How would you rank the Chicago Bears 90-man roster heading into training camp?
Chicago Bears Ranking 90-86 85-81 80-76 75-71 70-66 65-61 60-56 55-50
50-46 45-41 40-36 35-31 30-26 25-21 20-16
15. Tarik Cohen
Many are going to see this ranking and think that it is a bit optimistic and a reach for what Tarik Cohen has done so far. However, even knowing that preseason hype is just that, it feels as though Cohen is going to be this valuable.
To start, if there is one player in which Matt Nagy cannot stop talking about, it is Tarik Cohen. He said that one player in which he knew he could trust when he took the job was Cohen. Nagy mentioned specifically that they are working on his route running and then said that he was “giddy” about Cohen. Matt Nagy is infatuated with Tarik Cohen.
For good reason. Cohen can be a Tyreek Hill type of player in this offense. He can do that with a running back designation. This is where Nagy gets excited. Nagy can put Cohen on the field with Jordan Howard. This mitigates some of the concern that Howard has catching the football.
With Cohen on the field, the team has two options to run, but also at least four other options to pass. He keeps the animosity of the offense open while keeping a limited player in Howard on the field.
From there, he is a game changer with the ball in his hands. Tarik Cohen finished with the top breakaway rate in the NFL last season, albeit on a light workload. Still, with his mismatch presence, combined with a heavier workload Tarik Cohen should be a key piece to the offense moving forward.