The Chicago Bears have a two-headed attack at running back with Khalil Herbert stepping up next to David Montgomery. However, they are still going to want a change of pace player in the mold of Tarik Cohen.
Cohen missed all of last season with a setback after his ACL recovery. The team can let him go this offseason and would save a few million in cap space. Given his injury history, and lack of familiarity with the coaching staff you have to assume the Bears are going to let Tarik Cohen walk.
They need a replacement for Cohen but do not want to spend big resources to make it happen. There is a player at the Senior Bowl this week that could make that happen, and that is James Cook.
James Cook is the younger brother of Davlin Cook, and he plays like a smaller version. Cook does not have the size of his brother and is not a between the tackles banger. However, the two share similar speeds, and Cook is a monster home run threat.
The big difference between Cook and Cohen may be that Cook is much downhill in how he runs compared to Cohen who dances a bit more. To be fair, Cook does bust everything to the outside, but as a pass catcher, and when he is in open space, he can take off.
This is why his greatest skill is his ability to add in the passing game. He is wise as a pass protector, which marks another skill he has over Cohen. However, he is at his best catching the ball.
Cook uses his straight-line speed to run go-routes, and from there he is excellent at tracking the ball. He is not an elite route runner but has great hands, and there are not many running backs in the NFL who can motion wide and run the nine route the way he does.
Lastly, Cook has a track record as a kick return man. When Khalil Herbert got more work on offense, the team tried to limit his special team’s play. Without Cohen and Jakeem Grant, they do not have a trusty return man on the team.
The Chicago Bears are not running back needy, and this is not a great class of running backs at the Senior Bowl. However, this runner could fill the specific role of replacing Tarik Cohen, and that could make him valuable enough to keep tabs on.