It has been a long time since we last saw Chicago Bears running back Tarik Cohen on the field. Since he tore his ACL back in 2020, enormous change has happened to the Chicago Bears. Does he still fit the plans for the roster and team moving forward?
It is important to mention that Cohen had just signed a 3 year contract extension shortly before he injured his knee during week 3 of the 2020 season. Cohen’s deal is worth $17,250,000, which included a 7 million dollar signing bonus, and 12 million guaranteed. Cohen was expected to return to the team in 2021, but never once came off the PUP list.
During a Q&A interview with Rally House on their YouTube channel, Cohen stressed that he was worried he would come back a completely different player and he expressed he would not come back until he felt he could perform at the same level before his knee injury.
Unfortunately, once Cohen returns to the field, he may no longer be wearing Orange & Navy. As stated earlier, so much has changed in the time Cohen has missed. Their is a new franchise QB on the team, a new GM and an entirely new coaching staff on all sides of the ball. Not to mention, two viable running back options already on the team.
Running backs David Montgomery and Khalil Herbert performed well in their roles during the 2021 season, and the position has always been an expendable one in the NFL.
Nonetheless, Cohen is still most likely the better pass catcher of the 3, which will be important to consider depending on what type of offense new offensive coordinator Luke Getsy, will want to run.
Cohen’s best season came in 2018, when he totaled 1,169 total yards and 8 touchdowns. 725 of those yards were receiving yards and 5 of his 8 touchdowns came from receptions.
With so many new coaches coming into the offense for 2022, it is still unclear which running backs will be prioritized as essential for the scheme they end up running. David Montgomery will be a free agent in 2023 and has yet to be re-signed to the team, whereas Cohen’s 3 year extension from 2020 deal is also expiring soon.
Cohen is an explosive playmaker that can change a game in the blink of an eye, there is no doubt that he can still play in the league, even if his injury has taken longer to recover from than the usual timeline.
One of the reasons why Cohen may not be back on this team in 2022, is the emergence of Khalil Herbert during his rookie season. Herbert posted 529 total yards and two touchdowns in a very limited role. He also hauled in 14 receptions and averaged 4.2 yards per carry.
He started two games for the Bears while David Montgomery was out due to injury. Once Montgomery returned, Herbert saw very little playing time. Herbert showed an ability to make tacklers miss and catch balls out of the backfield.
It is safe to say the Bears definitely have options at the position moving forward. Running backs are hardly every prioritized in the NFL, so it remains to be seen if Cohen will be part of the 2022 Chicago Bears. More should come to light once OTA’s roll around in the summer.
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