The Chicago Bears are just focused on trying to get to the 2020 season at this point. Hardly a surprise given the ridiculous amount of hurdles they have to jump through due to COVID-19. This team feels it has a chance to make a run at a Super Bowl. All they need is for a few things to come together at the right time. Especially on offense. Running back Tarik Cohen will play a significant part in that.
Was his 2019 disappointing? Yeah, that’s fair. He averaged an ugly 3.3 yards per carry on the ground. Even worse he caught 79 passes for just 456 yards. That equates to a dismal 5.8 yards per catch. It’s clear the guy who electrified defenses in 2018 was almost nowhere to be found last season. It too often seemed like he didn’t have his trademark swagger and creativity on the field. Fans joked there were magnets on the sideline. That is why he kept running out of bounds at every opportunity.
For his part Cohen has admitted after watching tape that it wasn’t pretty. He made a personal vow to be a lot better this season. He’ll have added motivation too. This marks the final year of his rookie contract. That means Cohen better deliver if he wants to get a nice payday next offseason. Especially given how difficult it is for running backs to get their money these days.
Should the Bears be the ones to pay Tarik Cohen?
So this brings up the hypothetical question. What if Cohen delivers? If he plays really well in 2020, it presents the Bears with a tough question. Do they pay him that new contract? GM Ryan Pace has made it clear over the years that he loves rewarding his own players with new deals. Cohen is somebody he drafted back in 2017. At the same time, he also has a reputation for not paying significant money to running backs. See his trading of Jordan Howard to Philadelphia last season for a reminder.
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Pace seems to believe good running backs aren’t too hard to find. He’s not wrong either. While there are elite ones, the fact is running-by-committee approaches work all the time in this league. The one thing Cohen has going for him is his versatility. Not a lot of backs can be a legitimate receiving threat and great punt returner like he is.
The problem is there is a lot of uncertainty around the 2021 salary cap due to COVID-19. If the cap stays level or even gets reduced? It’s hard to imagine the Bears will keep Cohen if he’s looking for significant money. As dangerous as he can be at times, the reality is he isn’t essential to their success.