Tarik Cohen was probably one of the most disappointing offensive players in 2019. Not at the level of Mitch Trubisky but certainly someone who drew lots of heat from fans. His downturn in productivity was equal parts baffling and frustrating. A lot of it was his own fault. He made a lot of mental mistakes and played far more passive than the two previous seasons. Almost like he was tentatives.
However, other factors were in play. It’s easy to forget how intricate an offensive system is in the NFL. It’s basically like a car engine. When all the pieces are there, it purrs like a kitten. If one piece suddenly gets removed? That is when the other pieces start to struggle. In Cohen’s case, the demise of the Bears’ tight ends last season was a huge factor in his issues.
Adam Jahns of the Athletic did a tremendous breakdown in explaining why.
“The Bears’ playoff loss against the Eagles is part of this conversation, too. When Burton was sidelined because of his late groin injury, it allowed the Eagles’ secondary to key on running back Tarik Cohen throughout the game…
…Cohen is one of the “adjusters” in Nagy’s offense. Burton was, too, as the Bears’ “U” tight end. The offense changed last season with Burton limited to only 26 percent of the snaps, or 283 total. Burton was on the field for 860 snaps in 2018 (80 percent).
Without Burton, defenses keyed on Cohen. It was a repeat of the Eagles game but occurred throughout the entire season.”
Tarik Cohen is heavily influenced by the tight ends
Want an idea? In the three games that Burton logged the most offensive snaps of his 2018 season, Cohen collected 23 catches for 240 yards and a touchdown. When the tight ends are able to demand attention in the middle of the field and the flats, defenses can’t devote scheme and extra defenders to him. If it’s one on one, it’s a mismatch in the Bears’ favor.
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So it isn’t hard to see why they invested so heavily at tight end this year. Jimmy Graham and Cole Kmet are already earning sky-high marks in training camp. They look like they could be a formidable duo for defenses to deal with. If that proves true, then Cohen could be one of the biggest benefactors. Getting his big plays back in 2020 could be a catalyst for a team rebound.
