When the Chicago Bears hire their new General Manager they will have plenty of big decisions to make in regards to where the roster stands. One of the big names to watch for once the GM is hired is Tarik Cohen.
Cohen quickly fell from the fun gadget player that fans loved during his 2017 rookie season, to the position-less player who bounces everything outside by the time of his 2020 season. The 2021 season was obviously the toughest on Cohen, though, because he was unable to snap on the chin strap for any games.
After an ACL injury somewhat early into the 2020 season, fans assumed that he would be fine for the start of 2021. While the coaches and Cohen did not admit anything, most assume a setback occurred because Cohen missed the entire season, even though the team kept hinting that he will be back.
Either way, this is a new regime and they will have plenty of questions when it comes to how Cohen fits on the roster.
The new General Manager could be looking to move on from Cohen. It is hard to keep a player that you have no ties with after he went nearly two full seasons without any sort of production.
If the Chicago Bears keep Cohen, he is going to have a $5.75M cap hit. If they get rid of him, the cap hit will drop to $3.5M. The question that comes is whether it is worth paying $3.5 for Cohen to do nothing. Would you rather $2.25M to let him go, or pay him an extra $2.25M and hope that he can return some sort of value in 2022?
One thing that Cohen has going for him is that the offense is not loaded with talent at the moment. He would essentially be the number two wide receiver right now and would be in line to return punts.
However, the team also traded for Jakeem Grant, and he was arguably better in both areas last season. If they can get Grant for less than $2.25 million next season then they would have to think that they have a cheaper version of what they would have paid Cohen. This version would be healthier, and arguably more productive as well. That is what Chicago should be looking to do.