What the Chicago Bears were missing from Tarik Cohen in 2020

The Chicago Bears missed the explosiveness of Tarik Cohen in the offense after he suffered a torn ACL three games into the 2020 campaign. Unfortunately, the Bears were unable to replicate his role in the offense.

Cohen is explosive with traits to be a high-level player in today’s NFL. When the Bears drafted him back in 2017, right away, he drew comparisons to longtime Eagles running back Darren Sproles because of his size and speed. He quickly backed that up with his play on the field.

Tarik Cohen instantly flashed his potential for the Chicago Bears

In his first few games in the NFL, we saw a role Cohen could carve out for himself. His speed in the backfield to run outside zone and stretch makes him dangerous outside the hash marks. In the passing game, Cohen can run multiple routes and dominated matchups against linebackers who failed to keep up with his speed.

The Bears missed that extra threat with Cohen on the sidelines. With newly acquired quarterback Andy Dalton and first-round pick Justin Fields, Cohen is going to be a legit weapon for both of them pretty quickly.

Let’s take a look at some of the plays and films where Cohen excels and what I expect to see on head coach Matt Nagy’s call sheet.