The Chicago Bears have some serious decisions to make regarding their roster this 2020 offseason. Most of them almost certainly will involve the offense. After faceplanting to a 30th ranked finish, nobody should be considered safe outside of Allen Robinson who went over 1,100 yards receiving for the season. Everybody else must be considered fair game. Accountability is the order of the day when these things happen.
That means some guys could get cut and others traded. Most of the talk lately has centered in the usual areas. The offensive line is a big one with Kyle Long and Charles Leno Jr. under a ton of heat for their disappointing years. Trey Burton and Adam Shaheen are also on that list for obvious reasons. Neither managed to even reach 100 yards receiving. Then of course there’s the whole Mitch Trubisky thing.
What about Tarik Cohen?
If anybody qualifies as a major disappointment in 2019, it’s the third-year running back. He finished the season with a career-low 669 yards from scrimmage including three touchdowns. This after going for 1,169 yards and eight touchdowns last year. On top of that, he led the team with eight dropped passes. He averaged an ugly 3.3 yards per rushing attempt as well.
Chicago Bears have to consider moving on from Cohen
The Bears are in a difficult position regarding Cohen. He’s shown he can still be a dangerous threat from time to time, but his effectiveness has dropped considerably. Then there is another factor in play. He will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2020. The odds of the team spending any sort of money to extend him look remote at best. So they’re left with a decision. Do they let him play out the deal and become a free agent or do they trade him while he still has value?
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Cohen remains one of the better punt returners in the league and undoubtedly remains a threat teams are aware of. It’s not hard to imagine there will be a few teams out there interested in obtaining his services in exchange for a draft pick. Would GM Ryan Pace even consider that? He’s the one who drafted Cohen and as yet has never traded a player he himself brought in. So it would be a significant departure from how he operates.
That said, his job will be on the line next season. He can afford to play favorites. If he feels Cohen can no longer play up to the Bears’ expectations, it’s time to move on. Finding good running backs isn’t difficult in the NFL.
