be ready to roll in the divisional contest against the Vikings on Sunday.
This season, Muhammad has been a stout presence up front for the Lions as a pass rusher and run defender. In seven games, he has secured 13 total tackles, 10 quarterback hits, four tackles for loss, and five sacks. Muhammad has also registered 27 total pressures and 17 hurries. According to Pro Football Focus, he has an 81.0 overall grade (19th among 119 graded defensive linemen), 76.4 pass-rush grade (19th among 119 graded defensive linemen), and a 72.0 run-defense grade (20th among 119 graded defensive linemen).
He's certainly been the second-best edge rusher on the team behind Aidan Hutchinson, which has been a pleasant surprise. Going into the season, there wasn't a clear-cut No. 2 edge on this team, but Muhammad took that job by the horns. Detroit is fifth in the NFL in team sacks (23), and Muhammad's pass rush improvement is a big reason for that.
He's just one sack away (6) from tying his career high, and that's telling, since it's only Week 9. Regardless, fans and people inside the building are hoping that this hamstring injury isn't serious. If Muhammad ends up practicing in full capacity in some fashion leading up to the game, it'll indicate he'll suit up.
If not, he may be sidelined, so the next couple of injury reports are big.